The right origins
Stefan has everything it takes to be a winner, just like his pigeons. Both his grandfather Eduard and his father Leopold were successful fanciers. Stefan raced together with his father until he died in 2009. This title can be regarded as the pinnacle of three generations of top level pigeon fanciers.
Mission complete
Stefan Mantels could not go to work for six weeks due to an operation on his hand. “I basically won the national Championship in those six weeks: I had the time to release my widowers in the morning as well and, coincidence or not, they performed slightly better than they used to.” This increase in performance led to the following results:
Chimay: 1,118 p.: 9th - 13th Chimay: 1,372 p.: 40th - 3rd Vervins: 630 p.: 6th - 64th Chimay: 827 p.: 12th - 24th Chimay: 734 p.: 4th - 5th Chimay: 838 p.: 1st - 2nd (2 in the basket)
It is also worth mentioning that this pigeon family won a sixth place in the National Championship Yearlings KBDB. Some of these results were achieved in the months of July and August. In most regions there are no old bird races anymore but Limburg still manages to organise races with hundreds of old birds in these months. This is thanks to the chairman Jean Hulshagen from Lummen.
Stock sire
The 5154599/99 is the undisputed stock sire. He has three sons, three grandchildren and six daughters in the breeding loft, which consists of 12 pairs. We find another five of his sons in the widowers' loft. 5554599/99 was obtained after Stefan had found an unknown pigeon in his loft. It was a bird from the loft of Leon Lambrechts from Heist-op-den-Berg. Leon ringed two youngsters for Stefan as thanks for returning the pigeon. We know the rest of the story.
The 154599/99: stock sire and breeder of champions
The stock dam is the 58-duivin (6154958/02), a pure Jos Van der Veken (Retie, BE). We are all familiar with the impressive results this fancier has achieved. The 58-duivin is the dam of Blauwe Turbo and grandmother of Genopte, the winners of the National Championship Sprint KBDB.
Blauwe Turbo and Genopte
The Blauwe Turbo (5013042/09) was second Ace Pigeon Old Birds in Limburg in 2012. He managed to win thirty top 10 prizes, including six first prizes in only two years. Click here for a full list of achievements of Blauwe Turbo. The Genopte (5041231/08) has won twenty top 10 prizes. The Genopte was particularly successful in the provincial middle distance races, whereas Blauwe Turbo showed his strength in the race from Chimay most of the time. We noticed that Genopte is a pigeon with excellent origins. His sire is a son of Bourgesman (of the late Pros Roosen) paired to a daughter of Computer II (winner of thirteen first prizes). Click here for the pedigree of Genopte.
Introductions and championships
As we said earlier the family of Stefan consist of pigeons that are closely related. That is why he is on a constant search for pigeons of similar quality to merge into his existing breed. For instance he has purchased pigeons from Daniël Timmers (Hechtel, BE: 1st nat. La Châtre 15,827 p.), Gaston Surkijn (Lummen, BE), Romain Vanrompay (Lummen, the line of Clerinx), Rene Geladi (Stokrooi, BE) and Pierre Mathijs (Hamont-Achel, BE). At the auction of Maurice and Ivan Vandersmissen (Rummen, BE) Stefan also purchased a cock that had won a first Nanteuil 552 pigeons and a first Naneuil 437 pigeons. He also bought a daughter of Ronald I, fourth Olympiad Pigeon 2007. He did a joint breeding with Witpen Lummen of Louis Beutels (Lummen, BE) as well. This pigeon is winner of a first Ace Pigeon Middle Distance Young Birds. We run through some of the most important achievements and championship titles of 2012:
16 x first and 15 x second prize General Champion "De Witpen Lummen" 1st Yearlings Sprint 1st Yearlings Middle Distance 2nd Old Birds Sprint 2nd Old Birds Middle Distance 2nd Young Birds Middle Distance 5th Young Birds Sprint 1st Ace Pigeon Yearlings Sprint 1st Ace Pigeon Yearlings Middle Distance 1st Ace Pigeon Young Birds Sprint 1st Ace Pigeon Young Birds Middle Distance 2nd Ace Pigeon Oude Middle Distance General Champion KBDB Limburg 1st Sprint Old Birds KBDB Limburg 2nd Middle Distance Yearlings KBDB Limburg 4th Middle Distance Young Birds KBDB Limburg 5th Sprint Yearlings KBDB Limburg 2nd Ace Pigeon Sprint old birds KBDB Limburg 3rd Ace Pigeon Fondclub Limburg 1st National Champion KBDB Sprint Old Birds 6th National Champion KBDB Yearlings 4th National Superhok Vitesse
2012 was a season to remember. It would be difficult to have an equally successful season in 2013. Still, there is a good chance. Stefan, it might be an idea to undergo an operation on your other hand this summer?