"Black Magic"
B23-6015099
1st National Limoges 4,695 old birds - fastest of 9,384b.

Distance: 666km
Velocity: 1,327 m/m

The name Wim De Troy is mentioned in the results, but in reality, we must also mention his wife Marianne and son Steven in the same breath. Wim has done heavy physical work his whole life, and he now feels it in his lower back (he has already undergone several surgeries). Maintaining a large pigeon colony requires a lot of energy and time. That’s why he is more than happy that Steven has become a full-time pigeon fancier in recent years, and that Marianne (administration) helps lighten the workload.

In 2016, they won their first national race, namely La Souterraine against 16,613 young pigeons. That same year, they were also honored as 1st National Champion KBDB Long Distance Young Pigeons. The national victory from La Souterraine left them wanting more, and since then they have added the following national wins to their record:
1st Nat. La Souterraine – 1st Nat. Montluçon – 1st, 2nd and 3rd Nat. Argenton – 1st Nat. Argenton – 1st Nat. Limoges, and now 1st and 2nd Nat. Limoges.

Limoges

Steven: “We entered 13 old birds and 6 yearlings for the Limoges race. For the yearlings, it was their very first long-distance race, so expectations weren’t high for a good result with them. We were hoping for a strong result from the old birds—and they didn’t disappoint. Against 4,695 old pigeons, we won:
1st – 2nd – 11th – 33rd – 73rd – 186th – 204th – 714th – 1,065th (9 prizes from 13 entries).

When we first saw the arrivals on the KBDB website, we got the impression the pigeons were moving more toward the western part of the country. That seemed a bit strange because the wind was blowing from the west, and the winners and top pigeons from the earlier national Bourges race were from our region.

At 3:02:26 PM, our first-signed widower “Black Magic” (B23-6015099) was clocked. With an average speed of 1,327 m/min, he was the fastest of the entire Limoges field. Just two minutes later, we clocked a hen, “Dancing Queen” (our third-signed), good for 2nd National.”

System

The old and yearling pigeons are raced partly according to the classic widowhood system and partly following a “chaos system.” The motivation of the fancier is just as important as that of the pigeon. Here, the working day starts at 7 a.m. and ends at 6 p.m.—seven days a week. The nest boxes are cleaned daily, droppings under the grids are removed weekly, and the boxes are disinfected weekly with Dettol.

On the day of arrival, they receive the famous yellow drops (via the feed). The vet is regularly consulted so that we don’t have to treat the pigeons blindly. As for feeding, we mix different blends from Matador and Aidi. Keeping the pigeons eager to eat is crucial—and especially on basketing day, we feed several small portions throughout the day.”

“Black Magic”

As mentioned earlier, this dark widower is usually their first-signed old pigeon. His record includes:

• 10th Fay-Aux-Loges, 333 pigeons
• 34th National Souillac, 9,384 pigeons
• 149th National Tulle, 5,912 pigeons
• 166th Provincial Vierzon, 7,626 pigeons

So for the observant reader: the week before Limoges, he also raced (just like the yearling winner at Cleirbaut-Goovaerts) in the national Tulle race.

Fun fact… “Black Magic” is a full brother of “Lucky Number 6,” the 2nd National Ace Pigeon Long Distance Young Pigeons KBDB, with results like:

• 16th Nat. Argenton, 13,393 pigeons
• 62nd Nat. Argenton, 22,869 pigeons
• 138th Nat. Bourges, 23,847 pigeons

Stefan Mertens

"Dancing Queen"
B23-6015084
2nd National Limoges 4,695 old birds 

Stefan Mertens