Being involved in the pigeon sport for almost forty years and then winning a 1st National … that makes even a ‘man of few words’ exuberant. It happened to Germain D’Hondt from the West-Flemish Anzegem, when his BE07-3040789 disappeared into the clock at 20h44.00. A wonderful feat for the widower which in 2010 had already proven what he was worth with the 1.018th Nat. Perpignan against 6.257 pigeons and further from 2008 the 98th prov. against 1.484 pigeons and from Limoges 2009 the 615th Nat. against 6.138 pigeons.
A few prizes per year, it displays the carefulness with which Germain takes care of his colony. They are only given the big jobs when they are three or four year old widowers (45 in total). Yet the matter of fact Fleming is not afraid to experiment and so three yearlings were raced from Narbonne. With the result being 10th-13th-24th prize in the club. The three old birds in this competition won 7th and 19th prize. It shows the mode of action, but moreover the class of the pigeons there in the Bouvelostraat in Anzegem.
The caution with the talent has paid off several times for the Perpignan 2011 winner – best example is probably the father of ‘De Perpignan’ (which the ‘789/07’ has now been christened), the NL00-4012731 ‘Super Narbonne’. A cock out two pigeons from Claus Wortegem – the line which runs central through the D’Hondt colony – wherefrom the father is a full brother of the 1st Nat. Perpignan from Georges Carteus. After a handful of top prizes this crack was entered for the national competition from Narbonne as a 6 year old, to promptly win the 5th in the club (195th Nat. against 6.066 pigeons) … waited for a year and then once again entered for Narbonne as a peak moment for the super crack which now took 3rd in the club and 408th National against 5.051 pigeons …then a last work of art as an 8 year old, once again from Narbonne, with the 1st in the club against 168 pigeons and the 16th National against 6.801 pigeons. A great performance, which his son has now crowned with the 1st National Perpignan 2011.
Mother of ‘De Perpignan’ comes directly from De Graeve-Van Geert and is mainly based on the famous De Rauw-Sablon pedigree. Her father is a son and her mother a granddaughter of stock couple ‘Herve’ (son ‘Smallen Jules’) x ‘Marthe’ (daughter ‘Den Yzeren’). With this the grandmother of D’Hondt’s 1st Nat. Perpignan winner is in fact a full sister of De Graeve-Van Geert’s wonder ‘Ronaldinho’, which performed magnificently in 2006 by winning the 1st Nat. Limoges. With the blood of 1st National winners from both sides, the National victory form Germain is suddenly less of a ‘surprise’ than first thought.
In the meantime, Germain D’Hondt is enjoying the highlight of his pigeon career; he has slowly had enough of all the attention surrounding it. He would prefer to retreat to his loft, between the pigeons. “The long distance and extreme long distance particularly appeal to me,” he says. “Not as much haste and more relaxing. The ‘789’ had been home since Montauban in order to shine in this Perpignan. I usually race yearlings up to about 600 km and I only chose the real likely contenders for the races. Often a pigeon or three. From Perpignan there were only two, and then to race the 1st – that’s enjoyment.”