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Bosmans-Leekens win 1st Provincial Bourges III Yearlings for Limburg

13 Aug 2024

Beverlo - The Bosmans-Leekens tandem proved again last weekend why they belong to the top of pigeon racing. After their earlier win at Argenton, the duo now also managed to secure the provincial win at Bourges III. Their blue cock, "Lio" (BE23-5057250), raced to first place out of 1,075 yearlings in the province of Limburg.

With an impressive time, "Lio" not only nestled at the top of the provincial ranking, but also achieved fourth place nationally against a field of 7,617 yearlings. Overall, Lio finished 18th out of 39,695 participating pigeons, an achievement of stature.

A top-class pigeon

That "Lio" is an exceptional pigeon is evident from his previous achievements. Among others, he achieved third place on Laon against 679 pigeons, fourth place on Nanteuil against 839 pigeons and 11th place on Melun against 850 pigeons. His consistency is again confirmed by his 67th place on Gien against 4,212 pigeons.

Champion blood

"Lio" is not just any pigeon; he has champion blood in his veins. His father is a full brother to "Chalon", a pigeon that won, among others, the 1st Nat. Argenton against 7,843 old birds, the 1st Prov. Chalon against 1,369 birds (2nd S.Nat. against 6,746b) and the 3rd Nat. Z Châteauroux against 5,939b. Moreover, the mother of "Lio" is a full sister to "Triple Bas", the winner of the 1st Nat. Gueret against 12,888 yearlings.

Bosmans-Leekens speaks

Dirk Leekens explains, "This weekend was the last Bourges of the season, and it was a difficult flight because of the long prize camp. We entered 25 yearlings, most of which only flew their second national flight. We only have yearlings and youngsters available after selling our racing and breeding pigeons up to birth year 2022 early last year 2023, so we don't take any risks and let them gain experience quietly. "Lio" was still bred from our breeding pigeons before they were sold to China, where they are already achieving great successes, including winning 1st Ace Pigeon Pioneer Club."

Bosmans-Leekens' yearling pigeons have done brilliantly this season, with results that speak for themselves. Besides the victory at Bourges, they also managed to take the provincial win at Argenton, and were in the top ten several times in other flights. The youngsters are also performing excellently, which augurs a promising future for them.

Bourges III results

Local 230 yearlings: 
1-3-4-8-11-25-26-35-40-45-52,...
Provincial 1,079 yearlings:
1-6-7-14-20-35-49-50-82-106,... (20/25)
National 7,617 yearlings: 
4-31-32-76-107-176-255-259-377-509-660,... (19/25)
Our youngsters won 10/16 prizes which provided their preparation was not so bad.

A successful season

Marc and Dirk can already speak of a successful season with quite a few outliers with their yearlings:
1st Provincial Bourges III 1,079b + 4th National 7,617b
1st Provincial Argenton 1,105b + 5th National 17,666b
2nd Provincial Sens 5,557b
3rd Provincial Sens 8,862b
4th Provincial Bourges 1,083b
5th Provincial Gien 2,787b
5th Provincial Gien 4,516b
8th Provincial Gien 2,787b
8th Provincial Sens 2,099b
9th Provincial Gien 4,516b
9th Provincial Sens 5,557b
10th Provincial Sens 8,862b

Other lofts also scored handsomely on Bourges III with Bosmans-Leekens blood, with Davy Tournelle-Hua Feng winning the 1st National Bourges III against 7,617 yearlings and Rik Hermans' 43rd National Bourges III against 7,617 yearlings.

Bosmans-Leekens' victories confirm their status as one of the top names in Limburg pigeon racing. With pigeons like "Lio" consistently excelling in national and provincial races, the tandem shows that their patient approach is paying off. Their success story sets the tone for future races and makes it clear that they are far from finished with Bosmans-Leekens.
Marc and Dirk congratulations from the whole Herbots team!

Maarten Herbots