Andy Waclaw
Born and raised in Poland, Andy Waclaw moved to the USA with his family as a child where he started to get involved in the pigeon sport. He became one of the leading organizer of the strong Chicago combine and was the man behing the perfect organization of the AU Convention 2018 in Chicago. As a fancier, Andy was also blessed to race in his coop ‘Miss America’ who became 1st AU Hall of Fame Ace Pigeon with the record coefficient of 0.513% as well as 1st RPD Overall National Ace Pigeon All Distance back in 2016 while flying 1.700 miles as a young bird. This bird of extremly high handling quality was bred out of Andy’s own family who already produced numerous winners both in the OLR and in the regular races and she is now treasured with the greatest care in his breeding loft where the expectations are very high. Indeed, she already proved her worth even in second generation and in several one loft races accross the globe. The line of ‘Miss America’ is mostly crossed with the birds provided by his close friend Lolo Ramirez aka LK Corral with who he teamed up several years ago. Expect some fireworks with the breeding line of this flying machine!
Andy Waclaw with Nikolaas Gyselbrecht
Kolvenbag & Son
Over the last five years in the United States you would be hard pressed to find a more consistent loft in One Loft Racing than that of Kolvenbag & Son. The introduction of the Queen L family of pigeons from Jelle Roziers is what launched them into elite company culminating with a dominant year in 2017 where Kolvenbag & Son were Top 5 in nearly every category of the rankings in the United States for the top one loft breeders. There was little let down in 2018 marked by dominant performance in the 350-mile Blue Bucket Stampede Final Race finishing 2nd and 3rd winning over $16,000 in the race series. Although a small breeding loft by comparison to most, Kolvenbag & Son looms large in every race they enter.
Ken Easley & Son Racing
Ken Easley & Son Racing is a 3rd and 4th generation father and son team of pigeon men. Over the last 10 years, the Easley’s have relentlessly pursued the best one loft birds in the world. They first personally visited and acquired stock from who many consider the premier One Loft Superstar breeding loft in the world – Helmut & Alfons Klaas. They have subsequently bought Top 10 winners from the SAMDPR, Victoria Falls and Portugal Algarve. The results for both the Easley’s and those fortunate enough to obtain birds from them have been unprecedented. At the pinnacle of their results is Mukiwa, 1st Hot Spot Ace Winner in the 2016 SAMDPR. They also bred “Ninety Nine” who was 7th Overall Ace Pigeon and 35th on the 411 mile final race that saw only 53 day birds out of the 3,478 birds released. In just the last couple of years their pigeons have won over $146,000 in races for the Easley’s and their friends.
Ken Easley and son
Gallo Loft
It all started for Manny Gallo as a young boy in Cuba keeping pigeons and having a dream. A dream that led him to the United States and back into pigeons in 2004. From 2005 until today, Gallo Loft instills both fear and respect in those who they compete with in local club racing as well as in One Loft Races. Focusing solely on performance and not chasing fancy or famous pedigrees, Gallo Loft has built a family of birds that does it all. Flying against 1,000s of pigeons every week in one of the largest and toughest combines in the United States, Gallo Loft has won every champion loft and champion bird award – several times. They have won 11 AU National Hall of Fame Awards. They have won 44 National Ace Pigeon Awards. In one loft racing they have been at the top in the largest national and international competitions. They were 8th on the 2010 SAMDPR Final Race. In 2011 they were 1st Champion Bird Canadian International One Loft Race. Their pigeon Hot American Girl won over $45,000 in the races in the 2016 SAMDPR – including 1st on Hot Spot #3.
Greek Connection Loft
There likely hasn’t been another loft in the United States that rocketed to the top of the rankings like Greek Connection Loft and more importantly they have stayed there. Greek Connection started racing in the local races and after find some success there they turned their eyes onto the one loft races and they have never looked back. If reputation means anything in this sport the reputation of this loft is, simply put, the absolute very best. Since 2015, Greek Connection has been at or near the top of every one loft ranking. The introduction of several key breeders is what turned the time for this loft from competitive to the loft to beat. They bought a cock from Arie Dijkstra called Picasso who produced their super breeder Jonge Picasso. They also acquired a hen from Fred Goodchild down from Sakis Minovgioudis famous Meeuwke 12. This is likely the most famous pair of pigeons in the United States at this time. The 2017 Hoosier Classic is an example the dominance of this loft as Greek Connection put 4 birds in the prizes pulling over $40,000 out of the race. This type of performance is not rare for Greek Connection as they recently went 4/4 with birds in the prizes in the 2018 Cuevas Classic 350 Final Race.
Nemelka Racing Pigeon Loft
After taking a 10 years sabbatical from racing pigeons to attend graduate school and relocations due to professional opportunities, Nemelka Racing Pigeon Loft (NRPL) started back into the sport in 2002. Starting with a Janssen base and supplementing the birds with Vandenabeele, Aarden, Koopman, Hooyman, Florian Hendricks and a few others NRPL has built a family of birds recognized for consistently delivering top results in the biggest races in the United States. Since entering the SAMDPR, NRPL has finished 13th, 32nd, 74th, 76th, 168th, 174th, 237th, 239th & 261st in the final race. In the prestigious California Classic, over the last three years they have finished 3/546b (350m), 8/908b (305m), 9/332b (350m), 14/776b (305m) and 1st Overall Ace Pigeon in 2017. In the 2018 Hoosier Classic, NRPL birds or birds bred from NRPL birds finished 5th, 55th, 91st, 122nd, and 134th winning over $33,000. The Hooymans/Verkerk cock “Florian” – a gift from Florian Hendricks – has established himself as the superstar in NRPL’s breeding loft.
