Van Ouwerkerk-Dekkers (Brasschaat, BE) have patented top results on the toughest of races

This is best illustrated by their 3rd Nat. Ace Pigeon KBDB Extreme Long Distance Old birds 2023 which was classified thanks to her top results on the furthest races, Barcelona and Perpignan! This checkered hen (BE18-6026703) embodies the qualities of the strong stock from Van Ouwerkerk-Dekkers. The greater the distance and the tougher the race, the better these pigeons perform...

BE18-6026703 became 3rd Nat. Ace Pigeon by winning 8th Nat. Perpignan 5,722 p. and 83rd Nat. Barcelona 6,533 p. The latter from Barcelona is her third consecutive impressive feat on the Spanish classic. Thereby, she is also the 14th Best Barcelona (Int.) pigeon of Belgium across 3 years in the PIPA Ranking. A sensational hen for the longest of races!  

Her descent breathes extreme long distance races. Father (NL16-1628625) is a cross of Arjan Beens x Jelle Jellema from the bloodlines of Jan III and Annie from Beens and Kiara (sister Jade, mother Kleine Jade) from Jellema. 

Mother (BE15-6023277), a hen from the heart of the Van Ouwerkerk-Dekkers stock. She is a granddaughter of stock hen Miss Sint-Vincent, 1st Nat. Sint-Vincent 5,101 p. 2003. Her sister won a/o 14th Nat. en 54 Nat. in 2013 and 2014, 24th Nat. Sint-Vincent and 172nd Nat. Agen in 2016. Moreover, she is also full sister of 450-10, mother of Starboy (BE16-6037050). 

Starboy is father of Miss Debie, Pattaya winner for Mike Ganus early 2023! Starboy also bred Miss Maurice from Maurice O'Donnel. Miss Maurice won 1st Place Knock Out Winner SAMDPR. 

An incredibly successful breeding line which Jacques, Irene and Vincent have a lot of faith in. 

Natural system and rearrangement of tasks in 2024

It is important to mention that the 703-18 (3rd Nat. Ace pigeon Extreme LD Old birds) was raced on the natural system. Anyone who knows Van Ouwerkerk-Dekkers, knows that they raced their own strain on widowhood for many years. As observant as they are, they noticed that many of their exceptional performances on extreme long distance races in recent years have been achieved on the natural system. Moreover, they also felt that the introduction of new reinforcements such as the Jellema strain, performed better when raced on the natural system. In previous years, the pigeons were already partly raced on nest and partly on widowhood.

Moreover, Irene has recently struggled with her health and the mutual rivalry that often arose between Jacques, Irene and Vincent during the racing season was no longer productive. They therefore decided to thoroughly rearrange their tasks and instead of each having their own loft, they now each take charge of their own section. In concrete terms: Jacques will take care of the young birds and yearlings. As he guides the youngsters in their first year, he will also take care of breeding. This way, son Vincent can fully focus on the old birds. "Vincent is stricter and has the fancier’s touch, he dots the i's and crosses the t's", says father with a lot of confidence in Vincent's approach.

Both the previous successes and the redistribution of tasks, enable Vincent to race the old hens on the natural system next season. The pigeons on the loft known as 'the shed' at the Van Ouwerkerk household will be raced on widowhood (both total and single). A different system to motivate the racers on every loft in 2024!

Phenomenal performances on Pau and Perpignan 

As Jacques described their extreme long distance season, from beginning to end, as outstanding. They performed at a constant, high level but truly excelled on both Pau and Perpignan. This becomes clear when taking a closer look at these results: 

With 6 pigeons in the National Top 100 on Perpignan and winning the title 3rd Nat. Ace Pigeon Extreme Long Distance on the two longest races of the international classics, the Van Ouwerkerk family underlines their colony's strength. The stock they built after all those years, excels where other pigeons give up. On the longest distances, in tough and harsh conditions the Van Ouwerkerk pigeons simply power on. "The young birds aren't pampered, quite the contrary. As Jos Thoné put it in words, they receive a Spartan upbringing", Jacques explains. 

The stock was mainly built around two stars, Mr. St. Vincent & Miss St. Vincent who can be found in all pedigrees at least once. The new generation of racers is focused more around two other cracks. One of them is Poco Barcelona, who was crowned Best Barcelona of Belgium across 2 and 3 years in 2019. He has the blood of both Mr. as Miss St. Vincent running through his veins. The other is, Close One, 2nd Nat. Agen 4,644 p. 

The qualities of this stock ensure that this combination excels on Perpignan, Barcelona, St. Vincent and tough One Loft Races. With a slightly altered approach and reorganization, Jacques, Irene and Vincent will undoubtedly perform in 2024 when the going gets tough. For now, they can look back and enjoy the beautiful results from past season!