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MILLAR GOLD CUP 2008: Won by Davy Browne of Dublin Northside
It is the
longest established governing body for pigeon racing in Great Britain
and Ireland with a membership exceeding 3,000 which are made up
from approximately 120 Clubs that are spread across 19 of the 32
counties that make up the Island of Ireland incorporating both North
and South. For many members of the 1895 formed Irish Homing Union
winning the Millar Gold Cup is the ultimate achievement and one
that many strive to achieve when sending their hopefuls to the Blue
Riband O/B Cross Channel Derby/National, traditionally flown from
France.
Australian
intervention prompted me to call with this year s winner and a subsequent
drive to the Northside Area of Dublin to visit Davy Browne brother
of Alan who now resides in Sydney. Now, the Browne family have been
involved for many years racing pigeons in and around the Northern
parts of Dublin City. Davy and Alan s father Jim Browne raced for
many years along with his own brother Tony as Browne Brothers, and
what racers they were especially from the distance events, conducting
some research I came across just one of an exceptional amount of
class pigeons that took the Dublin fancies attention all those years
ago. Lerwick Leader a 1959 bred Red Cheq Cock as a Y/Bird he was
1st Club, 2nd Open Young Bird National from Girvan including other
club performances that I will list after his main performances,
as a Yearling he flew the O/Bird National from Frazerborough finishing
an impressive 1st Club, 3rd Open. With so many pigeons doing the
business for the brothers they sent him on, just not realizing just
what a class pigeon that had in the making. In 1961 as a 3 year
old he was sent to Lerwick a distance of 506 miles in what turned
out a hard race he finished 2nd Open. He had done enough for in
1962 it was decided to curtail his racing exploits and concentrate
on keeping him for stock. Such was his form at the start off the
1963 O/Bird season that Jim and Tony decided to give him one more
major test opting to return him to Girvan were he didn t fail to
impress finishing 1st Club, 1st Open. In all the great Lerwick Leader
who died in 1974 at the age of 15 finished: 2nd Larne, 4th Larne,
5th Dundalk in 1959, 2nd Larne, 3rd Bangor, 4th Larne in 1960, 4th
Stranraer 1961 in preparation for his Lerwick National test to which
he finished 2nd Open, 1963 5th Bellshill, 1st Open Girvan and 4th
Open Frazerborough O/B National 342 miles.
What a class
pigeon that just didn t leave his mark on the racing scene but did
so as much if not more in the breeding loft, for the old bloodlines
are very evident when you look through the loft of this year's Miller
Gold Cup winner. Never have I seen a smaller operation a 18ft by
6ft loft with only 10 pigeons in it, Davy told me you don t require
anymore than that, looked after and prepared in the right way the
good single ones will always produce the class result, this year
is pure proof of this if required for Davy Browne races with the
Northside & District RPC which in turn is affiliated to the
Irish South Road Federation, an organization formed in 1968 with
a membership of 725 which can send up to 8,000 birds per week at
the height of the Y/Bird season.
Davy has been
around pigeons for a life time obviously becoming involved through
his Father Jim and Uncle Tony, in fact an interesting note to mention
now is that I didn t notice any Y/Birds at the lofts of Davy so
opted to ask and he told me that he decided not rear youngsters
this year but instead would assist his father with his Y/Birds.
At the age of 84 Davy s dad Jim is still racing and well I might
add, for he topped the Northside RPC last week from Tramore with
those said youngsters.
Winning is
just in the genes I guess for instance in the Northside & District
RPC last year Davy won 1st Mallow, 1st Pilmore Beach, 1st Rosscarbery
and 1st Thurles remembering that this Club is a very competitive
one like so many in the Dublin area. Also last year he had the Ace
Youngster within the Club which won 1st Rosscarbery, 14th Tramore,
6th Pilmore Beach, 15th Mallow and 1st Thurles. As mentioned the
majority of stock originates from the old lines that had been so
successful for his father and uncle (Browne Bros) and this is very
evident when you look at a photo of another record breaker that
raced for Davy High Velocity this pigeon I think still and will
maybe remain a record breaker from Sennen Cove I could be wrong,
but I stand to be corrected 1st Club, 1st Irish South Road Federation
on the 7th of June 1997 as a two year old with 584 members sending
3,174 pigeons he flew home in record time to record a velocity of
2478 YPM. That s an incredible speed of 84 miles per hour from a
cross channel event. Many would put it down to be a fluke, but when
you add 1st Club, 14th Open Talbenny Y/Bird and 33rd Open in the
Irish National Flying Club Yearling National in 2006 against 6,041
pigeons, he was something special, again a Red Cheq Cock.
