“FIRST INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE”.
ON
THE 23rd SOUTH AFRICAN MILLION DOLLAR PIGEON RACE
(THE BIGGEST & GREATEST PIGEON RACE IN THE WORLD!)
(THE RACE WITH THE PROVEN TRACK RECORD)
(THE OLYMPIC GAMES IN THE PIGEON WORLD)
DUE TO BE HELD AT
HERON BANKS GOLF & RIVER ESTATE,
SOUTH AFRICA
ON
SATURDAY 2nd FEBRUARY 2019.
ANOTHER RACE SEASON STARTS IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN SUNSHINE.
41 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES ENTER 5,505 PIGEONS.
Well once again The South African Million Dollar Pigeon Race is entering yet another year in its twenty-third year history. After spending its first sixteen years in outstanding Sun City Resort, then moving to Linbro Park for the next few four years a decision had to be made to move the race lofts because of the massive industrial units that were being built right up to the side of the lofts. This in itself made it very difficult to fly the pigeons around the race lofts, so after the final race at Linbro Park in February 2016 it was finally decided move the race lofts and to look for a new long term venue. It was finally decided not to move the old lofts but to build a brand new 370 foot (113 metres) state of the art race loft on the fantastic Heron Banks Golf & River Estate, Sasolburg, Free State, South Africa (www.heronbanks.co.za) and this is where the The 21st SAMDPR and The 22nd SAMDPR took place and now The 23rd SAMDPR will be also be taking place at this superb venue for the third time.
It should also be mentioned that the SAMDPR has moved into a new era and has fitted a brand new state of the art BENZING ELECTRONIC CLOCKING SYSTEM. The 96 clocking traps/stalls have been completely revamped and checked out by the Benzing Team ready for the 2018/19 Training and Race series.
With all the quarantine finally over and all the pigeons received from all over the world, the next task was to break all the pigeons to the new loft at Heron Banks Golf & River Estate and then get them used to flying around their new home. After a few weeks of the pigeons being allowed out to see outside the loft under the net placed over the concrete trapping area, they finally took to the skies and covered the surrounding countryside. As each day passed the pigeons were forced to keep in the sky for longer periods and only when Willi, Corrie, Andre & Maitland thought they were ready to start their road work did the short training tosses start.
The first Official Loft Listing was published on the SAMDPR Website on Monday 15th October 2018 and once again it has been a remarkable year for this truly prestigious international pigeon race and this list showed we had 5,505 pigeons entered from 41 different countries.
The 41 countries that entered pigeons this year were as follows:- Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Kuwait, Mexico, Moldova, Morocco, Namibia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Trinidad, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and United States of America.
Numerous fanciers from other countries have also entered pigeons in to the race but because they are restricted from entering because of restrictions issued by their governments or by the South African authorities, many of these fanciers are involved in syndicates, teams or partnerships, which once again makes this 23rd SAMDPR a really truly international pigeon race.
The second and third Official Loft Listing were not published. The fourth Official Loft Listing was put up on the SAMDPR Website on Wednesday 24th October 2018 after the pigeons had finished their Loft Orientation and this showed a total of 5,126 pigeons were still in the race loft. The fifth Official Loft Listing was put up on the SAMDPR Website on Monday 5th November 2018 and this showed 5,010 pigeons were still in the race loft. The sixth Official Loft Listing was put up on the SAMDPR Website on Monday 12th November 2018 and this showed 4,955 pigeons were still in the race loft. The seventh Official Loft List was put up on the SAMDPR Website on Monday 19th November 2018 and this showed 4,905 pigeons were still in the race loft. The eighth Official Loft Listing was put up on the SAMDPR Website on Monday 26th November 2018 and this showed 4,984 pigeons were still in the race loft.
Lots of short training toss took place from Vaalpark only 3.68km (2 miles) so that the pigeons got used to being basketed and put on to the transporter and driven a short distance and then liberated. All the pigeons were basketed and liberated a few baskets at a time and they made their way back to the race loft. This first few short tosses are really just to get the pigeons used to the baskets and then being liberated from the transporter.
*****PLEASE NOTE:- This race programme below can be altered at any time, if the weather is not suitable another day will be selected. Also some of the race distances may alter slightly depending on the previous race or how the pigeons are coping with the earlier tosses and races. It should also be noted that there are more races in a week now, hopefully three a week and there are races now taking place on Sunday’s, Monday’s, Tuesday’s, Wednesday’s, Thursday’s and Saturday’s.
The following race programme was agreed:- Pre-Training Race 1 would be held on Saturday 1st December 2018 from 12km (7 miles), followed by Pre-Training Race 2 on Wednesday 5th December 2018 from 25km (16 miles), followed by Pre-Training Race 3 on Saturday 8th December 2018 from 25km (16 miles), then Pre-Training Race 4 on Tuesday 11th December 2018 from 42km (26 miles).
Training Race 1 will be on Thursday 13th December 2018 from 62km (39 miles), then Training Race 2 on Saturday 15th December 2018 from 62km (39 miles),
followed by Training Race 3 on Tuesday 18th December 2018 from 62km (39 miles), followed by Training Race 4 on Thursday 20th December 2018 from 62km (39 miles). Then HOT SPOT CAR RACE 1 will take place on Saturday 22nd December 2018 from 115km (71 miles), followed by Training Race 5 on Monday 24th December 2018 from 62km (39 miles), followed by Training Race 6 on Thursday 27th December 2018 from 62km (39 miles). Then HOT SPOT CAR RACE 2 will take place on Saturday 29th December 2018 from 165km (103 miles), followed by Training Race 7 on Monday 31st December 2018, followed by Training Race 8 on Thursday 3rd January 2019 from 62km (39 miles). Then HOT SPOT CAR RACE 3 will take place on Saturday 5th January 2019 from 212km (132 miles), followed by Training Race 9 on Tuesday 8th January 2019 from 62 km (39 miles), followed by Training Race 10 on Thursday 10th January 2019 from 62km (39 miles). Then HOT SPOT CAR RACE 4 will take place on Saturday 12th January 2019 from 212km (132 miles), followed by Training Race 11 on Tuesday 15th January 2019 from 62km (39 miles), followed by Training Race 12 on Thursday 17th January 2019 from 62km (39 miles). Then HOT SPOT CAR RACE 5 will take place on Saturday 19th from 265km (165 miles), followed by Training Race 13 on Tuesday 22nd January 2019 from 62km (39 miles), followed by Training Race 14 on Thursday 24th January 2019 from 62km (39 miles), followed by Training Race 15 on Sunday 27th January 2019 from 62km (39 miles). More short training tosses will take place over the next few days with basketing taking place on Thursday 31st January 2019. Then the Final Race takes place from 521km (324 miles) on Saturday 2nd February 2019.
The Race Organisers (Air Sport Internationale) and all the Official Loft Staff in South Africa wish all fanciers/entrants/syndicates and competitors from literally all over the world the best of luck during the forthcoming 2018/19 race series.
PRE-TRAINING RACE 1 took place on Saturday 1st December 2018 from 12km (7.46 miles) and a total of about 4,950 pigeons were actually basketed. As this was just a short race to give the pigeons experience in the baskets and on the transporter, the pigeons were let go a few baskets at a time and it was not counted in The Overall Averages. They started liberating at 06.40 in fine and clear conditions, with little to no wind and with a temperature of 23c (74f) rising to 35c (97f) as the day progressed and a good steady toss was anticipated. The first pigeons covered the short distance in just over 14 minutes. A total of 4,893 pigeons were officially clocked and then the Monday Loft List showed 4,928 pigeons were in the race loft and this total included 282 from the United Kingdom and 113 from Ireland.
