The pigeon family of Rudi De Saer has had a flying start to the season for sure, demonstrating their strength with a 1st-2nd-3rd provincial against 6,400 old birds in the first preparatory race from Tours on 17 May. This impressive feat made him the number one favourite for the national long distance opener of the season from Limoges. Rudi was able to match the expectations, although he had to be satisfied with a second prize at national level (1st provincial). He was able to win his first national victory of 2014 just two weeks later, as his supercrack New Tours took the win from Cahors. It was a new highlight for the pigeon family from Ruiselede, and a great start to the 2014 long distance season!
Rudi did not compete in the national race from Montauban, instead focusing on Limoges II, for which the entire long distance team had been prepared, just like for Limoges I and Cahors. The idea to basket his entire team for the same races is a new approach that seems to work well. For one, it allows him to keep the pigeons quiet in the weekends in between races. Basketing your entire team for the same races makes nutrition and training a lot easier as well. The only real downside is that some weekend have no races. Besides, focusing on a limited number of races can be quite risky as well, for instance if your pigeons have to fly in difficult weather conditions. This is a choice the fancier has to make.
This is how Rudi De Saer wanted to tackle the 2014 season with his racing birds, focusing on a limited number of races. It allowed his team to win several great prizes this season. The race from Limoges II proved a great success as well, with his first and second nominated winning a national top result. The main goal was now to achieve a fourth top result to increase his chances of winning the national long distance championship title KBDB 2014.His pigeons had three more chances in the races from Brive, Jarnac and Tulle, but Rudi had to wait for the final race from Tulle to win that crucial fourth result.
We take a look at the results with which Rudi De Saer hopes to win the title of national champion long distance old birds KBDB 2014 in Halle:
31/5 Limoges I National 18,390 p.: 6 (0.0326%) + 176 (0.9570%) 14/6 Cahors National 7,140 p.: 1 (0.0140%) + 176 (2.4649%) 07/7 Limoges II National 7,221 p.: 17 (0.2354%) + 114 (1.5787%) 30/7 Tulle National 5,976 p.: 42 (0.7028%) + 373 (6.2416%) Overall coefficent: 12.2270%
This is a remarkably low overall coefficient, and almost 50% lower compared to the coefficient with which the combination of Sauvage-Duran have won last year’s national long distance championship (22.9495%). This is quite impressive!
The main goal of this season was of course to try and win a national first prize, a national title or a national ace pigeon title. We think there are not that many fanciers with such tough goals before the start of the season. They have set a high bar indeed!
A key role for New Tours, Neymar, and Favoriet
The interesting part about this achievement is that the best results were won by the three big champions of this loft Neymar, New Tours and Favoriet, three incredibly strong long distance pigeons. However, things could have turned out differently after the national victory of New Tours from Cahors. New Tours was the leader of the team, and Rudi had doubts about whether or not he should continue basketing him after his national win. It would be a great risk, but pigeons like New Tours are quite rare. This is the type of pigeon you need if you have the ambition of winning a national championship title. Rudi De Saer it was a tough choice to make.
During the preparations for the race from Limoges II, the weather forecast suddenly changed for the worse, and so Rudi quickly decided to give his New Tours a place in the breeding loft instead of racing him again. New Tours was in fact the fourth national winner to join Rudi’s team of breeders!
New Tours was replaced by De Favoriet, winner of a second National Limoges I 2014, and he was basketed together with Neymar as first and second nominated. This De Favoriet managed to finish in 17th national Limoges II. The two pigeons achieved a brilliant result in the race from Tulle, a crowning achievement after an impressive long distance season. It was the fourth result that Rudi was hoping to achieve for the national championship long distance old birds KBDB 2014.
We take a closer look at the key actors of his loft and their most important results:
-New Tours BE10-3020802
1. Cahors Nat 7,136 (2014) 1. Arras 264 1. Tours prov (450km) 515 1. Limoges prov (636km) 790 11. Tours prov. 3,526 15. Bourges prov (450km) 3,125 19. Tours prov 6,400 (na 4 hokgenoten) 3. Limoges prov 2,890 6. Limoges nat 14,679 11. Limoges prov 2,441 18. Limoges nat 13,781 79. Limoges prov 3,434 176 Limoges nat 18,390 (2014) 6. Souillac prov (700km) 1,069 (2013) 10. Souillac nat 5,282
You can find a full list of achievements and his pedigree here
-Neymar BE12-3120018
6. Limoges I nat ’14 (636 km)18,390 (1104 m/min) 9. Gueret N.Zone ’13(555 Km) 2,222 (1614 m/min) 10. La Souterraine nat ’13 11,236 (1136 m/min) 28. Souillac nat ’13 (699 Km) 3,641 (1025 m/min) 42. Tulle nat ’14 (624 Km) 5,976 (1276 m/min) 107 Tulle nat ’13 6,972 (1316 m/min) 114 Limoges II nat ’14 7,221 (1254 m/min) 176 Cahors nat ’14 (742 Km) 7,140 ( 994 m/min)
Click here for a full list of achievements and his pedigree
- Favoriet BE11-3123742
In 2012: 4. Prov. Ace Pigeon Middle Distance KBDB West Fl 2012 4. Prov. Ace Pigeon Long Distance KBDB West Fl 2012 40. Châteauroux Nat 15,904 (club 1°/ 197) 7. Argenton Prov 2,844 (club 2°/ 263) 88. Montluçon Prov 2,609 33. Tours Prov 885 66. Tours Prov 3,486 88. Montluçon Prov 2,609 In 2013: 41. Souillac Nat 5,282 (club 4°/ 118) 61. Montlucon Prov 2,360 3. Tulle Prov 1,012 (club 2°/ 172) 69. Tulle Nat 7,350 103 Argenton Prov 2,650 229 Tours Prov 4,390 871 Limoges Nat 14,271 In 2014: 1. Limoges Prov 3,434 2. Limoges I Nat 18,407 2. Fontenay Club 509 21. Fontenay WVOU 7,568 3. Tours Prov 6,400 (after 2 loft-mates) 17. Limoges II Nat 7,221 373 Tulle Nat 5,976
Click here for a full list of achievements and a pedigree
Remarkably, a lot of today’s most successful De Saer pigeons are based on his stock dam ’t Goedje. She is the dam of New Tours (1st Nat. Cahors) and Antonio (1st Nat. Souillac), as well as his old champions Tours and Bleken. She is also the grandmother of Favoriet. Neymar and Rainman (1st Nat. St. Vincent for Martin De Poorter, de kolonie De Saer), two other top class pigeons of today’s generation are great-grandchildren of the top class breeding pair Perigueux x Corry, which is the breeding line which both New Tours and Favoriet are related to.
These are the invaluable bloodlines that provided the basis for the many long distance successes of Rudi De Saer and his team. Many of his opponents consider him the number one favourite in the long distance competition, if not the best long distance pigeon fancier in Belgium. A title of national champion long distance 2014 would confirm his status as a top class pigeon fancier. Congratulations!