Gregory has quickly made his pigeon colony evolving in big steps. Aged of 42 years, he has decided to take the most out of his racing team and this had to pass through giving his entire breeding team under the lead of his friend Thierry Marichal, a name that you may recognize if you follow a little bit the cycling world. He is nowadays the team manager of the Cofidis cycling team. When the cycling season has started with the big stages, it is also the time of the international races on the pigeon calendar. That's why it became totally impossible for him to take care of his racing team. The combination of both partners became the perfect solution for them. At the time, Thierry invested a lot on the pigeons of De Smeyter-Restiaen and those pigeons are now crossed on the best pigeons from Gregory. Somehow, it may be the explanation of their success.
A demanding racing plan
Gregory is considered as a very demanding fancier and it was already the case when he built his first loft in the garden of his home in Herquegies, not so far from the French border and from the Flemish part of Belgium.
At the time, he was already an experienced fancier because he comes from a family of pigeon fanciers and he grew up in this world. The main characteristic of his philosophy is the severity. Beyond 600 km, the pigeons can't miss their prize and it starts already at the age of one year old, despite the fact that at this age, they have a second chance if they miss the first time. Then they have to fly Narbonne and if they fail, Gregory has no mercy. His yearlings are never paired and never receive a hen. They are only raced on their territory instinct. At the age of two years old, they have spread on the whole international calendar. For Barcelona, both partners are planning to build a team of hens who will be raced on a nest especially for this fantastic race.
To achieve good results, you need to reach the form peak at the right moment and then you have to manage to keep it up for a few weeks. During the racing season, the pigeons are fed with a mixture composed by their friends Gregory & Sylvain Claes (through the firm Columbi of Frederic Leclercq). Five days before an international race, they are fed with a special mixture for the extreme long distance race from the same brand and this mixture is compounded by Gregory. The pigeons are then ready to face the most demanding flying conditions.
Regarding the medical cares, they vaccinate their pigeons with the mandatory vaccines in the early season. The pigeon vet is consulted and the pigeons are only threatened if they need it. So, no blind cure in the lofts of Gregory but he often uses the yellow drops. For the tricho and the coccidiosis, pigeons are only threatened after being examinate.
After the racing season, the racers are paired after Perpignan but are not breeding, then they are separated.
Even if he determines himself as a true long distance racer, Gregory his racing his pigeons since their young age and thus, the youngsters are darkened so that the cocks can be basketed to Bourges while the hens are flying the entire national calendar. Doing this allows you to do not keep too many yearlings as the youngsters are selected. If can also make a selection earlier in his breeding loft.
Now that you have a better idea about his philosophy, we can introduce you to the best results booked by this loft over the last two years, as the combination really exploded since then. Take a look by yourself while browsing through their best results of 2020 & 2021:
- Brive 2020
4238 Yearlings National : 80, 356, 401 & 11/11
- Agen 2020
5140 Vieux National : 64, 76, 213, 349, 375 & 9/18
5955 Yearlings National : 11, 379, 389, 530, 541 & 9/19
15271 Vieux International : 81, 109, 335, 585, 633 & 13/18
14799 Yearlings International : 14, 682, 694, 1001, 1022 & 9/19
- St-Vincent 2020
3038 Vieux National : 27, 44, 197 & 8/11
6073 Vieux International : 96, 132, 557 & 8/11
- Barcelona 2020
6178 Vieux National : 5 & 2/3
12315 Vieux International : 19 & 2/3
- Perpignan 2020
2643 Vieux National : 59 & 3/10
11237 Vieux International : 287 & 3/10
- Narbonne 2020
4454 Vieux National : 6, 47, 48, 58, 314, 347, 414 & 11/14
4120 Yearlings National : 2, 19, 32, 58, 222, 283, 321, 376, 386 & 19/41
12848 Vieux International : 8, 77, 79, 98, 1245 & 11/14
8492 Yearlings International : 4, 35, 101, 243, 668, 784 & 19/41
- Cahors 2021
3651 Vieux : 20,29,55 & 3/4
- Pau 2021
3600 Vieux National : 29, 342 & 6/17
14435 Vieux International : 113, 1277, 1438 & 6/17
- Agen 2021
6938 Vieux National : 14, 107, 167, 208, 342, 487, 594, 680 & 10/25
7360 Yearlings National : 135, 477, 551 & 12/25
18056 Vieux International : 15, 184, 291, 359, 629, 953, 1167, 1377 & 13/25
17759 Yearlings International : 242, 977, 1153 & 12/25
- Barcelona 2021
6913 Vieux National : 77, 360, 524 & 5/10
16485 Vieux International : 233, 946, 1375 & 5/10
- St-Vincent 2021
3080 Vieux National : 110, 114, 143, 307 & 12/18
8280 Vieux International : 420, 429, 486 & 12/18
- Marseille 2021
1882 Vieux National : 66 & 3/4
10830 Vieux International : 419 & 3/4
The golden pair
Since his new start, Gregory has been lucky enough to find a fantastic breeding pair. Everything that comes from these two pigeons when paired together seems to be born to win. The cock is called 'Le Rouge' (BE10-9036292) and he was bred out of a cock from Marcel Vandenabeele (the BE09-4222532, grandson 2. Limoges National 2002), and a hen from Houfflijn, 'Stella' BE04-4167658, a half-sister of their 'Red Barcelona', 40. et 45. National Barcelona.