PRE-TRAINING RACE 2 took place on Wednesday 5th December 2018 from 25km (16 miles) and a total of about 4,900 pigeons were actually basketed. As this was just a short race to give the pigeons more experience in the baskets and on the transporter, the pigeons were let go a few baskets at a time and once again it was not counted in The Overall Averages. They started liberating at 07.25 in fine and warm conditions, with little to no wind and with a temperature of 22c (72f) rising to 30c (88f) as the day progressed and a nice steady race was anticipated. The first pigeons covered the distance in just over 17 minutes. A total of 4,408 pigeons were officially clocked and then the Thursday Loft List showed 4,606 pigeons were in the race loft and this total included 266 from the United Kingdom and 108 from Ireland.
PRE-TRAINING RACE 3 was supposed to take place on Saturday 8th December 2018 from 25km (16 miles) but the weather forecast was for torrential rain all day and also for the next few days. So the decision was taken not to basket the pigeons and the race was therefore cancelled.
PRE-TRAINING RACE 4 took place on Tuesday 11th December 2018 from 62km (39 miles) and a total of about 4,300 pigeons were actually basketed. As this was just a another short race to give the pigeons more experience in the baskets and on the transporter, the pigeons were let go a few baskets at a time and once again it was not counted in The Overall Averages. They started liberating at 07.25 in fine and clear conditions, with a light head wind and with a temperature of 17c (62f) rising to 31c (90f) as the day progressed and a nice steady race was anticipated. The first pigeons covered the distance in just over 1 hour 10 minutes. The pigeons were coming back but with some big gaps between them, something was not right and the pigeons struggled back to the loft throughout the day right up to 19.05. However, by nightfall only 3,166 pigeons had been officially recorded, leaving 1,134 pigeons still missing. During Wednesday with temperatures again rising to 31c (90f) the first pigeon was clocked at 04.29 and another at 04.31, then from 05.32 a steady flow and by darkness a total of 3,617 pigeons had been officially clocked, leaving 683 more still to return to the loft. Up to Thursday at 12.40 there was a total of 3,781 pigeons on the race result. Fairly sure a few more pigeons will return to the race loft over the next few days.
Because of this bad Pre-Training Race 4 it was immediately decided to give the later pigeons a rest after their challenging experience and it was agreed to change the dates for Training Race 1 to Friday 14th December 2018 and Training Race 2 to Sunday 16th December 2018.
LIVESTREAM was up and running for TRAINING RACE 1, which took place on Friday 14th December 2018 and the 3,596 pigeons were liberated all together at 07.30 from Koppies 62km (39 miles) in fine and clear conditions with a moderate head wind (NNW), with a temperature of 23c (74f) and a good steady race was anticipated. As the day progressed the temperature would rise to 40c (108f). This total was made up by 2,856 International pigeons, which included 214 pigeons from the United Kingdom and 94 pigeons from Southern Ireland, plus 740 pigeons from the host country South Africa. The Hold-Back List showed 206 pigeons and this included 7 from the United Kingdom and 1 from Southern Ireland.
I logged on bright and early to watch the pigeons return to the race loft and it was a beautiful morning in South Africa and all of all of a sudden a gang of about 20 pigeons approached the loft at 08.27 swung round the loft and were then immediately joined by another similar sized group, they all landed and then started to trap and as usual it was the first through the traps was the winner. Within a few minutes literally hundreds had returned home and all looked good for excellent race and good returns.
CONGRATULATIONS for winning 1st OPEN goes to LOFT AL-BAKER from KUWAIT with pigeon named ALZAYED 2 bred by LOFT AL-BAKER, which was officially clocked at 08.27.47.72 to record a winning velocity of 1183ypm (1072.74m/m), (17.879m/s) or 40 mph, 2nd Team Krueger – Klaas from Germany, 3rd Fam Ludwig Goebl from Germany, 4th Zaben D M Al-Azmi from Kuwait, 5th Wijngaarden Pigeons from Netherlands, 6th Chwarzynski – Kepa from Poland, 7th Rozier – Silvercreek Loft from Belgium, 8th Krzysztof Piatkowski from Poland, 9th Defaulter Pigeon, 10th African Roots Syndicate from South Africa, 11th Klaus Stieneker from Germany, 12th Club Pretoria Oos Wedvlugduiwe Klub from South Africa, 13th Belgium Loft from South Africa, 14th Celestine at Trinidad from South Africa, 15th A second pigeon for Krzysztof Piatkowski from Poland, 16th Zandys Dream Team from United Kingdom, 17th Hamoud Al Juwaisn from Kuwait, 18th Team Heerman – Holland – Gilbert from South Africa, 19th Club Bellville Pigeon Club from South Africa and 20th Saad R Alabhoul from Kuwait. The top twenty in this result were separated by just 44.37 seconds and had a total of 7 different countries represented and a total of 11 different countries in the top 50, with 50th being 2 minutes 04.70 seconds away from the actual race winner. This race resulted in a great start to the 2018/19 race series. A total of 3,015 pigeons were officially clocked by 12.41, then 3,067 by 15.24 and 3,194 by 18.17. More were officially clocked the next day up to 17.12 bringing the total up to 3,396 by 17.12. When the Loft List appeared on Sunday lunchtime on the SAMDPR Website, it showed a total of 3,626 pigeons, which included 209 pigeons from the United Kingdom and 89 pigeons from Southern Ireland.
GLOBAL NOMINATIONS for TRAINING RACE 1 amounted to US$6,698.85c (approx. £5,360) and had a total of 421 pigeons entered which included 3 from the United Kingdom and 5 from Southern Ireland and there were a total of 1,131 Nominations. There were no United Kingdom or Southern Ireland winners. WELL DONE TO ALL THE WINNERS.
CONGRATULATIONS on winning 1st UNITED KINGDOM, 16th OPEN went to the PAUL SMITH SYNDICATE, administered by PAUL SMITH from STANSTED MOUNTFITCHET with pigeon named ZANDYS DREAMER which was bred by PAUL SMITH from STANSTED MOUNTFITCHET, which was officially clocked at 08.28.13.48, just 26.76 seconds after the actual race winner. Taking 2nd UK, 30th Open John Cooper with pigeon bred by John Cooper from Pontypridd, 3rd UK, 98th Open John Cooper with another pigeon bred by John Cooper from Pontypridd, 4th UK, 111th Open Paul Smith Syndicate with pigeon bred by Kevin Hibbert from Rotherham, 5th UK, 121st Open The Salford Lads with pigeon bred by Les Green from Manchester, 6th UK, 156th Open Berkshire Boys,7th UK, 164th Open Bet-Right Lofts with pigeon bred by Jeremy Wright from Lutterworth, 8th UK, 173rd Open another for Paul Smith Syndicate with another pigeon bred by Paul Smith from Stansted Mountfitchet, 9th UK, 187th Open Team Ettrick with pigeon bred by Bobby Dalziel from Selkirk, 10th UK, 198th Open another for Zandys Dream Team with another pigeon bred by Paul Smith from Stansted Mountfitchet, 11th UK, 210th Open Viking Loft Jackson Mob with pigeon bred by them from Widnes, 12th UK, 239th Open another for the Berkshire Boys, 13th UK, 260th Open Chris Turner with pigeon bred by Chris Turner from Coventry, 14th UK, 261st Open Rixshaw with pigeon bred by Len Rix from Mildenhall, 15th UK, 267th Open Team Lincs with pigeon bred by Paul & Tracey Stacey from Sleaford, 16th UK, 272nd Open Team Islwyn with pigeon bred by Robert Jones from Port Talbot, 17th UK, 281st Open Foster Sons and Daughter with pigeon bred by Foster & Sons from Liss, 18th UK, 295th Open Brian Clayburn (Past winner of the SCMDPR) with pigeon bred by Brian Clayburn from Ackworth, 19th UK, 297th Open Syndicate Lofts UK with pigeon bred by Peter Fox from Bangor and then 20th UK, 329th Open another for Team Islwyn with another pigeon bred by Robert Jones from Port Talbot. A total of 176 pigeons being officially clocked by 12.41, then 184 by 18.17 and finally 202 by 17.12 the next day.
