Team BDS or Bart De Clerck, Dirk Speybroeck and Dr. Piet Blancke.
Combining a demanding job with a successful career in pigeon racing, Team BDS shows that it can be done. The three fanciers of Team BDS, Piet Blancke, Bart De Clerck en Dirk Speybroeck, have been able to achieve great results season after season, including victoires and ace pigeon titles at provincial, zonal and national level. And there is more: many other fanciers have been doing really well after obtaining pigeons from Team BDS.
1st National olds and 1st International Agen hens
This was without doubt the highlight of the 2017 season in the BDS racing lofts, a crowning achievement if you will. This victory shows that the team's investments and their breeding strategy have really paid off, and that they have managed to get their racing team in great form at the start of the season. This first prize was won by racing hen Joëlla BE15-3109330, which was raced from the lofts of Piet Blancke in Ruiselede. She was basketed with a youngster of about 8 days old in the bowl. Click here to reread our report on how the team and their eventual winner Joëlla prepared for the race.
You can only go as hard as you can
This is something that definitely applies to pigeon racing. You cannot expect to win a horse race with a donkey. That is why Team BDS has always been working with winners and ace pigeons. They created a pigeon breed around pigeons with excellent origins, capable of breeding new generations of prize winners in turn. And that includes such talented breeders as Fryda, aske, Eline, and sproete Blois.
These stock breeder were combined with other promising bloodlines, and as such they were able to breed new champions. Among them are some of the most successful racing birds of today:
-Bleek Saertje BE15-3109050
2nd Prov. Ace Pigeon Long Distance KBDB 2015 5th Prov Chateauroux III 4,392 p. ’15 (31st Nat. 17,250 p. – 1st Club 397 p.) 18th N.Zone La Souterraine 2,545 p. ’16 40th Prov Chateauroux IV 1,902 p. ’15 42nd Prov Bourges I 2,227 p. ’16 56th Prov Tours 6,720 p. ’17 68th Prov Chateauroux I 3,422 p. ’17 (196th Nat. 20,473 p.) 69th Prov Argenton 1,907 p. ’16 (355th Nat. 12,449 p.) 80th Prov Tours 6,083 p. 77th Prov La Souterraine 2,739 p. ’15 (148th Nat. 9,750 p.) Etc…
Sire: Broer Bleken BE09-3040471
A direct Rudi De Saer. He is a full brother of Bleken (4th Nat. Ace Pigeon Long Distance KBDB), a half brother of Antonio (1st Nat. Souillac), and a half brother of New Tours (1st Nat. Cahors). He is a direct son of the renowned breeding pair ‘Den 18’ BE98-3240118 x stock dam ’t Goedje BE05-3177035 - 100% Gaby Vandebeele.
Dam: Double 83 BE13-3148383
A sister of Magic Aske 1, 11th Nat. Ace Pigeon Longer Middle Distance ’14. She is a daughter of top breeder Hamilton 192 BE11-3050192 (a direct Marc Pollin, click here for his pedigree) x Lady Aske 791 BE07-4272791 (bred from two invaluable stock dams: Sproete Blois BE01-4374173 x Aske BE00-3195018: 1st Prov. Ace Pigeon Middle Distance KBDB in 2000).
Click here for the pedigree of Bleek Saertje
A full sister of Bleek Saertje turned out to be one of the most promising pigeons in the team of one year old hens; she has won no less than three provincial top 6 prizes:
-Blauw 6 x 1 BE16-3111111
2nd Prov Saumur 3,367 p. 3rd Prov Tours 1,076 p. 6th Prov Tours 2,389 p.
She is another daughter of Broer Bleken x Double 83 (see pedigree).
Hamilton 192 is one of the most important breeders for Team BDS today, having bred not one but two generations of talented racing birds. He was paired to Zus Favoriet BE13-3145779 when he bred Zola BE15-3109034, winner of a 1st Nat. Zone La Souterraine 2,545 p.
Hamilton 192 enjoys the company of Witpenneke (a very successful racing bird at the time), which is growing to become another very important breeder.
-Witpenneke BE10-3161352
5 x 1st prizes at club level 4th N.Zone Bourges II 2,297 p. ’12 7th N.Zone Argenton II 706 p. ’13 21st N.Zone Bourges I 3,489 p. ’13 38th Prov Tours 4,503 p. ’11 50th Nat La Souterraine I 9,548 p. ’13 93rd N.Zone Bourges II 2,884 p. ’11
Het Witpenneke (click here for his pedigree) has shown to be invaluble for Team BDS. He has bred the following prize winners:
-Blauw doffer BE14-3143029: 1st Pontoise 151 p., 2nd Fontenay 197 p., 6th Nat. Zone Montluçon 4,541 p. and 32nd Nat. Montluçon 16,982 p. ’15, 33rd Prov. Chateauroux 3,894 p., 28th Nat. Zone Argenton II 2,875 p. and 60th Nat. Argenton 9,228 p. ’16, 58th Nat. Zone Argenton I 4,983 p. ’16, 5th Fontenay 496 p., 8th Fontenay 330 p., etc. Blauw Doffer BE14 is a son of Witpenneke 352 x Blue Eline BE09-4280815 (a crossing of stock breeder Sproete Blois x Bliksem x Fryda - Team BDS's main bloodlines). See pedigree.
-Blauw doffer BE15-3109061: winner of a 1st Clermont 603 p., 1st Fontenay 386 p., 1st Fontenay 274 p., 32nd Nat. Zone Chateauroux 2,599 p. ’16, 94th Prov. Blois 3,776 p., 131st Prov. Chateauroux-Gueret 7,617 p. ’16, etc. Blauw Doffer BE15 is a son of Witpenneke 352 x Astrid BE07-3164863 (winner of a 22nd Nat. Bourges 27,506 p. and a half sister of Miss Gueret: 2nd Nat. Gueret 10,670 p., and Mathilde: 92nd Nat. Bourges 22,499 p.). See pedigree.