The hen is the BE10-9107889, the Bleue Didi, daughter of the DV07883-08-3746 Etienne Devos (a grandson of the world famous Kleine Didi 1. National Acebird extreme long distance KBDB ‘97) and of the BE07-2104190 (a direct Marcel Aelbrecht hen bred out of the line of Miss Joyce, the most famous pigeon of the late Verbesselt André).
They are parents and grandparents of (only prize per 100):
1. Nat Zone Bourges youngsters 8.545 p. (Claes P&F)
1. CALC St-Junien 5.910 p. (Rosiaux C.)
1. Ace St-Vincent 19 -'20 (PIPA Ranking)
2. Nat. Narbonne yls 4.120 p.
4. Int. Narbonne yls 8.492 p.
5. Int. Fem Narbonne 6.837 p.
6. Best extreme long distance pigeon with 3 prizes (PIPA Ranking)
8. National Acebird extreme long distance KBDB 2019
8. National Acebird extreme long distance KBDB 2021
9. Int. Fem Agen 5.388 p.
10. Nat. Bourges 28.446 p.
11. Nat. Agen 5.955 p.
14. Nat. Agen 6.938 p.
14. Int. Agen 14.799 p.
15. Int. Agen 18.056 p.
18. Nat. St Vincent 2.949 p.
27. Nat. St Vincent 3.038 p.
28. Nat. Agen 3.524 p.
29. Nat. Pau 3.600 p.
36. Int. Agen 6.042 p.
77. Int. Narbonne 12.848 p.
81. Int. Agen 14.799 p.
....
The current best pigeons:
- 'The Boss' (BE17-1010556)
3. European Ace extreme long distance 2020
5. National Ace extreme long distance KBDB 2020
6. Nat. Narbonne 4.456 p. 2020
8. Int. Narbonne 12.848 p. 2020
63. Nat. Agen 5.140 p. 2020
81. Int. Agen 15.231 p. 2020
...
His father is the 'Zizou' (BE15-1189734), a super breeder out of a pairing between a 'brother Cas' (BE10-4180535) from Joost Desmeyter (Cas won the 1. International Pau) and the BE11-3002215 from Patrick Vandeputte who is a pure Devos Etienne daughter of the Zidane, 1. International Carcassonne.
His mother is the 'Golden Mama' (BE15-1019832), daughter of the Inter, a 100% Schreurs-Hauben pigeon (BE09-9066982) who won 10 prizes out of 10 basketting in the international races, when paired to a hen of Carlier-Petit ('La Belle', FR06-428600).
- 'Nirvana' (BE17-1010658)
1. Best pigeon on St-Vincent ’19-‘20 (PIPA Ranking)
8. National Acebird extreme long distance KBDB 2019
18. Nat St-Vincent 2.949 p. 2019
27. Nat St-Vincent 3.038 p. 2020
...
Direct son of the Golden Pair!
- 'Storm' (BE19-1111679)
8. National Acebird extreme long distance KBDB 2021
14. Nat Agen 6.938 p. 2021
94. Nat Narbonne 5.800 p. 2021
...
His father is the BE16-1072613, a son of the Golden Pair.
His mother is the 'Cas bleue plume blanche' (BE16-1072647), direct daughter of a full brother Cas from Joost Desmeyter (BE10-4180535) when paired to the BE11-9051900 from Patrick Vandeputte being a 100 % Etienne Devos hen, granddaughter of Contador (2. Nat Brive) and Ronaldinho (1. Nat Limoges).
- 'Chucky 666' (BE19-1111666)
2. Nat Narbonne 4.108 p. 2020
4. Int Narbonne 8.432 p. 2020
5. Fem Narbonne 6.837 p. 2020
...
Her father is the BE16-1062344, a direct son of the Golden Pair who is also the fahter of the 77. Nat Barcelona 2021.
Her mother is a hen of Michel Dhalluin (BE15-1189730), also mother of the 77. Nat Barcelona 2021. She is a daughter of the BE08-9037036 who won the 13. Nat Agen et 33. Nat St-Vincent when paired to the BE09-9061009 from the line of the 'Kleine Barcelona' of Roger Vereecke.
- 'Matteo' (BE16-1072511)
5. Nat Barcelona 6.178 p. 2020
19. Int Barcelona 12.315 p. 2020
...
His father is the BE05-9109934 from Christian Demaret (Van Der Wegen X Theelen), his father being a direct pigeon of Antoon & Lucy Vanderwegen (NL96-2690148) and the mother is a direct Jan Theelen pigeon (NL03-1557114).
His mother is 'Golden Mama' (BE15-1019832), daughter of the Inter, a 100% Schreurs-Hauben pigeon (BE09-9066982) who won 10 prizes out of 10 basketting in the international races, when paired to a hen of Carlier-Petit ('La Belle', FR06-428600).
With such a potential, no doubt that we will see again the name of the Demaret-Marichal loft on top of the international races...