UNITED KINGDOM COUNTRY/REGIONAL NOMINATIONS for TRAINING RACE 1. There were no entries.
CONGRATULATIONS on winning 1st IRELAND, 146th OPEN went to GERRY McCOURT with pigeon named ADAMS CHOICE, bred by GERRY McCOURT which was officially clocked at 08.32.05.04, just 4 minutes17.32 seconds after the actual race winner. Taking 2nd Ireland, 149th Open H+C. Thorpe – McMorrow, 3rd Ireland, 184th Open another for H+C Thorpe – Mc Morrow, 4th Ireland, 196th Open Taximush, 5th Ireland, 208th Open Moran & Bowden and then 6th Ireland, 221st Open Donnelly & Kirkwood. A great start with 73 pigeons being officially clocked by 12.41, then 78 by 18.17 and finally 88 by 17.12 the next day.
IRISH COUNTRY/REGIONAL NOMINATIONS in TRAINING RACE 1. There were no entries.
More short training will take place on Saturday to give these pigeons even more confidence and experience to cope with what was in front of them over the next two months.
LIVESTREAM was up and running for TRAINING RACE 2, which took place on Sunday 16th December 2018 and the 3,323 pigeons were liberated all together at 07.10 from Koppies 62km (39 miles) in fine and cool conditions with a strong head wind, with a temperature of 21c (70f) and a good steady race was anticipated. As the day progressed the temperature would rise to 38c (104f). This total was made up of 2,619 International pigeons, which included 191 pigeons from the United Kingdom and 80 pigeons from Southern Ireland. The Hold-Back List showed 303 pigeons and this included 18 from the United Kingdom and 9 from Southern Ireland, plus 704 pigeons from the host country South Africa.
Once again I was up bright and early to watch the pigeons return to the race loft and it was a beautiful morning in South Africa and an ideal racing day and at 08.05 a gang of about 30 pigeons approached the race loft bang on line, swung round a couple of times and then they hit the trapping area and within a few minutes literally hundreds of pigeons had been officially recorded.
CONGRATULATIONS on winning 1st OPEN goes to KOLVENBAG & SON from UNITED STATES OF AMERICA with pigeon named FLYCATCHER bred by KOLVENBAG & SON, which was officially clocked at 08.05.11.47 to record a winning velocity of 1248ypm (1123.38m/m), (18.723m/s) or 42mph. Taking 2nd Lei Zhang from China, 3rd Hardy Krueger from Germany, 4th Hamoud Al Juwaisri from Kuwait, 5th Maas + Erwee from South Africa, 6th Club Kransfontein Resiesduif Klub from South Africa, 7th Club Boksburg Combined Racing Pigeon Club from South Africa, 8th Aclo Racing from South Africa, 9th Ganus Family Loft from United States of America, 10th TOB Team from Germany, 11th Saville Penkin from South Africa who passed away a couple of weeks, 12th Genesis Syndicate Loft from United States Of America, 13th Helmut & Alfons Klaas from Germany, 14th Team Magbos – Kozicki from Poland, 15th Defaulter Pigeon, 16th No Sweat from United States Of America, 17th Club Pretoria Oos Wedvlugduiwe Klub from South Africa, 18th Team Ettrick from United Kingdom, 19th Platinum Ladies from South Africa and 20th Andreas Moeller from Germany. The top twenty in this result were separated by just 37.03 seconds and had a total of 7 different countries represented and a total of 11 different countries represented in the top 50, with 50th being 1 minute 31.14 seconds away from the actual race winner. A total of 1,000 pigeons were officially clocked up to 08.25, then 2,000 by 08.43 and finally 3,093 by 19.15. A few more were clocked by 10.48 on Monday morning bringing the total up to 3,177 officially clocked, this total included 180 United Kingdom pigeons and 73 Southern Ireland pigeons. When the Loft List appeared on the SAMDPR Website at lunchtime on Monday it showed 3,461 pigeons in the race loft and this included 200 pigeons from the United Kingdom and 78 pigeons from Southern Ireland.
GLOBAL NOMINATIONS for TRAINING RACE 2 amounted to US$5,278.50c (approx. £4,223) and had a total of 354 pigeons entered which included 5 from the United Kingdom and 3 from Ireland and there were 966 Nominations. There was no United Kingdom or Southern Ireland winners. WELL DONE TO ALL THE WINNERS.
CONGRATULATIONS on winning 1st UNITED KINGDOM, 18th OPEN went to TEAM ETTRICK with pigeon named ETTRICK FLIGHT which was bred by BOBBY DALZIEL from SELKIRK, which was officially clocked at 08.05.42.90 just 31.43 seconds after the actual race winner. Taking 2nd UK, 30th Open Bet-Right Lofts with pigeon bred by Jerry Wright from Lutterworth, 3rd UK, 39th Open Scotlands Own Syndicate, entered by Barry Kinneear and with pigeon bred by Sean Trodden, 4th UK, 50th Open Zandys Dream Team, administered by Paul Smith from Stansted Mountfitchet and with pigeon bred by Paul Smith from Stansted Mountfitchet, 5th UK, 57th Open Hilamb Syndicate with pigeon bred by Ken Ambler from Oxenhope,
6th UK, 88th Open Darling & Ede with pigeon bred by Darling & Ede from Southampton, 7th UK, 111th Open Rixshaw with pigeon bred by Len Rix from Mildenhall, 8th UK, 191st Open Murray & Mills with pigeon bred by John Murray from Leeds, 9th UK, 200th Open Berkshire Boys, 10th UK, 217th Open another for the Berkshire Boys, 11th UK, 232nd Open Guys Lofts Elite with pigeon bred by Graham Guy from Wolverhampton, 12th UK, 294th Open Millys Loft with pigeon bred by Michael Mellor from Crewe, 13th UK, 297th Open another for Bet-Right Lofts with a second pigeon bred by Jerry Wright from Lutterworth, 14th UK, 301st Open second for Zandys Dream Team with another pigeon bred by Paul Smith from Stansted Mountfitchet, 15th UK, 318th Open another for Millys Loft with a second pigeon bred by Michael Mellor from Crewe, 16th UK, 331st Open another for Darling & Ede with a second pigeon bred by Darling & Ede from Southampton, 17th UK, 357th Open a third pigeon for the Berkshire Boys, 18th UK, 368th Open Nigel Templar with a pigeon bred by Nigel Templar from Bristol, 19th UK, 387th Open Team Islwyn with pigeon bred by Robert Jones from Port Talbot and 20th UK, 397th Open Brian Clayburn with pigeon bred by Brian Clayburn from Ackworth, a past winner of the SCMDPR. A total of 61 United Kingdom pigeons were officially clocked by 08.25, then 114 by 08.43 and then 176 by 19.15. A further update on Monday morning up 11.38 showed 181 pigeons had returned to the race loft. The Monday lunchtime Loft List showed that there were 200 United Kingdom pigeons were in the race loft.
UNITED KINGDOM COUNTRY/REGIONAL NOMINATIONS for TRAINING RACE 2. There were no entries.
