A solid breeding foundation of Van Dyck and Vandenabeele
We reckon the fanciers from Holsbeek have been celebrating more than a few times last summer. They won a double provincial victory (and a few zonal first prizes) with Floriane, they claimed an interprovincial win with Marie Jana, and then there was the title of 1st National Ace Pigeon KBDB Longer Middle Distance Young Birds for Super Ricka. Herman Jespers and Johny Vanderwegen can look back on a memorable 2015. These four top results, along with their national victory from La Souterraine in 2014, can be mainly attributed to two bloodlines: that of stock breeder Kleine Dirk (BE03-6086399) and that of the world famous Bliksem. Their descendants have enabled Johny and Herman to create a solid breeding foundation that will continue to prove its worth for years to come. Click here to find out which top class racing birds have been bred from the invaluable Kleine Dirk and Bliksem combination.
Kleine Dirk, stock breeder for Jespers-Vanderwegen
Super Ricka, 1st Nat. Ace Pigeon KBDB Longer Middle Distance Young Birds 2015
The blue coloured hen Super Ricka (BE15-2000253) is the first top class pigeon of 2015 bred from these two bloodlines. She was the star of the loft this season, and she managed to win the title of 1st Ace Pigeon KBDB Longer Middle Distance Young Birds 2015 with the following top results:
Issoudun 2015 Provincial (486,119 km) 1,213 p. 4th Bourges II 2015 National (459,732 km) 36,307 p. 141st Argenton II 2015 National (537,798 km) 11,223 p. 56th La Souterr. II 2015 Zone B2 (574,564 km) 1,633 p. 16th
She added a few more top results to her palmares, including a 3rd Sourdun 436 p., a 3rd Montargis 399 p. and a 5th Soissons 845 p.
The sire of Super Ricka is Ronaldo (BE11-3070189), a grandson of the famous Bliksem). His sire is none other than Rudy (BE06-3008003), the current top class breeder of Gaby Vandenabeele. This pigeon bred a 1st Nat. Ace Pigeon KBDB Long Distance Yearlings 2013 (Super Romeo) and a1 st Nat. Tulle yearlings 2014 (New Bliksem). Need we say more? Click here for the impressive pedigree of Ronaldo.
The dam of Super Ricka is Tania (BE08-2036103), a daughter of this loft’s stock breeder Kleine Dirk (BE03-6086339), which is related to Dirk Van Dyck’s Kannibaal (Zandhoven, BE) via his grandfather De Bourges. Kleine Dirk has been a phenomenal breeder here in Holsbeek; his descendants have won no less than 70 national top 100 prizes. Tania inherited the qualities of her two parents Kleine Dirk and BE98-2272231, and the same goes for her nest brother Phoenix (BE08-2036104). He is in fact the sire of Phoebe (BE14-2170124), 1st Ace Pigeon Brabant Union Middle Distance Yearlings 2015. More on that later. The full pedigree of Super Ricka can be found here.
Unfortunately for Herman and Johny they will no longer benefit from the exceptional racing and possibly the breeding qualities of their national ace pigeon. In the final race of the season their blue coloured Super Ricka failed to return home from France. Did she hit an electricity wire, or did she encounter a bird of prey? Impossible to tell. This is obviously any fancier’s worst nightmare.
Ronaldo, sire of 1st Nat. Ace Pigeon KBDB Super Ricka and a half brother of 1st Nat. Ace Pigeon KBDB Super Romeo and national winner New Bliksem
Tania, dam of 1st Nat. Ace Pigeon KBDB Super Ricka and a daughter of stock breeder Kleine Dirk
Phoebe, 1st Ace Pigeon Brabant Union Middle Distance Yearlings 2015
As we said, Phoebe is another ace pigeon that came into prominence this season. She was 1st Ace Pigeon Brabant Union Middle Distance Yearlings 2015 with the following prizes:
Guéret National 16,262 p. 119th Montluçon National 16,982 p. 151st Châteauroux National 18,658 p. 490th Châteauroux National 25,710 p. 625th
Her sire Phoenix (BE08-2036104) is a youngster of stock breeder Kleine Dirk, just like her nest sister Tania. Phoebe is not the only ace pigeon originating from Phoenix. Dina, the dam of the 1st Ace Pigeon Cureghem Centre Young Birds 2012, was also bred from Phoenix. Most of the same bloodlines can be found in the pedigree of her dam Rebecca (BE11-3070185) as well. Rebecca is a half sister of Ronaldo (BE11-3070189), the grandson of Vandenabeele’s Bliksem, which means she is also a half sister of the top class pigeons Super Romeo and New Bliksem. The dam of Rebecca is Renate (DV09-3641717), a great)grandchild of Gerard Koopman’s world famous Kleine Dirk (Ermerveen, NL). Click here to read more about Phoebe's origins.