Successful with pigeons of team BDS
Numerous other pigeon fanciers across the globe have achieved great results with direct descendants of Team BDS. One of the most notable success stories is that of Gevaert-Lannoo's stock dam Chateauke 164. She is a direct BDS hen from Chateauke BE01-3116222 (1st Prov. Chateauroux 7,347 p., - a direct daughter of Fryda, stock dam of Cools-Blancke). When Team BDS realised that they had sold Cheateauke a bit too soon, they asked to get a pigeon from their own bloodline in return. That pigeon was full Sister Kaafke BE09-4338100 (a daughter of Chateauke 164). She was paired to De Saer 058 BE08-3190058 (a grandson of Bliksem Vandenabeele), and together they bred one of the most successful racing birds of its generation:
-Paul 191 BE14-3143191
2nd Nat Zone Bourges II 1,498 p. ’17 (1st Club 253 p.) 32nd Nat Bourges II 8,348 p. ’17 2nd Nat Zone Montluçon 4,541 p. ’15 (1st Club 342 p.) 11th Nat Montluçon 16,982 p. ’15 8th Nat Zone Chateauroux 8,291 p. ’15 42nd Nat Zone Chateauroux 1,896 p. ’16 84th Nat Chateauroux 6,850 p. ’16 38th Prov Bourges 1,259 p. ’16 Etc…
Click here for the pedigree of Paul’s 191
Breeding new youngsters from proven breeders, and keeping only your very best birds. That has been the key to success for Team BDS. This approach allows them to breed new champions every season, and to discover promising new breeders as well. One of the epxonents of this successful approach in the lofts of BDS/Speybroek in Vinkt (where only the racing cocks are raced), is Paul's 191. And he is in excellent company: Bliksem Raider 172 and Geschelpten 019 are almost just as talented.
-Bliksem Raider 172 BE13-3076172
32nd Nat Zone Argenton 2,875 p. ’16 53rd Prov Chateauroux 5,910 p. ’16 63rd Nat Zone Bourges 1,498 p. ’17 64th Nat Chateauroux 2,780 p. ’17 94th Nat Argenton 12,187 p. ’15 95th Prov Blois 1,327 p. ’14
This crack has won several top prizes a club level as well, including a 2nd Fontenay 440 p., 2nd Clermont 82 p., 4th Clermont 730 p., 5th Fontenay 416 p., 8th Fontenay 304 p., 8th Blois 189 p., etc.
Sire: Raider BE12-3114060
Winner of a 26th Nat. Argenton 25,949 p., and a half brother of Rainman: winner of a 1st Nat. St.Vincent. He is a son of Monty 047 BE08-3190047 (sire Rainman) x Zus Ulrike BE09-3181476 (Ulrike won a 1st Prov. Bourges in 2011).
Dam: Fryda Bliksem 688 BE07-4272688
A top clas breeding hen from the old breed. She is a daughter of Fryda's Bliksem BE04-3001595 (a cock from a joint breeding with Bliksem Gaby Vandenabeele x Fryda, stock dam BDS) x Petra BE05-4147339 (a daughter of IJzeren 173: 3rd Nat. Ace Pigeon Long Distance KBDB ’05).
Click here for the pedigree of Bliksem Raider 172
Another successful racing bird of BDS-Speybroek that stems from that same Monty bloodline is Geschelpten 019:
-Geschelpten 019 BE13-3076019
10th Prov Vierzon 6,298 p. ’15 37th Nat Zone Tulle 2,432 p. ’15 41st Nat Limoges 8,303 p. ’15 44th Prov Vierzon 5,825 p. ’16 46th Nat Zone Argenton 2,170 p. ’17 59th Nat Zone Chateauroux 805 p. ’14
He is a son of Cahors BE07-4353696 Raemdonck-Ruys (winner of a 4th Nat. Cahors) x Monty-hen 896 BE11-4249896 (a daughter of 11th Nat. Montauban 2010: Monty BE06-3125883, a full brother of Monty 047, the sire of Rainman x Dochter ’t Goedje BE08-3037499 of Rudi De Saer). Click here for the pedigree of Geschelpten 019.
And we have yet another successful racing bird of Team BDS that deserves a mention: Geschelpt Ace Seven (races in the lofts of BDS/De Clerck). This top class hen managed to win a provincial ace pigeon title this season:
-Ace Seven BE15-3109179
7th Prov. Ace Pigeon Longer Middle Distance KBDB 2017 15th Prov Chateauroux 2,212 p. ’17 (17/6) 27th Nat Zone La Souterraine 2,545 p. ’16 72nd Prov Chateauroux 1,589 p. ’17 (8/07) 92nd Prov Tours 6,720 p. ’17 98th Prov Chateauroux 1,902 p. ’15 199th Nat Chateauroux 2,780 p. ’17 557th Nat Bourges I 23,155 p. ’17
She comes from a crossing of Flamingo 256 BE09-4077256 (from E. & M.Leutenez) x Ronaldina BE11-3122972 (from N. & S.Ally). Click here for the pedigree of Geschelpt Asduifke.
Aiming for the long distance
The national and international victory from Agen olds and hens respectively was a crowning achievement for the team of BDS/Blancke in 2017. It was the result of a number of deliberate investments in long distance bloodlines. Their national victory was in fact a turning point in the racing strategy of Team BDS, as the fanciers agreed to pursue new goals next year. Their 2018 season will be focused entirely around the national long distance races.
The three fanciers will be working together towards this new challenge. This team stands for a unique combination of skilled fanciers and a top class pigeon breed, and we are confident that they will be able to meet their goals in the long distance as well.