CONGRATULATIONS on winning 1st IRELAND, 38th OPEN went to MORAN & BOWDEN with pigeon named ANDYMAN bred by ANDY MORAN, which was officially clocked at 08.06.16.35, just 1 minute 04.88 seconds behind the actual race winner. Taking 2nd Ireland, 63rd Open went to Sean Donnelly with pigeon bred by Karl Donnelly, 3rd Ireland, 105th Open Jackpot Lofts with pigeon bred by Karl Donnelly, 4th Ireland, 123rd Open H+C Thorpe – McMorrow, 5th Ireland, 187th Open Kallmeyer & Partners and 6th Ireland, 188th Open another for H+C Thorpe – McMorrow. A total of 30 Southern Ireland pigeons were officially clocked by 08.25, then 49 by 08.43 and 69 by 19.15. A further update on Monday morning up to 11.38 showed still 73 pigeons had returned to the race loft. The Monday lunchtime Loft List showed that 78 Southern Ireland pigeons were in the race loft.
IRISH COUNTRY/REGIONAL NOMINATIONS for TRAINING RACE 2 had no pigeons entered.
THE OVERALL AVERAGES are now up and running and after two races stands as follows:- 1st OPEN goes to TEAM KRUEGER – KLAAS from GERMANY with pigeon named SELLAOMI bred by HARDY KRUEGER, with a combined flying time of 01.54.55.55 up 1 place from the last race. 1st UNITED KINGDOM, 26th OPEN goes to TEAM ETTRICK with pigeon named ETTRICK FLIGHT bred by BOBBY DALZIEL
last race. 1st IRELAND, 47th OPEN goes to H+C THORPE – McMORROW with pigeon named JIMS GIRL bred by H+C THORPE – McMORROW with a combined flying time of 02.02.05.36 up 137 places from the last race. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THESE FANCIERS.
So once again we are now off and running in South Africa and this is my first official International Press Release. It has been another tough campaign so far with many obstacles to overcome for the Race Organisers, also doing some alterations to the brand new 370 foot state of the art pigeon loft, especially the trapping area and entrance, plus outbreaks of Avian Influenza, Rota Virus, Circo Virus and other viruses and diseases in different countries but finally all the pigeons came out of quarantine and training around the race new loft got underway a few weeks later than expected but it should be mentioned now that the initial training and race programme was also delayed slightly because of bad weather, heavy rain and tremendous thunderstorms and the early Training Races and Hot Spot Car Races have now all been altered slightly to give the pigeons in the race loft a fair chance to catch up.
The team of pigeons will not be rushed and the vastly experienced loft staff are very confident that within a few weeks these athletes of the skies will be back on track and ready for the big task in front of them. You can of course follow all the progress of what is happening on www.samdpr.com
Hopefully, pigeon fanciers/entrants and competitors from all over the world will appreciate the massive amount of work that is put in by Michael Holt (Race Director & Systems Administrator), Pieter Saayman (Assistant Systems Administrator), Stephan Steenkamp (Administration), Marion Branford (Administration) and Peter Furstenberg from Shine Interactive and all his staff who have all helped once again to redesign this state of the art web site www.samdpr.com with yet another exciting racing season is now in front of us with a fantastic new updated web site, making it far easier for all fanciers/entrants and people concerned to look, find and study all the information available for all fanciers/entrants/competitors and syndicate members around the world.
It should also be mentioned that Willi van Beers from Germany has been appointed again for the fifth year running to act as Race Manager and he will work closely with the Loft Managers & Trainers Corrie Naude, Andre van Wyk, Maitland Blackshaw Blanc and all the rest of the loft staff. Sara Blackshaw (Managing Director of Air Sport Internationale), Joan-e Holt (Public Relations) and Deirdre Kallmeyer from African Olive Travel Concepts (The Official Travel Company for the SAMDPR) have also all been extremely busy getting everything ready so that visitors can enjoy The 23rd SAMDPR which for the third year will be held at the fantastic EMERALD RESORT, CASINO & HOTEL, Vanderbijlpark, Gauteng, South Africa (www.emeraldcasino.co.za) and once again they will host the events during the race weekend in early February 2019. I have personally visited EMERALD RESORT and can confirm that it is a superb venue for this race. It has everything that pigeon fanciers and their guests/friends and family require so that their stay will be remembered for a long time. So once again, exciting times are in front of this prestigious international pigeon race as it once again moves forward into the future.
This spectacular international pigeon race is now in its twenty second year and started off with under 1,000 pigeons in its first year way back in 1997, since then entries have increased and in the 7th Sun City Million Dollar Pigeon Race in 2003 it attracted an entry of 2,473 pigeons, then the 8th SCMDPR in 2004 attracted 3,703 pigeons, however, the 9th SCMDPR in 2005 attracted a staggering 5,096 pigeons. In a space of two years the entries actually doubled. After the record breaking entry of 5,096 pigeons that were entered into the 9th SCMDPR in 2005, which was made up of 3,711 International pigeons and 1,385 South African entries and were entered from 30 different countries. Then in the 10th SCMDPR held in 2006 we had a total of 4,649 pigeons entered, which was made up of 3,504 International and 1,145 South African entries that were entered by 28 different countries. This was then followed by 4,936 pigeons being entered into the 11th SCMDPR in 2007, which consisted of 3,462 International and 1,474 South African entries. When you consider all the problems and restrictions that have been implemented because of outbreaks of Avian Influenza and Newcastle Disease around the world over the last few years, plus many other one loft races trying to compete with the SCMDPR, it really is truly amazing that entries have managed to stay so high, especially when you consider that Mainland China entered 413 pigeons into the 2006 SCMDPR and have not been allowed to compete since. By losing these entries and those from other countries with restrictions has certainly stopped the organisers from smashing records on an annual basis. However, even after all the problems around the world that had affected the entries into the 12th SCMDPR to be held in 2008, the organising committee were still proud to announce that they had managed to get a grand total of 4,902 pigeons, which consists of 3,641 International and 1,261 South African pigeons entered into the race which was held in the fabulous Sun City, South Africa on Saturday 2nd February 2008. The 2009 race attracted 29 different countries and a record breaking entry of 5,576 pigeons and was held on January 31st and this total was made up of 4,496 International and 1,080 South African pigeons, with a total of 3,082 entries actually being sent to the Final Race after nearly 7,000 km (4,350 miles) of training. The entry for the 2010 SCMDPR once again exceeded the 5,000 mark for the third time and a grand total of 5,610 pigeons were officially entered by 30 participating countries and that number is made up of 4,693 International pigeons and 917 pigeons from South Africa who are of course the host country. Once again the International entry had been smashed by a staggering 187 pigeons. When one considers that most of the world was in a massive recession it once again just goes to prove to pigeon fanciers all over the world that this is the race they would all like to win. Once again the entry for the 15th anniversary race was a staggering 6,611 pigeons entered from 36 different countries, which is a massive overall increase of 1,001 pigeons and quite a few new countries getting involved for the first time. The total number of entries is made up of 5,639 International entries and 972 from South Africa, which of course is the host country. Once again the International entries are up by a staggering 946 pigeons, which is fantastic when you think that the world is still coming out of a recession. The 16th SCMDPR once again attracted entries from 36 different countries and a staggering world record entry of 7,949 pigeons, which was made up by 6,831 International and 1,118 South African pigeons. The 17th SAMDPR was held in the new venue, which was the fabulous Emperors Palace, Johannesburg, South Africa on 2nd February 2013 and close on 8,000 pigeons were originally entered from 36 different countries. The 18th SAMDPR was also held at the new venue and attracted an entry of around 7,000 pigeons from 40 different countries. Once again the international entry totalled over 6,500 pigeons. Entry figures for The 19th SAMDPR was a total of 38 different countries participating and they entered around 6,000 pigeons. The race entry for The 20th SAMDPR had 36 different countries participating and over 5,000 pigeons were sent out to compete in this great pigeon race. The race entry for The 21st SAMDPR held at the new venue for the first time showed that a total of 35 different countries sent well over 6,000 pigeons, proving once again that this is the race that every pigeon fancier in the world wants to win. The race entry for The 22nd SAMDPR once again showed over 6,000 pigeons entered from 32 different countries.
