Valence National… basketed and liberated under temperatures that were far from suitable for both humans and animals. The speed, middle-distance and long middle-distance races were cancelled by the KBDB, but the Valence race went ahead. Was the reason for not cancelling this race the obligation to maintain the 14-day interval between long-distance races? Whether this race should have taken place at all, and how it eventually unfolded, will undoubtedly remain a hot topic of discussion throughout the coming winter. The fact remains that on the day of liberation (Saturday at 6:40 a.m.), only 91 of the 3,339 pigeons had been officially recorded by the end of the day, making it difficult to describe this as a smooth race. However, none of this detracts from the outstanding performance delivered by "Valentino" (B25-6030891), owned by renowned marathon champion Kristof Mortelmans from Ranst. "Valentino", a heavily feathered black pied cock, maintained an incredibly high pace. Clocked at 4:39:12 p.m. over a distance of 698 km, "Valentino" achieved an average speed of 1,165.81 m/min. With this performance, he was not only the fastest in his category but also the fastest of all 3,339 Valence pigeons.
"I was helping my wife with the cooking," Kristof begins his story. "I was standing behind the stove, from where I had a clear view of the lofts. I knew roughly at what time I needed to clock a pigeon to register a top bird. The closer that moment came, the faster I stirred the pots until suddenly I saw a dark flash dive towards the landing board. From that moment on, there was no more cooking for me."

Son of top breeder "125"

"Winning is in his genes," and this statement certainly applies to "Valentino". "Valentino" is a half-brother to "Den Dave" (B19-6187554), the brilliant winner of 1st National Marseille 2021. The father of both national winners is NL17-1262125, a direct Batenburg-Van de Merwe cock, bred from "The Special One" (1st International Barcelona) x "Daughter New Laureaat", with "New Laureaat" also being a 1st International Barcelona winner. To further underline the strength of this champion breeder, a full brother to "Valentino" won 2nd International Marathon Ace Pigeon with eight prizes between 2021 and 2024, while a sister of "Valentino" won 1st Provincial and 8th National Valence. The season started with a team of 27 old cocks raced on traditional widowhood, 10 hens raced on the nest system (they are sent to Barcelona while feeding small youngsters), 60 yearlings raced according to the sliding-door system, and 120 youngsters, all of which compete in a national race during their birth year. Although Kristof is a veterinarian himself, mainly specialising in poultry, he keeps the medicine cabinet closed as much as possible. He regularly checks his pigeons for trichomoniasis and coccidiosis and uses the well-known yellow drops weekly during the racing season.

Moving soon

To conclude, Kristof told us that he will soon be moving. A few hundred metres away, he has purchased a new property, mainly because it offers much more space for the horses. Some pigeons are already housed there and are officially registered under his daughter's name. Finally, a few words about the lofts where these outstanding performances are currently achieved. They certainly do not have an everyday construction and can rightly be described as rather unique. The rear walls and side walls are simply made of concrete panels. The entire lower front is completely open, with double layers of green windbreak mesh to reduce the airflow. Above the Sputnik entrance there is glass. The roof consists of corrugated concrete sheets. So no insulated double walls, no sophisticated ventilation roof construction, but simply a solid, practical, inexpensive and above all healthy loft. It will certainly be interesting to see what the new lofts at the new location will look like.

"Valentino"
BE25-6030891
1st National Valence 1,473 yearbirds - fastest of 3,339b.

Distance: 698km

Velocity: 1,165 m/m

Stefan Mertens