Jo & Florian Hendriks …confirmation of class thanks to an unique breeding base!

What the father-son tandem out of Nijswiller (near Maastricht in the Dutch province Limburg) is able to achieve every year again is just superb. Not one season or two seasons…no…you just can’t get these super motivated fanciers out of the top of the NPO and provincial races and this several different seasons after each other. The competitors know this really well. Against the classful Hendriks pigeons it is a hard battle each week again. Striking is that the condition of the pigeons stays present until the very last race of the season….even more…on the last race they are able to hit very hard as well. 

Narbonne…the outlier of the season 2017

In 2017 it was on the International race out of Narbonne, they won on this race over a distance of 881km against 8,480 year birds with only 5 pigeons in the race: 4, 26, 27, - they clocked these 3 year birds at 18h28 – 18h54 – 18h55 – Phenomenal! Those who can set this kind of results on the last race of the season has pigeons with an iron strong perseverance and guys that haven’t given in on their power even after a heavy season. 

The season of 2018

Also in 2018 they were super strong on the closing race out La Souterraine, a provincial race. This race was being released by exception on Friday under very though circumstances (tropical temperatures). La Souterraine is for Nijswiller a distance of 605km. Only 2 pigeons came in over the 1,000 meter – so super hard – both were from the father-son tandem. Their first pigeon was clocked at 17h14min22sec, their second at 17h14min26sec – their third at 17h24min40sec, a top result against 1,094 pigeons – with spot 1, 2 ,3, they had 13 pigeons in the race. 
Their first two had an advantage of no less than 10 minutes over a loft mate ! 

The season of 2019

Let us start with the weekend of the 6th of July. On the flight program was Argenton…exactly 571km from Wijswiller. At the start you could find 9,512 pigeons from 1,113 fanciers where off 16 had a ringnumber from Jo & Florian Hendriks. The release itself was postponed a bit due to a interference of rainy clouds. At 9 o’clock they were released. A calm wind blew out of Western direction. When the result came out of the printer, they only talked about one thing and that was the world result Jo & Florian Hendriks. Against 9,512 pigeons they won : 1-2-3-4-5-23-48-51-113-152-250-279 (12/16). Such results say more than a thousand words…a proof of pure class !
The arrival of the Argenton racers is a moment that Jo and Florian will never forget. At 16h02 they clocked with a difference of 2 seconds two pigeons. In fact there were 3 at the same time but the chip from the first cock didn’t clock which made that top widow cock  “Bully Harry” (NL18-5112260) could take the winning palm. “Bully Harry” isn’t a one day fly and can show underneath palmaris 

1             National Argenton                         9,512b
5             National Chateauroux                   7,503b.
76          NPO Orleans                                    1,277b.
105        NPO Sens                                         4,012b.
120        NPO Epernay                                   7,640b
235        NPO Issoudun                                 4,848b.
237        NPO La Souterraine                       1,725b.
26          Marche                                             2,314b.
49          Charleville                                        1,071b.

The 2nd pigeon that was clocked was “National Harry” (NL17-1545145) but we will take about this widow cock further on in this article. 
Let us be honest…the result from Argenton is one to frame and to hang at the best spot in the living room against the wall. 

Weekend 21st of July… Chateauroux National…again a double victory with “National Harry” on top of the result. 
For the 7,503 Chateauroux racers (basketed by 1,004 fanciers) it became an extra day basket as due to the weather they couldn’t release on Saturday. The weather was much better on Sunday and they were released at 7 o’clock. The favourites for this race were Jo & Florian Hendriks…the consequence after their stunt fourteen days before. And…we can say that Jo & Florian made their favourite roll more than true as again they went home with a double victory! Chateauroux 7,423 pigeons: 1-2-5-141-145-172-317-418-439-448-803-963-1537 (13/14). 
Victor was top pigeon “National Harry” (NL17-1545145), a guy that perfect knows and feels how it is to win and race head of the race. This is how underneath top results are already on his impressive palmaris:
1             National Chateauroux                   7,503b.
2             National Argenton                         9,512b. (beaten by loft mate by 2 sec.)
2             National Montluçon                      4,201b.
21          NPO Argenton                                 3,555b.
21          NPO Chateauroux                          853b.
27          NPO Sezanne                                   8,177b.
34          NPO La Souterraine                       1,725b.
52          NPO Lorris                                       16,471b.
65          Prov. Chalons                                  11,886b.
72          National Chateauroux                   27,656b.
105        NPO Melun                                      15,245b.
90          NPO La Souterraine                       1,094b.
182        Prov. Rethel                                     19,560b.