Of course, one of the main reasons for the success of this great race is the extremely professional way it has been run from the start and that they have always paid out all of their projected prize money every year since the race first started way back in 1997 and that is why it is now known the world over “AS THE BIGGEST AND GREATEST PIGEON RACE IN THE WORLD” and has been now been tagged as “THE RACE WITH THE PROVEN TRACK RECORD” and “THE OLYMPIC GAMES IN THE PIGEON WORLD”.
I think it should be mentioned once again that we are without my great friend Zandy Meyer (Race Director) at the helm anymore, who unfortunately passed away on 30th June 2013, however as usual the “ADMINISTRATION & LOFT TEAM” below have worked extremely hard to firstly get all the pigeons settled to the new loft and then gave each pigeon an electronic ring and logged them all on to the secure database system, so that all the fanciers/entrants and competitors around the world can following the progress of their pigeons right through the 2018/19 race series. This in itself is a massive task and as usual once again they have come up trumps. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK GUYS AND GALS. If you wish to look at some superb short videos or photographs of new pigeon loft and surroundings and the pigeons in the lofts or flying around the lofts, then please log on to the SAMDPR dedicated website www.samdpr.com
The Organising Committee, which now consists of Michael Holt (Race Director), Willi van Beers (Race Manager), Joan-e Holt (Public Relations), Marion Branford (Administration), Michael Holt (Systems Administrator), Pieter Saayman (Assistant Systems Administrator), Stephan Steenkamp (Administration), Corrie Naude, Andre van Wyk & Maitland Blackshaw Blanc (Head Trainers & Loft Managers), plus about ten other loft staff, plus Paul Smith (United Kingdom Shipper/Co-ordinator & International Race Co-ordinator), Dr. Piet van Zyl has also been recently appointed as the new Veterinary Officer with Dr. Marthinus Hartman (Veterinary Officer from the University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort Veterinary Services being retained as a Consultant), plus of course all the Country Shippers/Co-ordinators were once again looking to try to increase the race entry for the twenty third race. Once again they knew that this would be a massive task but they felt that even with all the other new one-loft races that were now starting up and running all over the world, beating the entry of last year ago could be achieved, providing we did not lose to many countries that had entered in past races.
*****SPECIAL THANKS must of course also go to Sara Blackshaw who is the Managing Director of Air Sport Internationale, who are The Presenters Of This Great Race for their continued support, Sara has worked extremely hard to keep the race going after the untimely death of Zandy Meyer (Race Director), who passed away in 2013.
Plus of course we must also mention the fantastic HERON BANKS GOLF & RIVER ESTATE for allowing us to build our new loft on their outstanding complex, plus of course the stunning EMERALD RESORT, CASINO & HOTEL for allowing us to use their fabulous facilities at this truly fabulous venue for this very prestigious international pigeon race weekend.
Of course, as mentioned earlier, we all knew that this would be a hard task and the first thing that was to be done was for the current website to be upgraded once again so that even more information was available to the entrants/competitors and pigeon fanciers. After months and months off hard work by Peter Furstenberg of Shine Interactive and his superb staff, plus Michael Holt and Pieter Saayman, Systems Administrators for Air Sport Internationale this has now been achieved as anybody logging onto the brand new state of the art revamped website www.samdpr.com will be able to see even more information is available. The “HITS” on this website had increased from 3 million for the 2003 race to 5 million for the 2004 race and over 8 million for the 2005 race and over 14 million for the 2006 race series. Records seem to be broken each year and the 2006/7 race series attracted over 16 million “HITS” during the race series and during the 2007/8 race series the web site attracted over 20 million “HITS”. Once again another record was broken for the “HITS” during the 2008/9 race series with well over 25 million. Just to show fanciers/competitors and entrants how successful this new web site has been, during the 2009/10 race series the web site had a remarkable 48 million “HITS” over that twelve month period. These figures increased dramatically because of a brand new Information Portal and Twitter facilities that were added as extras during the 14th SCMDPR. During the full 2010/11 race series the “HITS” figures increased once again to a staggering 50 million. Once again during the 2011/12 racing series the “HITS” increased, with figures in the region of 60 million. During the 2012/13 race series the amount of “HITS” rose to around 70 million. Also during the 2013/14 race season the amount of “HITS” exceeded those of the previous year by a considerably number. This just goes to show the amount of interest that is shown in this great international pigeon race from pigeon fanciers literally all over the world. Information is on line for all to see, so why not join in the fun throughout the next few months and add this web site to your favourites list. If it is information you require, then this race certainly gives it to you or anybody that cares to log onto their fantastic state of the art website. Official figure for “HITS” during the 2014/15 race series are not yet to hand but should easily exceed the 70 million “HITS” of the previous year. Once again “HITS” for the 2016/2017 race series exceeded our wildest expectations, once again exceeding the previous year. Year after year the “HITS” figures for the race series is smashed and the 2017/18 season once again smashed all the previous records.
Numerous “Loft Reports”, “Updates”, “Photographs” and “Videos” have been placed on the informative SAMDPR website for all to see and these are all available now on the dedicated website www.samdpr.com
CONGRATULATIONS must once again go to all the Country Race Co-ordinators and Shippers for again getting so many pigeons entered for this fantastic International Pigeon Race, you are truly worth your weight in gold to the Race Organisers as without all your hard work and effort the race would never get off the ground. It is always interesting to study the entry figures after the last race, those countries that do well usually increase in their entries and others that have not done so well usually reduce in numbers but as usual there are others countries that continue to increase whatever happens.
Once again the United Kingdom Race Team for The 23rd SAMDPR has supported this great race and thanks again to all fanciers new and old for their continued support and being part of our National Team.
GOOD LUCK TO ALL OF YOU AND THANKS AGAIN TO YOU ALL FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT, I CAN ASSURE YOU IT REALLY IS GREATLY APPRECIATED BY ME AND OF COURSE THE RACE ORGANISERS.
Once again the marketing for this top class pigeon race never really stops and as one race finishes the next one starts but that is really what makes this superb event such an exciting international race. Of course, if a certain country does not do well in the past race or races, it actually becomes much tougher for the Country Race Co-ordinators/Shippers to get fanciers to enter because fanciers feel they have no chance to win any of the major prizes. So it has always been the policy of this race to create more and more different competitions that offer extra cash rewards or specials prizes and once again this year is no exception, with five brand new cars being up for grabs which is one in each for the first Activated Pigeons in each of the 5 x HOT SPOT CAR RACES, plus numerous other new competitions where fanciers could win something special in the 5 x HOT SPOT CAR RACES in the run-up to THE FINAL RACE.
Although the race is now named THE SOUTH AFRICAN MILLION DOLLAR PIGEON RACE, the total to be paid out in cash and prizes in the 2018/19 race series exceeds US$2.2 Million American Dollars or approximately £1.76 Million Pounds Sterling. No other one-loft race in the world today can boast of such massive pay outs and this race is now in its twenty second year and has for the last twenty-one years paid out all of its projected prize money, that is why its reputation of this great race has increased, plus it has already paid out in the last twenty one races, prize money in excess of US$38 Million American Dollars (£26 Million Pounds Sterling), which is a remarkable achievement in itself in one loft racing and one that the race organisers are very proud of. It should also be mentioned that the Prize Money and Awards in THE 23rd SOUTH AFRICAN MILLION DOLLAR PIGEON RACE will be the same as paid out for THE 22nd SAMDPR.
