THE RACING PIGEON 29 MARCH 2024
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to the coveted Tommy Long Cup, to which they were also runners up to in 2019. They have also gained 3rd place recognition a few times just to add to the list. Freddie and Keith have also been top prize winners in the LNR Fed seven times with the last three years being consecutive. Top prize winners in 2019 in both the North London and East London feds. Exceptionally good flying I am sure you will agree. I asked Freddie and Keith if there is a particular race or distance that is favoured and if they have ever thought about racing South Road and going across the Channel. Freddie tells me that it hasn’t been some- thing that he has been interested in, location is one reason however, another thing is that I can tell his heart lies well and truly with North Road racing. He enjoys all the races from all the race points with no real bearing on distance whereas Keith, although pretty much of the same mindset, does have a slight favourite in Thurso. Freddie and Keith pair up all their birds towards the end of January and breed from just a select few from the race shed and those that they do not want babies from under-sit; however, the racers rear just one baby. The feeding system is very simple. Tic beans for the stock birds all year round and the race birds have the same throughout the
‘Northern Grange’.
4,100 birds. He has since gone on to have six club wins and six Fed wins and is still being raced to this day. I have included a picture of another pigeon that really has to have a mention and that is ‘Grange Pride’. He’s the lovely dark grizzle cock that Freddie is holding. This picture is from 1976 when ‘Grange Pride’ took 1st place against 8,000 birds in the LNR Morpeth Combine. 1990 saw Freddie and Keith take 1st place again from Morpeth in the LNR Combine with ‘Northern Grange’. This was when a new car used to be part of the prize package and the Dawkins father and son duo claimed a Ford Fiesta as part of the winnings along with the trophy. Freddie tells me that the ‘Northern’ addition to the name was because the bird’s lineage can be accredited to Tot Douglas who Freddie tells me ‘was from that way.’ The last bird that I am going to give a mention to is ‘Charlie’. A chequer cock who as a yearling topped the Fed three times and won the LNR Yearling Combine from Dunbar with a birdage of 378 and who was beaten into 2nd Open position by Les Stock from out Hornchurch way out of 2,041 birds. These particular mentions are only a frac- tion of the birds that have performed consis- tently well over the years for Freddie and Keith, as you can probably well imagine however, by giving just a few examples gives you an idea of the winning consistency of the birds that grace the lofts and so without further ado I will go on and outline just a few of those performances over the years. As well as the many club, Federation and
‘Marathon Lady’ – Freddie’s favourite pigeon.
rain or shine for an hour or so, including during the race season and also on the day of basketing. Race season they go out as early as possible in the morning but once racing is over it is not as regimented and the time fluctuates. The old birds are raced on the Roundabout system and the babies raced on the Darkness system. Remarkably, the Dawkins father and son partnership very rarely train their birds. Freddie used to train from Sawbridgeworth a week or two before the first race however, since he no longer drives, the birds are just let out around home. I ask if they have heavy losses, especially with the babies, as a result of this and am told that there has been no difference from when they were able to train in comparison to the present day. There is no ETS system set up either with a prefer- ence to race to open doors and rubber to clock. Looking at the loft set up I don’t envy Keith going up and down those steps!! The penultimate question I ask is about the bloodlines in the loft. Although at the start of this article I mentioned Alf Baker and the Stassart line there have been other bloodlines introduced here and there however the dominant strain can still go all the way back to the original Stassart family. In 2011 some Leo Hereman pigeons were introduced into the loft that were bought from the Jutler brothers after they, along with Keith, visited the lofts in Belgium and these have proved to cross in well with the original
enough and retired to their respective boxes there isn’t any food left in the loft when the doors are then shut. There are no supple- ments added to the feed mix and the ratio of
Freddie and Keith Dawkins now. Freddie holding ‘Charlie’ and Keith holding ‘Alfie’.
the mix doesn’t change during the seasons race programme. The only addition to the feeding regime is a few peanuts a couple of days leading up to race day. Keith also tells me that unless it is blowing a gale outside, the birds go out every day of the year come
winter months with a switch to Versele-Laga Superstar mixed with a bit of Versele-Laga Best Allrounder during the race season. Keith feeds a handful of food at a time on the loft floor to the appetite of the individual pigeon and once all the birds have had
stock and contributed to the growth and continued success of the loft. I finish with some thank you’s from Freddie and Keith and first on that list is to George Chalkley. Without George’s support we would not be able to send to the NRCC. He drives all the way over to us, picks up our birds, takes them to the marking station and puts them through for us so definitely needs recognition and a thank you for this. We would also like to mention the Jutler Brothers for gifting us birds. Thank you, they have been a great asset to our loft. My last question is the obvious question – what keeps you moti- vated. The answer is a simple one, it’s the love of the birds and sport. Thank you Freddie and Keith, for allowing me into your lofts back then and sharing some of the secrets of your success with me, it has been an absolute pleasure and privilege. You will be greatly missed Freddie. May you rest in peace lovely man, sleep well. Christina
Combine races, Freddie and Keith have won Section H in the NRCC no fewer than an incredible 15 times. The only race point not to have been conquered is Lerwick however, they have placed 23rd and 25th with two hens that were also 3rd and 4th in the LNR Combine on the same day. The have also come very close to topping the NRCC from Perth placing 3rd with a hen that sat out for six minutes. This is the closest anyone in this region has ever come to the coveted top slot and brilliant flying when you consider how much distance there is from the London region to other regions hat enter the NRCC races. This same hen was also 3rd Open LNR Combine from Berwick but was sadly later lost from a Thurso race. From the Whitley Bay Combine last year (2020) they took the prize money for having the first three pigeons in the ring scheme as well as 2nd place Futurity winnings. In 2003 the Dawkins name was added
The Dawkins lofts.
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