Yoannys Sainz (Q-Ba Family Loft)
While not as well known as many, the influence of Q-Ba Family Loft is felt far and wide across the United States in many lofts and many winners. Laser focused on seeking out the best families of pigeons across the world over the last 20 years the results have been nothing short of remarkable. Q-BA Family Loft is one of those rare breeders who has been able to excel both in club racing and one loft races. National Ace Pigeons, AU National Awards, AU President Cups winner, 1st Place Snow Bird Classic, 1st Place Crooked River OLR are just the surface of the results delivered by this loft. The foundation of the loft started with Meulemans and Janssens and the subsequent addition of Koopmans, Sangers, and Ganus birds has continued the upward trajectory for this loft that is becoming more firmly established in the national spot light.
John & Tom Schilling
While many may properly recognize Birdy as the most accomplished racer ever in the SAMDPR there are some who believe that title belongs to Little Miss Nikki bred by Tom Schilling. She was 1st Overall in the 2017 SAMDPR Final Race, Knock Out Winner, 1st Zandy Meyer Car Winner, 6th in the Grand Averages, 52nd in the Hot Spot Averages, 2nd on Hot Spot #1, and winning over $325,000 in the race series. Many predict this type of dominance in money won will not ever be equaled in the SAMDPR and it would be hard to argue with them. Now consider that the parents of Little Miss Nikki have bred two additional money winners in the SAMDPR Final Race and 2nd and 53rd place winners in the largest race in the United State – the Hoosier Classic – and you can the success is all in the quality of the pigeons and not luck. Tom and John fly both locally in their club and at the top of the shelf in the one loft races. The Schillings have been racing for over 26 years and are not a big loft with lots of birds and do not sell many pigeons although they are highly sought after.
Tom Schilling (l) and Mike Ganus (r)
Jones Boys
How many breeders can say they have been culminating a family of birds since 1984 and have only gotten better with time? The famous Jones Boys from Utah don’t need to make that claim because everyone else is making it for them. Starting with a base of Huyskens-Van Riels and over the years additions from Louis van Loon and Gaston vd Wouwer they have truly developed a family of birds that everyone esteems. Racing both locally in the combine and in the largest one loft races in the United States the Jones Boys are known for their birds toughness and determination when the races are long or turn slow. There is simply not a more successful loft in the United States when it comes to combining their club racing success with their futurity success with their one loft racing success. They have won 1st Overall Champion Loft in their combine the last 3 years. In 2017 they won 7 races – all over 300 miles in one of the toughest race courses in the United States as the birds have to fly through the valleys and mountains of the Rocky Mountain Range. They also won 1st place overall in the 2017 AU Convention Race. In just the last three years they have won enough prizes in one loft races to fill several sheets.
Paul & Kimberly Daniel (Flying D Loft)
Flying D Loft has firmly established themselves as a loft to beat no matter where their birds are flown and it is just assumed they will finish in the money and near the top of the race sheet. They don’t chase famous names or pedigrees and most of their top birds aren’t down from European imports, however, the pedigrees are full of champions and big dollar winners. This successful family of birds still show the legends of the past in their pedigree – Stichelbaut, Sion, and Janssen. Miss Lucille is the current foundation hen who has over $260,000 in winnings from her progeny. It isn’t rare for Flying D Loft to do what they did in the 2016 San Diego Triple Crown where they put two birds at the top of the results and dominated every competition walking away with over $81,000 dollars!
Bobby Brown
In the 2017-2018 SAMDPR there was a bird that finished 21st in the Hot Spot Averages, 2nd in the Grand Averages, 3rd in the Final Race and was the Knock Out winner pulling in over $100,000 people start to ask questions about the bird and breeder. The answer to the questions are the bird is Kleine Blue and the breeder is Bobby Brown who has been breeding and flying pigeons for 50 years. Bobby’s birds are principally based upon Hooymans, Van Dyck, Koopman, Vandenabeele and some German bloodlines. His philosophy to find success is quite simple - “raise a lot of youngsters, fly them all very hard and only keep a few of the very best.” If Kleine Blue is any predictor of the results on this philosophy then everyone should adopt it.
Mike Ganus
Last but not least there is off course Mike Ganus! Above anyone, Mike has achieved success in one loft races around the world. In 2012 Mike visited the South African Million Dollar Pigeon Race and on the day of the race the weather was sunny, very hot and humid and with head winds. He realised then that the pigeons he had entered were unlikely to win. His American pigeons could cope under those conditions for seven or eight hours on the wing, but for eleven or twelve hours Mike realised he needed a tougher strain of pigeons. To this end he bought the two winners of the race, Untamed Desert and Said in Spun Silver, mated them together and since then his results both in America and around the world have been immense.
In 2015 Mike won the South African Million Dollar Pigeon Race, fifteen minutes ahead of the second placed pigeon, with Laura is a Big Winner Today. The sire of Laura is a Big Winner Today is Sun City, the sire of two big SAMDPR winner. The dam is Margo's Treasure, a daughter of Untamed Desert and Said in Spun Silver. Mike is now breeding off the children of Sun City and is excited to see that grandchildren of his base pair are now winning in America. Read more about Mike Ganus here.
