Louis & Eugene Stabel in 2016: 2nd National Champion NPO One Day Long Distance Nominated
Introduction
In early 2016 we introduced you to the strong performing father-son combination from Goirle in Brabant, who came to the fore when racing bird Romy won the PIPA ranking for best yearling in The Netherlands (10 prizes), and went on to win the title of National Pigeon Champion Natour NPO. Click here to reread our introductory article (in Dutch). We decided to pay another visit to the Stabel family, who managed to achieve great results in 2016 after an already impressive year 2015. They have won the title of 1st General Loft Champion in Entente Hart van Brabant (200 members) for the tenth consecutive season. They did particularly well in the one day long distance, winning the title of 1st Loft Champion in that discipline in Province 2 Brabant 2000. At national level they claimed a second place in the national championship one day long distance nominated, finishing just behind the unbeatable Gerard and Bas Verkerk (Reeuwijk, NL). Here is a look at their achievements in the one day long distance in Brabant 2000:
28-05 Issoudun 554 km 864 p. 1-8-9-10-12-15-22-25-34-62-73-etc.(18/36) 10-06 Bourges 528 km 496 p. 2-3-10-14-15-20-23-25-31-41-etc.(15/30) 26-06 La Souterraine 643 km 396 p. 7-10-21-26-29-32-38-40-42-etc.(14/30) 09-07 Chateauroux 577 km 499 p. 1-9-10-11-12-14-15-17-19-25-29-etc.(19/35) 23-07 Limoges 684 km 307 p. 1-4-6-7-11-17-18-19-23-28-etc.(13/30)
L. Stabel & Son, 4 teletext prizes in the one day long distance in 2016
Esmee, the key to success
NL10-3031551 Esmee, the stock dam of Louis and Eugene Stabel
Father and son Stabel must be fortunate to have the exceptional Esmee in their collection. She won a 1st NPO Sezanne (14,232 p.) and a 3rd NPO Orléans (13,137 p.) as a racing bird, before she was taken to the breeding loft. This was obviously a very smart move. Her youngsters and grandchildren have shown to be impressively strong, and this is why Esmee can be considered the true stock dam of this current generation of prize winners. The role that she played in the different championship titles of 2016 will become evident in the remainder of this article.
Esmee Ace 454
NL14-1179454 Esmee Ace 454, 13th National Ace Pigeon (hens) WHZB/TBOTB
One of Esmee's exceptional granddaughters is the two year old hen NL14-1179454 Esmee Ace 454 - click here for the pedigree. This hen won many points in the nominated championship of the one day long distance races this season. She was basketed as second nominated in five different NPO races and she did not disappoint. This is the palmares of Esmee Ace 454 this season:
NPO Limoges 17th – 2640 p. NPO Chateauroux 44th – 3828 p. NPO Issoudun 55th – 7275 p. 5th Ace Pigeon One Day Long Distance Province 2 Brabant 2000 13th National Ace Pigeon (hens) WHZB/TBOTB
Limogeske, 3rd NPO Limoges
NL14-3433013 Limogeske, 3rd NPO Limoges 2640 p.