Vierzon National was the confirmation of the top class… 3rd, 8th and 9th against 26,141b.
The best result in Holland

The condition fairy has been waving her magic stick for weeks on the loft of Jo and Florian as on the only national race with national competitors our Limburg friends succeeded to get the best result of Holland on paper. Against 26,141 pigeons they won: 3-8-9-37-41-64-85-153-1028-1203-2114-2379-3007 (13/13) ! 
The 3rd prize national was won by “National 3” (NL18-5112317), a grandson to the worldfamous “Harry” and also a grandson to top pigeon “King Kong”.
The 8th prize national has the ringnumber of “National 8” (NL18-5112232), a grandson “Son Zina” x “Klein Dirkje” (Koopman) and also a grandson “New Harry” (winner 1/14,737b. – 1/12,894b.) x “Sister Harry”

The season of 2020
Florian tells: “2020 was a special year for us. We were planning to get to the start with 21 widow cocks. After our super year in 2019 our best 3 widow cocks moved to the breeding loft. Despite this transfer there was a lot of interesse out of China for our 21 other widow cocks. As the season could start on time we took the high offer out of China. That’s why we only raced youngsters in 2020 “

“Galactico” win 1st NPO and “Sienna” wins 2nd NPO Sezanne against 8,463 pigeons

A golden breeding loft with “Harry” and “Kleine Harry” as base 
At the beginning Jo had pigeons from ao Janssen via Wout Sleulders (Neunen) and this out of all his top pigeons such as “Het Kanon”, “De Generaal” and “Olympiade 08”. Via uncle Thijs Vluggen (Gulpen) the “Kleine 273” came on the lofts and the after breed of this top pigeon was unique. His son “Popeye” was a super breeder and off spring are still to be found in the current pigeons. 
In 2008 Jo and Florian took the decision to align the game of the old birds entirely to the one day long distance races and therefor they did directed purchases at known champions such as Gaby Vandenabeele, Jan Hooymans, Gerard Koopman and Verkerk Gerard and Bas (daughter out of “Eye Catcher”).
The breeding loft of our champions is a wealth on top quality as at the moment no less than 10 direct children form the world famous “Harry” (NL07-2007621 - 7 sons and 3 daughters) and about 10 original Gerard Koopman pigeons (especially out of the “Zina” strain) on the breeding loft. Our champions are also very successful with direct children out “King Kong” (NL09-1499901 – 5 x 1st prize), a full sister “Friendship” (Jan & Rik Hermans) and the explosive breeding line from “Kleine Gerard”. We like to elucidate this last one a bit extra once again

“Kleine Gerard” NL14-1359081 – 100% Gerard Koopman won himself: 2nd NPO Bourges 8,278b. – 4th NPO Montluçon 1,310b. – 5th NPO Lorris 5,537b. – 13rd Prov. Rethel 10,912b. – 17th NPO Lorris 5,166b. – and so on…

“Kleine Gerard” is father to:
“17-760” winner of: 1/1269 Issoudun - 2/5233 NPO Issoudun - 1/476 Sens - 8/4612 NPO Sens - 12/16.471 NPO Lorris - 46/6033 I.Prov. Gien - 91/19.008 Prov. Sezanne
“18-280” “Asduif Gerard” winner of: 1st  Provincial Ace bird youngsters - 1/2314 Marche - 3/2778 NPO Gien
“17-761” “Grace” winner of: 1/1555 Sezanne - 12/8177 NPO Sezanne
“17-151” “Son Kleine Gerard”: 1/4625 Charleville - 1/22.915 Charleville - 3/9512 Nat. Argenton - 4/1241 Charleville - 4/612 Marche - 25/1239 NPO Chateauroux - 52/15.148 NPO Lorris - 108/15.246 NPO Melun - 141/7423 Nat. Chateauroux - 165/11.734 NPO Sens
“18-206” “Luna” winner of: 13/1277 NPO Orleans - 17/6453 NPO Epernay - 34/6039 NPO Melun - 41/4012 NPO Sens - 257/2796 NPO Gien - 10/2314 Marche - 32/2426 Marche

Florian about “Kleine Gerard”: “Children and grandchildren to “Kleine Gerard” proof each year again that they race for the head of race really easy. Take for example Sezanne with young birds of the past season. We won 1st – 2nd 15th , and so on….against almost 8,000 pigeons. The first three clocked pigeons were all 3 grandchildren to “Kleine Gerard”. No coincidence. The young hen “20-603” became 1st Ace bird youngsters Heuvelland, 1st Ace bird youngsters Eastern South-Limburg and 2nd Provincial Ace bird Youngsters. She is also a granddaughter to “Kleine Gerard”.