There is no denying that the Diamond Loft is home to two magnificent breeding lines: Diamant and Tennis. It appears that these bloodlines have led to great results for the racing team as well.
Bart and Nance had not been very lucky this season. They lost two excellent pigeons in a few disastrous races in June, and so they started to get worried. They agreed to avoid any risks and to hold back their pigeons. Nobody likes losing pigeons, especially not due to external factors. That is why they wanted to play it safe. Weather conditions eventually started to improve, and so their pigeons started racing again. They were not yet at full force in the race from Bourges II, but one of the yearlings finished in 39th national nonetheless. The yearlings' form was now starting to improve and they were ready for Châteauroux. The young birds, which had been trained and raced with great care, were ready to be basketed as well. Bart and Nance won a national top 100 prize in the young birds’ race from Châteauroux and they achieved a 50% prize percentage.
Three top 25 prizes
The fifth prize was won by Lady Diamond (BE13-6070739) – click here for the pedigree. She is a late youngster from last year that had only been basketed for Quiévrain, but she had quite an impressive pedigree, being a direct daughter of F16. She won a second provincial prize from Vierzon in the early season (and a 7th interprov. against more than 5,000 pigeons). However, she did not perform well in the race from Bourges I, arriving one day late. As a result, she was allowed some time to recover before being basketed again. She recovered very well and she was in great fitness when she needed to be.
The pigeons have been on the nest since 18 July. These late youngsters did not have a nest last year or last winter, and so this was something new for them. That is why some were really motivated. Turbo Diamond, winner of a 23rd prize, was the only pigeon that was also basketed for last week’s Bourges. The reason is that he was so satisfied with his nest and the egg that he did not want to leave it alone. In fact, he did not eat or train anymore. Bart decided to basket him for Bourges, to see how long it would take him to go back to his nest. He was obviously in quite a hurry, winning a 39th national from Bourges and a 23rd national Châteauroux. Turbo Diamond is a direct son of F16 as well. Click here for the pedigree of Turbo Diamond BE13-6070515.
And then there was the late youngster from the fourth round, who was trained in 2013. He had not won any prizes yet, and he did not even have a chip. There was not a lot to be said about the BE13-6309963, until he suddenly won an impressive 11th prize. The dam of this pigeon was purchased at a benefit event of the Herbots family, and it was a gift of Albert Derwa. The Van Oeckel family is pleased to see this pigeon breed such great descendants.
Lady Diamond (left) and Turbo Diamond (right)
The pigeons were basketed for Noyon on Sunday 3 August to prepare for the upcoming races. Unfortunately, not a single pigeon had arrived home by the evening. The fanciers from Oud-Turnhout were quite nervous all day; not having a single pigeon return from a preparatory race for the national competition would be disastrous. It appears they were not the only worried fanciers that day. Luckily enough, most pigeons eventually came home in the evening, and they all learned a lot from this race. Everything has been going really well since then.
The parents of Lady Diamond BE13-6070739
Promising talents
The young birds won a national prize as well. They had an impressive prize percentage of 50% (32/64), including a national top 100 prize. The young bird that finished in 84th is another direct son of F16 called Young Diamond. Click here for the pedigree of Young Diamond BE14-6030014. The young birds have not had a lot of opportunities to show their potential, but the season is not over yet. As we could see in the race from Châteauroux, these young birds will take any chance, just like their parents, grandparents and all the other champions of this Diamond Loft.
The F16 plays a key role, providing successful descendants
Their pigeons have been very successful in other lofts as well. We give you a few examples:
Veenstra (Drachterscompagnie, NL) 09/8 Meer 20,401 pigeons 9-34-70-163-... 16/8 Sittard 16,803 pigeons 22-80-93-... Danny de Voogd (Yerseke, NL) 16/8 Meaux 4885 pigeons 8-11-...
Bart and Nance are planning to move. They will have to leave their current team of racing birds behind, which will be a tough moment, given their impressive results recently. Luckily enough, they can take their breeding team along to their new home. This means they have to start breeding new pigeons that will have to be tested and selected. Given their recent successes, they are quite confident that their breeders will come up with a new generation of great quality pigeons, capable of winning top prizes every season. Many congratulations, and good luck with your move.