The Miller
Gold Cup winner for Davy Browne has been named Holly after his youngest
daughter from a family of three and just like Holly the pigeon is
a beauty. I have handled some pigeons in my time this one certainly
would be the pick of recent champions I have handled on Irish soil
all bar ONE, Holly is one that any fancier would have in their loft
without hesitation her Grand Dam on the other hand any fancier or
Stud in the world would have her, more in a minute. The Gold Cup
winner is a 2 year old Chequer W/Flight hen sent to the race on
the unprepared Jealousy system as you will come to read.
She has been
a winner on the road even as a youngster, the signs were more evident
last year to Davy after this special pigeon returned from a difficult
race from Talbenny in South Wales finishing 41st Open ISRF recording
a velocity of 924ypm. She had a couple of races up Ireland before
getting the couple of Sennen Cove s before France, the latter of
those Sennen Cove races proved a hard one and she was presented
with peanuts on arrival to the loft, it was then that Davy noticed
that she was in competition with another hen over the same cock
that was showing an interest, to the extreme that both hens were
fighting over him such was the competitiveness they had to be separated,
this was the ultimate tonic in preparing both hens for St Malo.
Just by chance Davy noticed that both hens were placed in the same
basket towards the end of the marking process, this he reckons is
what encouraged the Millar Gold Cup winner to battle home ahead
of her most envies rival.
She landed
somewhat stunned at 4.39pm onto the now disused Y/Bird loft after
being released at 6.45am from St Malo, Davy was in the house watching
the horse racing and upon noticing a flash out of the dining room
window headed out and discovered the hen much to his astonishment,
with all the calling in the world she wasn t for trapping so he
lifted a big stick that he had at the back of the loft and guided
her down onto the trap and walked her in only to discover that the
clock was in the house, so had to run to the house after taking
the rubber off to get the pigeon clocked and won the Millar Gold
Cup just one yard in front of Pritchard Bros in the North of Ireland
who fly into Annsborough and are affiliated to the East Down Combine,
this in itself was a good pigeon on the day, remembering that even
within the very well organized and respected Irish South Road Federation
Davy is one of the further flying members which is an achievement
in its own taken nothing away from the pigeon raced by the Pritchard
Bros, that had some distance extra to fly.
Now just an
interesting fact in that the Northside & District RPC have only
ever had three races from St Malo and impressively Davy Brown has
won all three at Club level finishing 35th Irish South Road Federation
in 1999, 13th in 2006, and 1st Federation in 2008. At this point
Davy would like to thank good friend Barney Fitzimmons for all his
excellent help in getting his pigeons tossed.
Now for the
pedigree of the winner lets just say never dismiss a stray that
lands at your loft, for the sire of the 2008 Millar Gold Cup winner
is a 2001 bred Black Cheq cock who was reported and offered to Davy
to keep. This pigeon was highly thought of for its balance and quality
of the eye sign, so he was mated to one of the top stock hens that
the Browne name had that included Davy dibbling in the illustrious
stock loft owned by his father Jim, they collectively come up with
a 2003 bred Cheq W/F Hen which was a combination of Fountainhead
Busschaert when mated in and around the old line that the Browne
Bros had raced for years these included pigeons obtained from a
number of exceptional fanciers including a former winner of the
INFC Kings Cup Bertie Gowdy of Muckamore Antrim. The cock and hen
pairing have now produced no less than 5 x 1st Prize Winners.