The FINAL RACE PRIZE MONEY in the 23rd SAMDPR now exceeds US$1.02 Million American Dollars or around £785,000 Million Pounds Sterling.
All the United Kingdom Team fanciers/entrants and syndicate shareholders will of course be kept up to date with regular “INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE” and “NEWSLETTERS” plus any of them can log on to the state of the art The South African Million Dollar Race web site:- www.samdpr.com and get all the information they might require over the next few months. All official past competitors and entrants will still be able to use their old username and password and new competitors/entrants that have entered this race for the first time should now have received their own confidential username and password and then they will be able to log into their own account and see everything on their own computer screen. If you have not received yours yet, please contact your Official Country Race Co-ordinator/Shipper. You can’t change your pigeon’s name/s once training has started. You can even put all your pedigrees on live if you wish to, which certainly helps with the final selling price at the auction after the race. Remember the 2008 SCMDPR OVERALL ACE PIGEON named BIRDY sold for a staggering world record £53,730 and the breeder receives 50% of this figure after expenses. This really is a state of the art race that continues to improve its overall image on an annual basis and gives all fanciers and entrants all the information they need to know about all the pigeons in the lofts.
It should also be mentioned that the all the new entrants/competitors have now been sent their “OFFICIAL INTAKE” status report on all the pigeons they originally entered, which was followed by a full Loft Listing on the official SAMDPR website which was published on Monday 15th October 2018, which showed everybody what fully paid pigeons are still left in the lofts at that current time. Fanciers that have entered this race before will be able to use the password they used last time to access their personal account. Any new entrants/competitors will have to log onto www.samdpr.com and create their own new password so that they can access their personal account.
It should be noted the Organising Committee and Loft Managers have decided this year not to try to rush the youngsters up to the 80km (50 miles) mark, so please watch the Race Programme listed on the dedicated SAMDPR website: www.samdpr.com for more information on the distances for some of these earlier races as some of these might have to be changed because of circumstances. Of course as mentioned earlier only races of 50km (31 miles) or over actually count in the SAMDPR Overall Ace Pigeon Averages and only fully paid up pigeons can win any of these three special cash prizes which are allocated to this competition.
***SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT*** I am sorry that I can’t add all the information about who bred all the pigeons or where they live because I do not have access to all this information so I can only publish details which I am in possession of at the time. If there are no details besides your winning pigeon/s then please contact me on reglofts@aol.com with your details and I will include these in my later International Press Reports. I personally do my best to give all the fanciers, entrants and breeders all the credit they and their pigeons deserve when they manage to get in the results so your help in this matter will be greatly appreciated.
For the first few races numerous pigeons of course will not trap, so do not worry if yours is clocked late. The main thing to consider over the first few shorter races is that all the pigeons will not trap quickly but if they have made it back to the race loft on Heron Banks Golf & River Estate they are there to fight another day. With each race the pigeons will learn a bit more, giving them more experience to tackle all the tasks that they are going to have in front of them during the testing 2018/19 training and race series.
As mentioned earlier only races of 50km (approx. 31 miles) will count towards The 23rd South African Million Dollar Overall ACE PIGEON Averages, which has a total of three superb cash prizes of US$10,000 (approx. £7,692), US$5,000 (approx. £3,846) and US$2,500 (approx. £1,923) for 1st, 2nd and 3rd in this category after The Final Race has been completed.
NOMINATION RACES will be held and officially start on TRAINING RACE 1, plus the HOT SPOT CAR RACES 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 and of course the FINAL RACE. See SAMDPR Web Site for full details. All these races will have US$1, US$2, US$5, US$10, US$20, US$50 & US$100 COUNTRY/REGIONAL and US$1, US$2, US$5, US$10, US$20, US$50 & US$100 GLOBAL NOMINATIONS which can be placed on THE SOUTH AFRICAN MILLION DOLLAR Web Site. If you wish to enter any of these NOMINATIONS, you will have to have credit in your ASI Master Account. If you do not have any credit in your own personal Air Sport Account then please forward funds to your Country Race Co-ordinator/Shipper so that this can then be transferred to your Master Account in time to get your NOMINATIONS placed. Please do not leave it to the last minute to transfer funds as the transfer may not go through in time and this could result in your pigeon or pigeons not winning what they should be rewarded with.
It should be mentioned that GLOBAL & COUNTRY/REGIONAL NOMINATIONS during the 2015/16 race series actually paid out a staggering total of US$546,280 (£437,000). This sum also increased during the 2017/18 race series.
GOOD LUCK TO ALL CONCERNED AND REGULAR “INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASES”, “NEWSLETTERS” AND “UPDATES” WILL BE SENT OUT TO ALL COMPETITORS/ENTRANTS AND SYNDICATE SHAREHOLDERS ON A WEEKLY BASIS BY EMAIL OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS. ALSO WEEKLY “PRESS RELEASES” WILL BE SENT OUT TO BOTH OUR TWO PIGEON PUBLICATIONS NAMELY THE “BRITISH HOMING WORLD” AND “”THE RACING PIGEON” PLUS IT WILL ALSO BE ON MY REGENCY LOFTS WEB SITE www.regencylofts.com FOR ALL TO VIEW.
This is the “TWENTY THIRD YEAR” since this great International One Loft Race started and every year since day one the Organising Committee have created new competitions and I assume that this year will be no exception, more on this subject will be published as details come through from the race organisers.
“TRIP OF A LIFETIME” Deirdre Kallmeyer who owns and runs African Olive Travel Concepts in South Africa (www.aotc.co.za) is now acting as the official travel company for the SAMDPR and all booking must be done through her and her company. So if you want to be part of the vibe and thrill of The South African Million Dollar Pigeon Race, then why not join us at out new home at Heron Banks Golf & River Estate and the Emerald Resort, Casino & Hotel and experience the race weekend schedule and events. African Olive Travel Concepts have put together accommodation packages catering for all tastes and budgets and a variety of pre and post touring options to explore the region. The venue and location will be the Emerald Resort, Casino & Hotel which is situated on the lush banks of the Vaal River in Gautang, South Africa a mere hour’s drive from O.R Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. The extensive property, along 7km’s of river frontage, is the ideal location for a fun-filled family getaway. The Resort offers an array of accommodation options, restaurants, entertainment like the all-year-round Water Park – Aquadrome, to Animal World Zoo and game drive, ten pin bowling, outdoor activities such as walking, fishing, water skiing as well as the famous Emerald African Spa. Just across the Vaal River you can enjoy a round of golf on the outstanding Heron Banks Golf & River Estate, which is where the pigeon loft is situated. There are 3 accommodation options available at the Emerald Resort, Casino & Hotel catering for and style and budget. Option 1, you could book to stay in the 4 star Emerald Hotel where you will instantly notice the luxurious North-East African inspired décor. A sanctuary set far from the bustling bog city, the 4 star hotel’s 75 twin/double rooms and two superb suites offer you spacious comfort and all of the amenities you could need. All rooms have Air-conditioning, Digital Safe, Telephone, Hairdryer, TV selected channels, internet access and tea and coffee making facilities. Option 2, hidden away in a natural setting, the secure, luxurious Bush Lodges offer guests two-bedroom units styled to resemble the safari lodges of the Serengeti, adventure awaits just outside of these semi self-catering lodges, built for ultimate comfort and in luxurious style. Option 3, step into adventure and book one of the comfortable, self-catering River Resort Chalets that provides two, four and six sleeper units, ideal for a weekend getaway or longer stays. These are situated just a quick walk from the banks of the Vaal River, the chalets offer guests easy access to a range of adventures including boating facilities for the water sport enthusiasts.