Herman and Johny at the national award ceremony
Floriane, 2nd Ace Pigeon Brabant Union Middle Distance Yearlings 2015
The third ace pigeon in the list is Floriane (BE14-2170088). She finished just behind Phoebe in the ranking of the Brabant Union, thus becoming 2nd Ace Pigeon Brabant Union Middle Distance Yearlings 2015. It can be difficult for a pigeon to keep its form throughout the season but Floriane’s first top result of 2015 was very promising nonetheless: she won a 23rd provincial Blois against 1,925 pigeons on 23rd of May, and she managed to win several more top prizes in the following weeks:
06/06/15 Châteauroux I Provincial 2,892 p. 77th
Zone B2 5,902 p. 157th
National 25,710 p. 292nd
28/06/15 Argenton I Provincial 2,217 p. 50th
Zone B2 5,327 p. 102nd
National 19,925 p. 789th
18/07/15 Blois Provincial 1,793 p. 56th
16/08/15 Argenton II Provincial 346 p. 1st
Zone B2 767 p. 6th
National 2,418 p. 14th
22/08/15 La Souterraine II Provincial 369 p. 1st
Zone B2 960 p. 1st
National 2,548 p. 47th
Long story short: this pigeon won two provincial victories, one zonal first prize, a provincial top 50 prize and another prize just outside of the provincial top 50. The full palmares of Floriane, including her results of 2014, can be found here.
This pigeon is also based on the successful Van Dyck and Vandenabeele bloodlines. The sire of Floriane is Remy (BE11-3070186), a full brother of Phoebe’s dam Rebecca. This means they have the same parents (Rudy x Renate), and the same half brother, Ronaldo. The dam of Floriane is Petite Fleur (BE10-2035177), a full brother of Belle Fleur, the dam of 1st Nat. La Souterraine 2013 Nadetta of Jespers-Vanderwegen. Petite Fleur and her sister are named after their dam Fleur (BE05-2266436). Fleur is a 100% Schaerlackens hen, and she bred a number of top class descendants: Nathalia (4th Nat. Bourges), F-16 (8th Nat. La Souterraine), Lady Fleur (2nd Nat. Bourges and 25th Nat. Argenton), 2035082/10 (5th Nat. Bourges), Speedy (5th Nat. La Souterraine) and also Nadette (1st Nat. La Souterraine). The sire of Petite Fleur is the renowned Kleine Dirk, the stock sire of this loft. Click here to learn more about the pedigree of Floriane.
Nadette, 1st Nat. La Souterraine 2014, has the same grandparents as Floriane from her mother's side
Marie Jana, 1st Interprovincial Vierzon
2015 was also the season in which Herman and Johny reaped the benefits from their excellent relationship with the PIPA Elite Center. Before the PEC’s decision to keep a racing team with Pascal Ariën, called PEC Racing Team ADK, a few rounds of young birds were divided among fanciers across Belgium in 2013 and 2014. One of these lofts was Jespers-Vanderwegen. In 2014 a group of about 15 young birds of the first round from the PEC in Knesselare were kept in the racing lofts in Holsbeek. One of these young birds was Marie Jana (BE14-2170062), winner of a 1st Interprovincial Vierzon this season. She did great in a few other races as well:
23/05/15 Blois Provincial 1,925 p. 91st
13/06/15 Guéret Provincial 1,690 p. 51st
Zone B2 3,905 p. 102nd
National 16,262 p. 168th
11/07/15 Châteauroux II Provincial 1,817 p. 47th
Zone B2 4,760 p. 121st
National 18,658 p. 199th
25/07/15 Vierzon Provincial 1,051 p. 65th
16/08/15 Argenton II Provincial 346 p. 17th
Zone B2 767 p. 51st
National 2,418 p. 115th
22/08/15 La Souterraine II Provincial 369 p. 15th
Zone B2 960 p. 33rd
National 2,548 p. 182nd
29/08/15 Issoudun Provincial 270 p. 5th
Zone B2 824 p. 15th
National 2,212 p. 50th
Click here for the full palmares of Marie Jana in 2015 and 2014.
The pedigree of Marie Jana includes many renowned breeders. This chequered hen is for instance a great-grandchild of the two top class breeders Blauwe Prins (Pros Roosen) and Ike (Chris Hebberecht) from her father’s side. The sire of Marie Jana, Prince Dreamer (BE12-4163558), is a son of Blauwe Prins and a son of Ike. Blauwe Prins won several national top prizes as a racing bird, while Ike became 1st Nat. Ace Pigeon Long Distance KBDB in 2010. These are top class bloodlines indeed! The dam of Marie Jana is Super Sister (BE12-6042515), a crossing of Geerinckx and Steveninck. Her dam 802/05 is in fact a daughter of Chipo (BE03-4329022), which turned Benny Steveninck into a top class player. Chipo, 1st Prov. Ace Pigeon 2003, was paired to top class hen Witpen Houtekiet at the time, and this pair bred Chihaut 98, 3rd Nat. Ace Pigeon KBDB Middle Distance 2008. The sire of Super Sister is a son of two iconic Bart Geerinckx pigeons: Gladiator (3rd Nat. Ace Pigeon KBDB 2004 and 2nd Olympiad Pigeon Porto) x Willyke (1st Prov. etc.). We could say that Marie Jana combines the bloodlines of some of the strongest fanciers. Click here to find out more about the pedgiree of Marie Jana.
Never change a winning team
You should always cherish your best bloodlines. This is why Herman and Johny decided to strengthen their existing breed with pigeons from similar origins. Phoebe and Floriana, the two ace pigeons of the Brabant Union 2015, have left the racing loft and are ready to show their breeding potential in 2016. These bloodlines have led to many great results in the past, and we are confident that they will continue to show their value in the seasons to come.