"I was not quite sure if 2020 would become a good season for me, given that my best racing birds like Sua, Gaggan, Oliver and others had all been transferred to the breeding lofts. Besides, the corona virus was also a constant threat in the first few months of the racing season", Jos Thoné explains, while talking us through his fantastic 2020 palmares together with his son and right-hand man Xavier. They claimed 4 provincial and 9 national/zonal victories, as well as several national and international top results in Montélimar and Agen, and an impressive 141 victories overall. It goes to show that Jos Thoné truly is a terrific fancier who is experienced enough to adjust to different seasons and conditions, with or without corona. Perhaps it was his ability to adapt to this year's unusual circumstances that enabled him to turn 2020 into another very strong season?
2020:
9x 1. National zone
2. & 7. Nat. Montélimar (735 km) – 2,832 birds
51. – 55. – 58. – 70. – 81. Nat. Tulle (670 km) – 4,451 yearlings
22. – 24. – 56. Nat. Tulle (670 km) – 3,064 old birds
8. Nat. – 5,955 b. / 10. Int. Agen (864 km) – 14,799 birds
16. Nat. Limoges (689 km) – 10,319 old birds
24. Nat. Issoudun (522 km) – 18,176 yearlings
69. Nat. Issoudun (522 km) – 10,603 old birds
29. Nat. La Souterraine (611 km) – 15,939 yearlings
31. & 32. Nat. Bourges (495 km) – 23,195 birds
66. Nat. Bourges (495 km) – 28,551 young birds
58. Nat. Barcelona (1,133 km) – 6,178 birds
11. - 17. Nat. Acebird KBDB LD 2020
21. - 32. - 89. Nat. Acebird KBDB LD & Marathon 2020
We will take a closer look at these fantastic results later on in this article.
Oliver
Oliver (BE15-2180249) was a superstar for team Thoné in 2017, winning a 5th Nat. Argenton of 13,720 pigeons. Oliver was only added to the breeding loft in 2019 and he is already the sire of:
- ‘Oliver Junior’ BE18-5025518
1. National c. Argenton - 1,714 pigeons (576 km) 2019
1. Dizy-le-Gros - 316 pigeons (190 km)
11. National c. Issoudun - 894 pigeons (534 km)
- ‘Oliver 149’ BE19-5095149
4. Nat. c. La Souterraine – 1,604 pigeons
5. Dizy-le-Gros – 752 pigeons
3. Argenton – 349 pigeons
6. Sens – 130 pigeons
- ‘Oliver 150’ BE19-5095150
1. Dizy-le-Gros – 937 pigeons
3. Chimay – 2.040 pigeons
Keep in mind these pigeons were bred before Oliver's transfer to the breeding team (paired to top class hen 'Alabama' and sister 'Koen'). It goes without saying that it was a good move to add him to the breeding loft.
Pedigree Oliver.
Future
Team Thoné will continue to consist of two different lofts: Jos Thoné is racing on one side of the street, with Thoné X&M racing on the opposite side. X&M stands for the first letters of Jos's sons: Xavier has already earned his stripes in pigeon racing, for instance by creating and maintaining their excellent website www.thone.be, while Maxim will also be diving into the world of pigeon racing as of 2021, alongside his father Jos. We reckon they will be eager to prove that good blood never lies, just like their pigeons.
The pigeons of Jos Thoné traditionally compete in every competition, from sprint to marathon. Thoné X&M on the other hand focuses exclusively on the long distance and the extreme long distance.