For anybody intending to travel out for the race weekend or longer, please log onto www.samdpr.com and hit the Accommodation button at the bottom of the home page, there you find a “SPECIAL 3 & 4 NIGHTS PACKAGE”, which includes all the official functions and dates. Both these packages represent great value for money. Road Transfers to and from Emerald Resort can also be arranged by African Olive Travel Concepts. If you or any friends wish to do pre or post travel bookings, Deirdre will be only too pleased to give you prices, just tell her what and where you would like to go.
All bookings must be done directly through the sole agent Deirdre Kallmeyer at African Olive Travel Concepts (www.aotc.co.za) or email deirdre@aotc.co.za
***SPECIAL NOTIFICATION*** One point that should be pointed out to all competitors and entrants is that only your NUMBER 1 pigeons is “ACTIVATED” (FULLY PAID UP ENTRY) with the other TWO (2) pigeons in each of your “TEAM OF 3” or the other THREE (3) pigeons in your “TEAM OF 4” being your RESERVES or BACK-UP PIGEONS. Another point worth mentioning is if you happened to lose your NUMBER 1 PIGEON, your NUMBER 2 PIGEON would replace it FREE OF CHARGE and likewise if you then lost your NUMBER 2 PIGEON, your NUMBER 3 PIGEON would then replace that one FREE OF CHARGE. If of course you entered a “TEAM OF 4” and you lost your first 3 pigeons, your fourth pigeon would then be your “ACTIVATED PIGEON”. If you were unlucky enough to lose all your entries of 3 or 4 pigeons in any of your “TEAMS” and they had won no “Special Prize Money” in the new HOT SPOT CAR RACES 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 then you are entitled to a “FREE ENTRY” into the 23rd SAMDPR and all you have to pay is the official shipping and export costs to your Country Co-ordinator/Shipper. This offer can only be actioned once, for example if you lost your team in your first year, you would get a “Free Entry” the following year but then if you lost all your pigeons in that year, the “Free Entry” offer then does not count.
This of course represents great value for your money. All the pigeons go to every training toss, Mid-Week, Sunday and Saturday races providing they are fit enough but can only compete for any of the allocated PRIZE MONEY or SPECIAL AWARDS in the 5 x HOT SPOT CAR RACES if they are “ACTIVATED” and that means that these must be paid for prior to the HOT SPOT CAR RACE 1, which is due to take place on SATURDAY 22nd DECEMBER 2018 from 115km (approx. 71 miles). The cost to “ACTIVATE” these “RESERVES or BACK-UP PIGEONS” is US$1,100 (approx. £850)(THIS OF COURSE MAY CHANGE SLIGHTLY DEPENDING ON CURRENCY EXCHANGE RATE AT THE TIME OF ACTIVATION) but that will then entitle all these fully paid up pigeons (ACTIVATED) to compete and be eligible to fly for all the extra cash prizes and special awards that amounts to over US$300,000 (approx. £231,000). The one thing to remember is that once your reserve pigeon or pigeons are fully paid for, if then they get lost and have won no Prize Money or Special Awards in the Special Money Races, then you will get US$1,000 paid back into your ASI Account, which can then be used to purchase another pigeon at a later date and be entered into The Final Race under your name or syndicate or even under another name of your choice. So as you can see it is “BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY” and pay for them early, after all you have nothing to lose.
HOW MANY OTHER PIGEON RACES IN THE WORLD OFFER THIS SORT OF OPTION TO COMPETITORS AND ENTRANTS?
***WHAT CAN BE WON DURING THIS 2018/19 RACE SERIES*** Prizes and awards now add up to a staggering US$2.2 Million American Dollars £1.70 Million Pounds Sterling) and these include 5 x Brand New Motor Cars valued at US$16,000 (£12,308), 1 for the First Activated Pigeon in each of the 5 x Car Races, also plus 95 x US$1,100 (£846) Hot Spot Cash Prizes (it should be noted that the Motor Car Winner does not receive a US$1,100 Cash Prize), these 95 x US$1,100 Cash Prizes are split into 19 x US$1,100 (£846) Cash Prizes for each of the 5 x Car Race Hot Spots, a US$5,000 (£3,846) Car Race Hot Spot Ace Pigeon Award for the best pigeon in these 5 races, A Two-Bird Average Competition and a US$2,000 (£1,538) Cash Prize in each of the 5 x Car Race Hot Spots & The Final Race, A Three-Bird Average Competition and a US$3,000 (£2,308) Cash Prize in each of the 5 x Car Race Hot Spots & The Final Race, The South African Million Dollar Ace Pigeon Award carries US$17,500 in Prize Money, split into three cash prizes with 1st US$10,000 (£7,692), 2nd US$5,000 (£3,846) and 3rd US$2,500 (£1,923) Cash Prizes for the 3 pigeons with the best overall average in all the Official Training Races over 50km (31 miles) and 5 x Car Race Hot Spots and the Final Race. There will also be an overall Knockout Winner Competition and US$25,000 (£19,231) Prize Money, which starts on the Car Race Hot Spot 2 and the winner is the first one to be clocked in the “FINAL RACE” (over the past few years there has been around 40/60 pigeons still left in this competition). There will also be 3 x Country Cash Prizes of US$125 (£96), US$75 (£58) and US$50 (£39) in each of the first 4 x Car Race Hot Spots (1 to 4). In the 5th Car Race Hot Spot US$70 (£54) from every entry will be added to the starting Prize Money of US$250 (£192) for the Country Challenge. All the Prize Money will be paid out to the first three Country Challenge entered pigeons in a ratio of 50%, 30% & 20%. The SAMDPR website will have an up to the date listing of which pigeons are entered and how much Prize Money will be flown for, plus and an ACE Pigeon Country Challenge which will be won on the FINAL RACE. There is an Entry Fee of US$120 (£93) per pigeon to enter these Country Challenge Competitions and this has to be paid for before the basketing for the 3rd Hot Spot Car Race. The COUNTRY CHALLENGE ACE PIGEON, all countries participating will be given a US$200 (£154) starting Prize Money and US$40 (£31) from each Country Challenge entry fee goes to the “WINNER TAKES ALL” cash prize, which will be awarded to the first Country Challenge pigeon which is clocked in THE SOUTH AFRICAN MILLION DOLLAR PIGEON FINAL RACE. The pigeon that wins this award will be named the COUNTRY CHALLENGE ACE PIGEON. It should also be mentioned that during the 2016/17 race series the UNITED KINGDOM COUNTRY CHALLENGE paid out £14,777 in PRIZE MONEY. Then in the “FINAL RACE” on the 2nd February 2019 there are also 10 magnificent gold pendants to be won worth well over US$1,000 (£770) each and now over US$1.02 Million American Dollars in Prize Money (£1.70 Million Pounds) and 300 cash prizes being on offer.
