Karlo Van Rompaey: an impressive provincial win in Gien in the province of Limburg.
Everyone is aware of the potential of the Karlo Van Rompaey pigeon breed, which has produced numerous top results over the years. Karlo's palmares is quite impressive indeed. The veterinary surgeon from Sint-Truiden gained an international reputation as the winner of three national first prizes from Bourges (once in 2005 and twice in 2015). But in 2017 Karlo felt it was time for a new challenge, a new project. He auctioned his entire collection of breeding and racing birds on PIPA in March 2018, which was a very successful event. His national winners Prima Dora and Hattrick wrote history, and the descendants of these stars were clearly in high demand; they were quickly sold to fanciers from across the globe.
This was also the starting point for a collaboration with the PEC: pigeons from the PEC's breeding loft have been moving to Sint-Truiden since 2018, to compete in provincial and national races. This connection with the PEC has helped Karlo raise the bar, and it makes him more motivated than ever to get the most out of his team. Besides, most insiders were confident that Karlo would continue to compete at the highest level after his total auction. They predicted that a younger generation from his own breed, along with youngsters of the PEC, would continue to perform along the same lines as before the auction. His current team of racing birds consists of a combination of PEC pigeons and his own bloodlines, and all youngsters of 2019 come from the PEC. We did see some very promising results from this new generation of birds in their first race last weekend.
Gien
The blue coloured hen that took the win in Gien was raced in total widowhood. Karlo explains: "all pigeons are basketed every single week. And since they fly every single week from mid-April onwards, they always have a healthy appetite. They are on a hefty diet right before basketing. It's all about racing, eating, resting. The race from Gien was in fact an intermediary race in between Chateauroux and Argenton for the winning hen. Did you know we have 15 more hens than cocks in our lofts? This means we do not have many fixed pairs. This approach has been in place for years, in part for the sake of convenience," Karlo says smiling. Besides, Karlo has been adding Daflor to the birds' drinking water since last year, which seems to have a positive effect on the pigeons' resistance and their overall development.
This is the winning hen in the provincial race from Gien in Limburg, against 8,772 pigeons.
The recent provincial victory from Gien against 8,772 pigeons was not only highly rewarding from a racing perspective. Karlo was also pleased to see that his winner (BE17-5013765) is a half sister of Prima Dora, winner of a 1st Nat. Bourges of 18,864 pigeons back in 2015. Click here for the pedigree of his national winner.
Team Van Rompaey had a great start to this year's middle distance season (5/5). It all began with a first prize from Sourdun in Central Limburg against 2,326 pigeons, with their winning cock proving the fastest of 6,500 pigeons in Limburg. But it was the weekend of 15th of June that really proved a success across the board for Karlo, mainly thanks to the descendants of Prima Dora and her sire Edu:
1st Provincial Gien 8,772 pigeons with a half sister of Prima Dora, a daughter of Edu
1st Entente Hasp/Luik Cahors 1,052 pigeons with a granddaughter Prima Dora
2nd Provincial Cahors 711 pigeons
2nd Provincial Blois 1,505 pigeons with a granddaughter Prima Dora (Ariën-Van Rompaey, Schaffen) 2, 3, 4 … Momignies 2,077 young birds
In addition, his neighbour Geert Gregoir takes a 1st Provincial Gien of 5,210 yearlings with a granddaughter of Edu
1st Provincial Gien 8,772 pigeons is a half sister of Prima Dora, a daughter of Edu.
Karlo's father Frans passed away earlier this year. "My dad was my biggest supporter. He was always there when the pigeons were about to come home. I miss him of course. His passing on 17th of January was of course a dramatic event, although it helps me stay motivated as well", says Karlo. It makes this victory even more meaningful.
Success story
The pigeon racing career of Karlo Van Rompaey has been a major success, and we have not seen the last of it. His recent provincial victory from Gien is a result of his fantastic career, and it gives us a hint of how his successful career came about: a collection of excellent pigeons that deliver at the highest level, and that originate from some of the best bloodlines out there. A provincial first prize against more than 8,700 pigeons with a half sister of Prima Dora: it says everything about the level of quality in this breed. We remember from an earlier conversation with Karlo after a provincial championship event KBDB in Limbourg that he has a clear take on modern-day pigeon racing. He knows what he wants, both as a vet and as a fancier.