THE RACING PIGEON 3 NOVEMBER 2023
16
NRCC Dunbar Futurity Race 2023
Forward from John Parker. On Saturday 23rd September the NRCC held its Futurity race from Dunbar with fanciers flying for a magnificent prize pot of sum £24,000 this was split into two sections an East Section and a West Section with each section flying for £12,000 made up of 12 prizes ranging from a first prize of £1,750 each for the breeder and buyer of the YBs down to the 12th position where the breeder and buyer achieved £125.00 each. How this magnifi- cent sum was achieved was generated by
Cloud cover at 12 showing some light showers but without much change to the wind or temperatures in comparison to the visibility picture from 11 o’clock.
Visibility on the day was very good.
Wing of David Hicks’ winner.
David Hicks with his Futurity 1st Open winner.
ring sales at £5.00 each, with a maximum of five per entrant. The purchase of the Futurity rings is open to all fanciers in the United Kingdom, however because this is a Futurity race and not a Gold Ring race these rings and young birds cannot be acti- vated for the Futurity race unless the fanciers who purchased the Futurity rings offer the young birds for sale as it is from the sale of these young birds that generate most of the prize money. However, although the Futurity rings are available to all fanciers the purchasers of the young birds for sale must fly at least 475 miles from Lerwick to be in the radius of the NRCC. There were 14 sales in total with the first YB
Eye of David Hicks’ winner.
sale taking place on the 21st February with the last sale on the 23rd May so, still giving fanciers just over 4 months, 16 weeks, to get the young ’uns ready for the race.
Standing patiently in line for marking with all the baskets of Futurity hopefuls.
However, as you can appreciate, at marking the NRCC marking teams know the ring number sequence of Futurity sold YBs but have no knowledge if all birds that have been brought to the free marking have in fact been activated. Unfortunately, there was at least one fancier who’s YB was entered for the race and verified after timing in from Dunbar but had not been activated during the sales. Can you imagine someone winning the first breeder buyer A rough distance calculator from Dunbar down to Wisbech.
Futurity birds being liberated by Paul Bakewell who accompanied convoyer Darren Shepherd.
The Futurity marking team at Wyberton.
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