Luc De Laere from Anzegem wins 1st Provincial Argenton V against 2,325 young birds in West Flanders

Anzegem - For the fourth time this season I can congratulate Luc De Laere with a provincial victory. After previous triumphs on Bourges, Argenton, and once again Bourges, this time Luc hit the jackpot again on Argenton. It is clear that the Argenton and Bourges races suit Luc's pigeons particularly well! His blue hen, BE24-3049948, won the first provincial place in the province of West Flanders, against no fewer than 2,325 youngsters. She also finished in a handsome 34th place nationally against 9,401 youngsters.

Luc's story

"I didn't expect this myself, but my 53rd provincial win is a fact," says Luc. "I will always remember this win because it is so special. In fact, my wife and I could not wait for the pigeons ourselves on Sunday because our first granddaughter was baptised on Sunday 8 September at noon. At that time, that was much more important to us than the pigeons. My brother-in-law Ronny Locquet and loyal guards Mia and Germain Vanneste waited for the pigeons. For that I am very grateful to them. When the baptism service ended at 12.45 p.m., I secretly peeked on KBDB-Online to see if any pigeons had arrived from Argenton. Great was my surprise when I saw my name on the then second national place. This had to be an early pigeon, because I had seen that many top fanciers had already clocked in but were short. Would it really be true? Do we win provincially on the day of the baptism of our granddaughter Ina, without being able to watch the pigeons ourselves? And yet, it happened."

Special detail: the winning hen is also a daughter of Luc's 1st Nat. Châteauroux '22 and 1st National Ace pigeon G.M.D. KBDB '22 "Armin". 
Click here for the story behind this astonishing pigeon.

Ina

The winning hen, BE24-3049948, was named "Ina" after Luc's granddaughter who was baptised that day. She is a hen just below medium size and she always sits on the same shelf in the loft. A cock does not interest her. At Bourges and Vierzon she managed to place well, but at the previous Argenton she only came home the day after. Last week at Clermont I had a 16 out of 17 prizes and again it was her who was not back in time. I thought, "Back in the basket to Argenton! If you have the right genes, you just have to show it." And unexpectedly... bingo!

Previous performances of "Ina" include:
56th Clermont by 889b
166th Orleans by 942b
237th Prov. Vierzon by 2,702b
623rd Prov. Bourges by 5,074b

Nutrition and Care

"The care is very simple," says Luc. "Everything sits together and trains for 45 minutes to an hour twice a day. The only litters I have are those of the five yearling hens I moved and continue to play with. Apart from that, a few pairs have been paired and that's it. The feed comes from Beyers Premium Youngsters and the by-products are from Röhnfried. Before basketing they get an eye drop and the day after returning home they also get an eye drop, plus a yellow drop per nostril. And that's it."

Conclusion

Luc De Laere's passion and perseverance continue to pay off. With this victory, and his 53rd provincial win of his career, he proves once again that he is one of the absolute best in pigeon racing. Congratulations to Luc, Sybille and their loyal helpers for this special result, which will stay with them for a long time.

Maarten Herbots