THE ZANDY MEYER MEMORIAL RACE & US$1,000 (approx. £770) NOMINATION will also take place on the “FINAL RACE” and the winning will be A BRAND NEW MERCEDES BENZ SLK 555 MOTOR CAR, worth a staggering US$85,000 (approx. £65,400). (ONLY “ACTIVATED” PIGEONS ARE ELIGIBLE TO COMPETE FOR ANY OF THESE SPECIAL CASH PRIZES OR AWARDS). This new competition was very well supported in its first year and had over 160 entries and was so successful that it also paid out a staggering 2nd prize of US$54,000 cash. Do not miss this fantastic opportunity to win a fabulous new car. The 19th SAMDPR attracted about 140 entries and two staggering prizes were once again won by two worthy winners. The 20th SAMDPR attracted over 100 entries and the US$85,000 (£68,000) was won by Lloyd & Kelly from the UK, who actually won 37th OPEN in the FINAL RACE. It was the first Activated pigeons and walked away with the top award. In The 21st SAMDPR Michael Mellor from Crewe was the runner-up for this prestigious award, with over 100 entries, which once again just goes to show that the UK pigeons will hold their own against the best pigeons in the world. In The 22nd SAMDPR, Karl Donnelly from Ireland won this fantastic prize, when his pigeon won 5th OPEN.
PRIZE MONEY ALLOCATED TO THE 23rd SOUTH AFRICAN MILLION DOLLAR FINAL RACE, WILL NOW BE AS FOLLOWS:- 1st US$200,000 (approx. £154,000), 2nd US$125,000 (approx. £96,000), 3rd US$75,000 (approx. £58,000), 4th US$50,000 (approx. £39,000), 5th US$35,000 (approx. £27,000), 6th US$20,000 (£15,000), 7th US$17,500 (£13,500), 8th US$15,000 (£11,500), 9th US$12,500 (£9,600), 10th US$10,000 (approx. £7,700), 11th/15th US$7,000 each (approx. £5,385), 16th/20th US$5,000 each (approx. £3,846), 21st/30th US$3,500 each (approx. £2,692), 31st/40th US$3,000 each (approx. £2,307), 41st/50th US$2,500 each (approx. £1,923), 51st/70th US$2,000 each (£1,538), 71st/100th US$1,750 each (£1,346), 101st/150th US$1,500 each (£1,154), 151st/200th US$1,100 each (£846) and then 201st/250th US$1,000 each (£770), 251st/300th US$500 each (£385). (Subject to terms and conditions of entry). The actual cash prizes stated above represent exchange rates (1.30) at the current time and may of course change at the time of each race depending what the currency exchange rate is on the actual race day. A total of US$1,002,500 Million American Dollars (£772,000 Pounds Sterling) Prize Money will be paid out in this FINAL RACE.
Something else worth mentioning that seven brand new motor cars have been won by fanciers representing the United Kingdom Team in the last seven years, Richard Elliott and Chris Gordon both won new motor cars during the 2005/6 race series and Paul & Dave McCarthy won one a new motor car during the 2006/7 series. During the 2011/12 race series fanciers from the UK won a staggering 3 x brand new motor cars and these were won by Nev & Angi Evans & Steve Cuthbert, Robert & Peter Montila and then Phil Bond. Alistair Hogg also won a brand new motor car during the 2017/18 race series. This in itself was an outstanding team performance. No other country has ever won three cars on the trot. Also an Irish fancier named John Nash also won a brand new motor car in the 2008/9 race series. I am very hopeful that somebody from the United Kingdom or Ireland will also win one or maybe more brand new motor cars during the 2018/19 race series. GOOD LUCK TO ALL COMPETITORS.
I would also just like to notify fanciers that my weekly “INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE”, “NEWSLETTERS” and “UPDATES” can now also be seen on the following pigeon web sites:- www.regencylofts.com www.iprr.co.uk www.elimarpigeons.com www.pigeonportal.com www.pigeonglobe.co.uk www.cyberpigeon.co.uk www.pigeonbasics.com www.starpigeons.com www.pigeonpixels.co.uk www.theloftreport.com www.oneloftracing.com www.ukpigeonracing.co.uk plus of course they will also be published in the “BRITISH HOMING WORLD” and “THE RACING PIGEON” weeklies and many other international world pigeon publications for all to see, read and enjoy.
The race date for THE 24th SOUTH AFRICAN MILLION DOLLAR PIGEON RACE has already been provisionally agreed and confirmed by the race organisers as SATURDAY 1st FEBRUARY 2020. (However, this date is still awaiting final confirmation).
If you are interested in participating, helping us or acting a Country Race Team Co-ordinator/Shipper, then please telephone me as soon as possible on 01279-812005 or my mobile 07860-568216 or SMS or email on reglofts@aol.com and I will give you all the information you require. My two proposed shipping dates for THE 24th SAMDPR will take about the middle of MAY 2019 and then the second one should be around the middle of JUNE 2019. Of course these two dates will be confirmed nearer the time. I strongly recommend that you try to ship your race entries on the 1st shipping date as this then gives these pigeons much more time to settle into the race loft.
If you have any questions about any aspect of THE SOUTH AFRICAN MILLION DOLLAR PIGEON RACE, then please contact me as soon as possible on 01279-812005 or my mobile 07860-568216 or by SMS or email at reglofts@aol.com and I will do my best to answer any of your questions or queries about this great race.
These “INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASES” do take a lot of my time to prepare and I try to get as much into them as possible as I know fanciers and entrants like to know what is happening, unfortunately some time, some information will not be to hand when the print deadline is reached so can’t be included in that report. I can only apologise if I leave something or somebody out but I can assure everybody that I do my best to get as much information as possible to put into each of these international reports and give credit to those that deserve it.
IF ANY PIGEON FANCIER IN THE UNITED KINGDOM OR IN FACT ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD WOULD LIKE TO RECEIVE MY WEEKLY “INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASES”, “NEWSLETTERS” AND “UPDATES” BY EMAIL, THEN ALL THEY HAVE TO DO IS EMAIL ME THEIR ACTUAL EMAIL ADDRESS I WILL PUT THEM ON MY EMAIL DATABASE AND I WILL THEN FORWARD THEM ALL THE INFORMATION BY EMAIL ON A REGULAR BASIS.
BEST OF LUCK TO ALL THE PIGEON FANCIERS/ENTRANTS AND SYNDICATES WORLDWIDE DURING THE 2018/19 RACE SERIES.
THIS PHOTOGRAPH ABOVE SHOWS THE COMPLETED BRAND NEW 370 FOOT (113 METRES) STATE OF THE ART RACING LOFT WHICH IS SITUATED IN STUNNING SURROUNDINGS ON THE OUTSTANDING HERON BANKS GOLF & RIVER ESTATE, VAAL RIVER, SOUTH AFRICA. IT HAS THE TRAPPING/CLOCKING SECTION IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LOFT, WHICH IS BELOW THE ADMINISTRATION CENTRE AND HAS 44 EQUAL SIZED SECTIONS (22 EACH SIDE) THAT ARE ALL ACCESSED FROM A FULL LENGTH CORRIDOR THAT RUNS ALONG THE BACK OF THIS FABULOUS PIGEON LOFT. ALL THE 44 SECTIONS HAVE GRILLED FLOORING AND THE LOFT HAS A TOTAL PERCH CAPACITY FOR WELL OVER 9,500 PIGEONS IN COMFORT.
If you wish to know any more information on this prestigious international pigeon race please contact me ASAP:-
Paul Smith, United Kingdom Race Team Co-ordinator/Shipper and International Race Co-ordinator for The 23rd South African Million Dollar Pigeon Race, which is due to be held at Heron Banks Golf & River Estate and Emerald Resort, Casino & Hotel, South Africa on Saturday 2nd February 2019. Regency Lofts Limited,
2, Highmead, off Coltsfield, Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex. CM24 8LJ. England. Tel/Fax:- 01279-812005. (Int. Code:- +44-1279-812005). Mobile:- 07860-568216. Email Address:- reglofts@aol.com Regency Lofts Website:- www.regencylofts.com Skype Address:- talbot7944 Twitter Address:- PaulSmith@SmithReglofts
The South African Million Dollar Pigeon Race Website:- www.samdpr.com
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