A fancier will inevitably have a few doubts on his mind when he heads to the basketing club at the start of the new racing season. Are the pigeons going to deliver this season, or will they fail to meet the expectations? It is often the details (preparation, training, diet, health) that make all the difference at the start of a season. If your racing team is in the front of the pack already in the very first races, perhaps claiming one or two victories along the way, then the fancier knows he is up for a great year.
One of the fanciers that can look forward to the national classics with quite a bit of confidence is veterinary surgeon Karlo Van Rompaey. The preparatory races leading up to the middle distance clearly show that his racing team is on a roll, having won a first prize on a weekly basis, and even a 1-2, a 1-2-3-4, and a few other great overall results. Karlo's pigeons are getting in great shape indeed, and Karlo will now try to further improve their fitness, trying to get them in peak form for the national classics in late May. This is something he should be able to manage though, given that he has already three national victories from Bourges on his palmares.
Let's have a look at the results from his excellent early season:
16/4 Laon (170 km) 127 olds Club: 1,8,9,10,11,16,17… 15/30 226 YL Club 1,2,3,4,6,7,8,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20… 45/94 358 YL Trudo 1,2,5,6… 22/4 Laon (170 km) 129 olds Club: 2,6,7,10,12… 14/30 208 YL Club: 1,2,4,5,6,8,9,11,12,13,17,18,19,20… 39/91 343 YL DKNS Brabantse: 1,2… 458 YL Trudo : 1,2… 29/4 Trelou (230 km) 123 olds Club: 3,11,12,13… 17/30 219 YL Club: 1,2,4,5,6,8,9,10,11,12,13,16… 40/86 541 YL Trudo: 1,2… 680 YL DKNS Brabantse: 1,2… 1,432 Midden Limburg: 1,2… 7-5 Joux-le-Chatel (280 km) 148 olds Club 1,3,7,9,10,12,14,15,17,21,22,23… 18/30 379 olds Trudo 1,9,17… 1,925 olds Midden- Limburg: 3,27,39,44,45… 18/30 213 YL Club : 1,3,4,5,10,11,12,13,14,15,18,19… 39/86 352 YL Trudo: 3,8,12,13… 1,263 YL Midden-Limburg: 5,11,17,18,51,54,55,56,57… 43/86
The opening race from Laon (on 16/04) was won with a half sister of Prima Dora (Prima Dora won a 1st Nat. Bourges I against 18,864 p. in 2015). That same hen continued to win first prizes in the following two weeks as well. She did no more than two flights of about 100km as a young bird but that was apparently all she needed; she has been showing some great form this season. She is a daughter of Hattrick (winner of a 1st Nat. Bourges 14,449 p. in 2015), and she has an excellent pedigree:
-Dochter Hattrick BE16-2206236
1st Trelou 1,432 p. 1st Laon 458 p.
Sire: Hattrick BE14-2048151
1st Nat. Bourges 14,449 p. (fastest of 60,059 p.)
A son of Dirty Brother BE10-5025578 x Leonica BE12-5057101 (100% Verreckt-Ariën from Leonidas x Dochter Moluca).
Dam: Luc-Acy Hen BE15-6020270
A direct Bart Geerinckx from the two top breeders of the Geerinckx loft: Luc BE09-6326192 (winner of 1st Nat. Argenton 12,446 p.) x Acy BE12-6042459 (1st Olympiad Pigeon Long Distance Budapest ’15 and 2nd Nat. Ace Pigeon Longer Middle Distance YLs KBDB ’13).
Click here for the pedigree of Dochter Hattrick
Hattrick x Luc-Acy Hen: the parents of Dochter Hattrick 236, winner of two consecutive first prizes
It is obvious that Hattrick is playing an increasingly important role in the Karlo Van Rompaey pigeon breed. He claimed a national victory from Bourges II in 2015, after which he was transferred to the breeding loft, where he became the sire of some talented racing birds in his very first year, including three first prize winners:
1 Midden Limburg Trelou 1,432 pigeons
1 Brab-Limb 680 pigeons
1 Laon 458 pigeons
7 Midden Limburg 1,573 pigeons
1 Sezanne 148 pigeons
12 Midden Limburg 1,251 pigeons
140 National Bourges 28,078 pigeons
This is a bloodline with quite a lot of potential indeed.
The pigeon family of veterinary surgeon and pigeon fancier Karlo Van Rompaey has what it takes to win prestigous first prizes or to dominate pigeon races. Despite the cold weather in April the Van Rompaey pigeons showed to be in great form, having won quite a few first prizes already. If their form continues to improve in the next couple of weeks, they will be in pole position for the national classics this season, ready for perhaps another hattrick?