Another granddaughter of Esmee is NL14-3433013 Limogeske - you can find her pedigree here. This hen earned a reputation in the race from Limoges, where she won a teletext prize thanks to a 3rd NPO (2640 p.). She already has 34 prizes on her palmares, including most notably:
NPO Limoges 3rd – 2640 p. Creil 5th – 23378 p. NPO Issoudun 36th – 7275 p. NPO Gien 76th – 8221 p. Long Distance Club South Holland: 11th Golden Crack one day long distance Brabant 2000
Dagfonderke, 8th Ace Pigeon one day long distance Brabant 2000
NL15-3531372 Dagfonderke, 8th Ace Pigeon one day long distance Brabant 2000
Racing hen NL15-3531372 Dagfonderke is another of Esmee's granddaughters that finished in the top 10 of the ace pigeon championships one day long distance in Province Brabant 2000. Dagfonderke claimed an 8th place. This hen has the same sire as Limogeske: NL11-1882467 Frankie. Click here for the pedigree. Dagfonderke was really put through the paces as a yearling, and she won a top prize in Province Brabant 2000 in four different one day long distance races:
NPO Bourges 33rd – 4464 p. NPO Limoges 39th – 2640 p. NPO La Souterraine 82nd – 3694 p. NPO Chateauroux 131st – 3828 p. 8th Ace Pigeon One Day Long Distance Province 2 Brabant 2000 Long Distance Club Sout Holland: 6th Golden Crack One Day Long Distance Brabant 2000
Renate, two teletext prizes in 2016
NL13-3328711 Renate, 51 prizes across 3 seasons
One of the stars of this combination is NL13-3328711 Renate. She proved very valuable in the one day long distance races, winning two teletext prizes in 1016. She won an impressive 51 prizes in just three seasons. Renate is a granddaughter of NL11-1890805 Sister Esmee, and another exponent of the exceptionally valuable Esmee bloodline. We take a look at Esmee's most prominent results:
NPO Issoudun 8th – 7275 p. (Teletext) NPO Limoges 9th – 2640 p. (Teletext) Creil 1st – 919 p. (fastest of 8292 p.) 1st Ace Pigeon Natour Union Rayon 4 (2015) 4th Ace Pigeon one day long distance Union Rayon 4 (2016) 8th National Ace Pigeon Natour 2015
Crackske Esmee
NL16-3630502 Crackske Esmee, kleindochter van Esmee
There were again quite a few very talented racing birds in the 2016 generation. Take for instance NL16-3630502 Crackske Esmee: she won 9 prizes as a young bird, including a 54th place in the NPO race from Sens against 9145 pigeons in Brabant 2000. This talented young bird also won the title of 4th Ace Pigeon Young Birds in Entente Hart van Brabant, and that of 3rd Golden Crack Young Birds Brabant 2000. As was also the case with Esmee Ace 545 and Dagfonderke, her grandmother Esmee was paired to NL08-3832083 Goede 83, a cock that won two teletext prizes himself: an 8th NPO Poitiers (3376 p.) and a 4th National Bergerac (14,201 p.). Click here for the pedigree of Crackske Esmee.
PIPA ranking
NL15-3525891 Annemiek, 9th Best Yearling in The Netherlands (10 prizes) 2016 in the PIPA rankings
When the PIPA rankings were introduced in The Netherlands for the first time, Louis and Eugene Stabel won a prestigious title right away, with racing bird Romy. The two fanciers continued to deliver in 2016 with a 9th place in the PIPA ranking for Best Yearling in The Netherlands, which was won by racing hen NL15-3525891 Annemiek. This hen managed to win no less than 23 prizes in just two seasons. She did great in the one day long distance NPO this season as well, winning a 27th Limoges (2640 p.) and a 53rd Chateauroux (3828 p.). Annemiek is a granddaughter of NL11-1882467 Frankie, which is also the sire of Limogeske and Dagfonderke. Click here for the pedigree of Annemiek.
The middle distance teletext race from Saint-Just
This is quite a list of achievements but we are not done yet. The middle distance teletext race from Saint-Just took place in May, with 5838 pigeons in the basket in Brabant 2000. It was Louis and Eugene Stabel who claimed victory - it was the icing on the cake for them. They obtained their prize winner L12-1752249 Versluiske 49 in a voucher sale, and Louis Stabel had picked this pigeon from a group of pigeons of Ad Versluis (Goirle, NL). This is not really a surprise: it would not be the first time that Louis picked a pigeon from a lot that would eventually developed into an important racing or breeding bird.
Keeping things simple
An inside look at the widower hens, where 80 hens are used for competition.
We were quite amazed during our visit to the loft of father and son Stabel. This is by no means a state of the art pigeon loft in a spacious loft. The fanciers from Goirle have to get the most out of the available space to house their rather large pigeon collection. The picture shows the home base of the hens that performed really well in 2016. This is where a team of 60 hens are raced in widowhood, with one partner for two hens. Louis hopes to go in retirement in 2017; he really looks forward to having a lot more time to spend in the loft.