Now for the
pigeon that was reported GB 01C 27703 he was a Black Cheq cock,
owned by none other than former Millar Gold Cup winners Palmer &
Young of Portavogie in Northern Ireland. They timed Portavogie Lass
the only bird on the day from Dinard to win this much sought after
award in 1997. This is the mother of the pigeon that was Sire off
and reported by this year s Millar Gold Cup Winner Davy Browne.
Now what a story we have the mighty NIPA based in Northern Ireland
which is one of the biggest organizations in the British Isles liberate
also from St Malo normally on tune with the IHU organisations as
they normally transport the EDC hopefuls for the Miller Gold Cup
so collectively when this happens they are all liberated together
as was the case this year. Winner was Mark Maguire and son of Newry
who timed a 2 year old Mealy hen named Glenhill Lass now she is
a direct daughter of Portavogie Lass but this is only the start
of a story that incorporates so many winners from the hen I regard
as the best I have ever handled on Irish soil the one and only Portavogie
Lass .
Following
her success from Dinard in 1997 one of Ireland s all time pigeon
greats Mr Malachy Maguire set about getting her purchased from the
partnership of Palmer & Young from Portavogie to which he succeeded.
This fantastic hen was then mated to Champion HOME ALONE winner
of 1st Open in the NIPA Old Bird National from Fougeres the only
bird on the day flying 15 ½ hours for Malachy and son Mark,
he was a winning pigeon through and through with countless other
top class performances to his name and more importantly in total
breeding over 30 x 1st prize winners for the Maguire s. He is also
the sire of Champion Moonlight Lass and Champion No Problem when
mated to the hen in question Portavogie Lass who as mentioned above
won the Millar Gold Cup for the Palmer & Young partnership of
Portavogie, they proved a prolific partnership in the stock loft.
NO PROBLEM
he has won a total of 11 individual firsts - in the Irish National
Flying Club, in 2005 he was 1st Club, 1st 3 Bird Club, 1st North/South
Federation, 3rd North Section, 4th Open Picauville O/B National.
Next it was sent to the Portland O/B National with the NIPA 1st
Club, 1st 3 Bird Club, 1st North/South Federation, 2nd Section G,
26th Open on top of that he has also has a 1st Section Diploma flying
with the NIPA, Champion
NEAR MISS
who is also a grand-daughter of Portavogie Lass is a winner of 1st
Club, 1st Combine, 4th North Section 6th Open from the INFC Kings
Cup Redon, MOONLIGHT LASS as mentioned above won 1st Open Single
Bird Challenge INFC Messac Kings Cup (481 miles) 2005 finishing
17th North Sect & 19th Open, only 108 birds home.
On completion
of this report I decided to phone Malachy Maguire of Newry to let
him know about this years Miller Gold Cup connection and find out
about the class hen "Portavogie Lass". Malachy as always is a very
informative fancier to talk with who always has unrelenting detail
about any pigeon you talk to him about. As mentioned above his son
Mark topped the NIPA Open from the same race point with "Glenhill
Lass" a 2 year old she is direct from the one and only Portavogie
Lass who won the Millar Gold Cup in 1997 from Dinard in France for
Palmer & Young of Portavogie when mated to a Red Cheq Cock purchased
from David Goddard of Reading who has an impeccable record racing
from the distance. Malachy went on to tell me that the great Portavogie
Lass died last year on the 23rd of November. At the age of 12, having
truly enlisted herself as one of the all time greats in Irish distance
racing both on the road and in the stock loft.
I would like
to finish by congratulating Davy on a tremendous performance in
winning the 2008 Miller Gold Cup and I would like to thank the Browne
family for all their help in compiling this report especially Mark
Browne in Australia, also very warming to see the legendary
Browne Bros when visiting the Northside area of Dublin, this men
you could talk and listen to for days. Finally many thanks to Malachy
Maguire who supplied the info regarding Portavogie Lass what a pigeon
she was, and all the generations of her that are now left behind
I have every confidence they may very well keep the name of this
class pigeon to the fore of Irish Distance Racing for many more
years to come.
Adie McCormick |
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