Gary Downing ~1st Midlands Continental Classic FC Guernsey 1…21st May 2022.

Had a nice phone call from Mr Ernie Rigby of Taylor and Rigby of Telford reporting the fantastic win of Gary Downing the Ace West Midlands fancier scoring 1st and 3rd Open in the Midlands Continental Classic Guernsey 1 race flown 21st May 2022.

I believe a full sister to the MCCC winner won provisionally 7th Open in the following MCCC race Guernsey 2.

Gary Downing is of course well known throughout the UK as one of its best fanciers. The proof of this are the results that are very well documented.

Top winning genes in the hands of a top winning fancier can only result in more to results at the very highest level.

Dam of the winner is a sister to Gary’s 1st MNFC winner and is of Janssen and Van Loon bloodline.

Sire of the winner was bred by Taylor and Rigby from a special pair.

The pair was originally purchased by Mrs Eileen Whitehead of Durham as a birthday gift for her now late husband Jim Whitehead.   The cock was  an inbred Grandson of ‘The Young Couple’ ( ‘Golan’ x Kannibaal Princess’) and the hen was an inbred Granddaughter of Joop Koch’s ‘Favorite Son’ (‘Favorite 644’ x ‘Lurgan Belle’ bred by Geoffrey Douglas).

Jim Whitehead sold Mr and Mrs Peter Shaw of Wolverhampton a youngster from this pair in 2014 amongst a kit.

This turned out to be a checker pied hen  that in 2015 went on to win:

1^st South West sec, 761 bds…17^th Open, 8,888 bds… MNFC Carentan                                                            also winning  1^st SW Sec Yearling Classic, 144 bds…6^th Open Yearling Classic, 969 bds

7^th SW Sec, 745 bds…21^st Open, 5610 bds…MNFC Ancensis                                                                            also winning  3^rd SW Sec Yearling Classic 78 bds…6^th Open Yearling Classic, 479 bds

60^th SW sec, 1125 bds…187^th Open 8350 bds…MNFC Carentan

For the above, she was ranked 1^st Ace Pigeon (Middle distance) in the South West section and 2^nd Ace Pigeon (Middle distance) in the open.

She also accumulated 3 x Club wins and a 2^nd place being beaten by a loftmate with which she arrived. She was also 17^th Wolverhampton Federation Fourgeres against approx 1200 bds.

In 2016, she won 1st Midland Continental Classic race from Carentan against 11 birds beating the entire convoy with the Worcester Fed of 1600 birds (including duplications) totaling approx 2500 by 22 ypm.

Taylor and Rigby subsequently bought the original pair from Jim Whitehead who was cutting down due to ill health and it is a son of this pair therefore a full brother to Mr and Mrs Shaws good hen that bred Gary Downing’s 1st MCCC winner from Guernsey 1.

Many congratulations indeed to all involved.