The national race from Argenton is for the majority of fanciers the very last race with the old + yearlings in widowhood. Those who still take part in La Souterraine and the closing Gueret mainly do this with nest pigeons. Argenton is also the last race for sharing out the 'important prizes'
think about the 'National Ace pigeon Grand Middle Distance'! Many fanciers were on edge
even though at such a moment you always have to have the weather and the location on your side to achieve a 'sharp coefficient'. A set-up that Jos Deno (read: Deno-Herbots) seemed to have been quite successful in, because their yearling cock now wins, after 1° Prov Le Mans last week, 5° Nat Argenton by the yearlings, which puts him in 'pole position' in the provisional forecasts to win the 'National Ace pigeon title' in the 'Grand Middle Distance'!
The national victory by the old pigeons went however to the loft of Willy Daniels out the Antwerp's Kessel, put on the pigeon map at the time by a diamond merchant answering to the name of the late Karel Schellens, who with his 'National 1' not only won 1° Nat Bourges, but had with this pigeon a 'golden breeder' sitting in his lofts!
Fellow villager Willy Daniels clocked his Argenton winner by the 5.252 old pigeons at 13h53'02" from a distance of 555,397 Km, resulting in a velocity of 1509,09 m/min. With this Willy beat the very well known 'Antwerps trio' Luc, Bart & Jurgen Geerinckx from Wommelgem (1506 m) and Anja De Saedeleer from Denderleeuw.
Small colony as winner
The Daniels-colony belongs to the 'smaller colonies' qua numbers, with 15 breeding couples, 12 widowers, in addition to 50 youngsters. Willy had only basketted one old pigeon for Argenton, which was a direct 'bull's eye' with his national victory!
His 2 basketted youngsters didn't 'come through'! Normally Willy only races the 'small middle distance' with his old pigeons, but seeing that this game ends at about the middle of July, he sometimes sends a few pigeons to the 'Grand Middle Distance' or the national races from Bourges and Argenton
somewhat out necessity, because there is no other choice! When you can then pocket the 'national victory', it is 'a nice windfall'! Even though we have to mention that his 'national Argenton winner' ring 05-6231037 is not just any old pigeon.
This season he was crowned 10° Ace pigeon Union Antwerp by the old pigeons and had already achieved the following magnificent performances:
2005 :
Melun 896 pigeons 1
Dourdan 585 pigeons 26
Dourdan 762 pigeons 2
Orléans 487 pigeons 63
2006 : Saarbrucken 101 pigeons 32
Dourdan 222 pigeons 7
Chateauroux 181 pigeons 1 prov 2424 pigeons 5
Montlucon 2264 pigeons 193 Limoges 2628 pigeons 535
2007 :
Argenton 720 pigeons 1 3879 pigeons 5
Bourges 4316 pigeons 54
Argenton 1622 pigeons 32
2008 : Melun 1528 pigeons 19
Melun 1704 pigeons 32
Dourdan 884 pigeons 1 Pithiviers 402 pigeons 3
Argenton nat 5252 pigeons 1
1° Nationaal Argenton 5.252 oude
Pedigree : Click here
He comes out "Den 290/04" (which comes from the lines 'Lichte Bourges' from Maurits Voets, in crossing with hen De Meyer & Zoon) x "299-Duivin 299/04" (a crossing Van Leest-Peeters x Louis De Leus x Maurits Voets). This winning cock still raced in widowhood. Willy basketted him on the Tuesday evening before Argenton for a trainings race from Quiévrain. When he returned home on Wednesday he was allowed to keep his hen until the basketting on Thursday evening
which seemingly ensured extra stimulus!
The colony of Willy Daniels, 58 years old and a diamond adaptor by trade, is for a large part built up with the aforementioned pedigrees, being M.Voets, Van Leest-Peeters, De Meyer & Zoon and Gaston Van de Wouwer
admit it, not just any old names, and who unarguably illustrate the 'class' present in the Daniels lofts! Willy had a very strong 2008 sport season and in 'Antwerp Union' not only achieved the 10° Ace pigeon by the old pigeons, but also the 10° Ace pigeon Yearlings. Qua care, he tries to keep everything as simple as possible.
The first day after returning home the pigeons are given very light food. Towards the end of the week the food becomes heavier and extra corn is added. When they return home electrolytes are added to the drinking water, and the pigeons are given extra vitamins for 1 or 2 days per week. An occasional cure against tricho should be enough to complete the season. For the airways there is only anything given on advice if the performances are not up to scratch
this year it was not even necessary because the pigeons were always in optimal condition. It has been proved yet again, that with only a few pigeons in the lofts and a simple system you can climb up to national victory. Maybe many fanciers could ask the rightful question: are we not looking too hard? In any case, Willy Daniels proved from Argenton that it can be done differently!
Our sincere congratulations to the Daniels family with their National Argenton victory by the old pigeons!