Stef Bals (Wouwse Plantage, NL) shows his class on the middle distance race from Pt.St. Maxence in Afdeling Brabant 2000

by Van Eck Jack on 15/06/2021

Stef Bals takes both 1st and 2nd Provincial on the middle distance race from Pt. St. Maxence in Afdeling Brabant 2000 against 9,829 pigeons. His prize percentage of 77% (21/27 pigeons 1:4) gives the result extra shine. 

The past years Stef Bals hasn't gone unnoticed in Afdeling Brabant 2000. Especially on his favorite disciplines; short and middle distance. This season it took some time before his racing team was on top of it, but last weekend on June 6th it was all guns blazing. On the race from Pt. St. Maxence he places 1st and 2nd provincially with respective speeds of 1334 and 1333 m.p.m. The complete results are displayed below: 

Pt.St.Max. 275 km. 9.829 d.: 1-2-71-77-79-136-233-239-284-326-476-622-642-674-835-etc (21/27) 5x 1:100 19% 15x 1: 10 55% 21x 1: 4 77%

NL20-1574106, Superboy (1st Pt.St.Max. 9,829 pigeons)

As a young bird the winner from Pt. St. Maxence already showed to be a gifted racer. Amongst his results are 4th Quiévrain (1,256 p.) and 1st Ace pigeons Natour Samenspel RCC. Superboy's father is a half-brother to Olympic Roel (Hok Huijsmans, Hoogerheide). His mother is New Universe (NL15-1800997) who is a breeding result of '744 (Hans Eijerkamp en Znn) x wonder breeder Miss Universe, from Hok Huijsmans as mentioned earlier. 

NL15-1800997, New Universe

New Universe has proven to be an amazing breeder. Besides being mother to Superboy, Blue Pearl (NL17-1366877) is also bred directly from this super hen. In 2018 Blue Pearl also won 1st Provincial Pt. St. Maxence against 13,240 pigeons. Meanwhile Blue Pearl has been transferred to Maarten Huijsmans' breeding loft and has become mother to 1st Morlincourt (3,438 pigeons). An overview of New Universe's children's top results:

1st Prov. Pt.St.Max 13,210 p. (Blue Pearl) 1st Prov. Pt.St.Max 9,829 p. (Superboy) 1st Peronne 1,029 p. 3rd Prov. Sens 4,971 p. 3rd Pt.St.Max 1,565 p.

NL17-1366877, Blue Pearl (1st Pt.St.Max 13,210 p.)

Click here for the pedrigree NL20-1574106, Superboy (1st Pt. St. Max 9,829 p.)

NL20-206959, Romy (2nd Pt. St. Max 9,829 p.)

Racing hen Romy reached the loft second, and thereby took 2nd Provincial Pt. St. Maxence. She too has an excellent pedigree. Father is Son NPO Men and her mother is Special Blue. This breeding couple may well be called top class as their children won:

1st Niergnies 6,295 p. (2nd Prov. 20,420 p.) 1st Quievrain 2,510 p. (fastest against 11,565 p.) 2nd Prov. Maxence 9,829 p. 4th Prov. Melun 5,579 p. 4th Prov. Sens 4,971 p. 4th Melun 1,359 p. 4th Peronne 1,029 p.

NL13-1338982, Son NPO Men

NL16-1617333, Special Blue

Romy's fantastic pedigree (2nd Pt. St. Max 9,829 p.)

Stef Bals, top fancier in Afdeling Brabant 2000

Stef started the season with 25 couples played on double widowhood. However, at the time he keeps home one pigeon from most couples. This has Stef's preference. Meaning he has roughly 30 pigeons to complete the racing calendar, from short distance, middle distance to the last one-day races and the natour. His pigeons' bloodlines are predominantly (around 75%) from Hok Huijsmans. Some loose lines make up the remainder, such as an Eijerkamp cock, the '744, who's children too are excellent breeders. Every year Stef achieves splendid results with these pigeons. The result booked on this season's Pt. St. Maxence is possibly only a sneak-peak of what's to come. 

Stef Bals discovered an exceptional breeder with NPO men. With children and grandchildren of that phenomenon, Stef has formed a fantastic line of performance pigeons.

Strong from the starting blocks

Stef Bals has been playing a leading role in the Brabant 2000 department for several years in his favorite discipline the sprint and middle distance game. IIn 2020 he got off to a strong start when the season finally got underway on June 13th. At department level, no less than 25 of the 30 basketed pigeons obtained a place in the results from Peronne. With four pigeons in the top 30 of 20275 pigeons basketed by members of the Brabant 2000 department set the tone. With a prize percentage of over 60%, including a 9th NPO La Souterraine, with performances in also the one day long distance. The final statement Stef made on the late-tour races already promises a lot of good for the 2021 season. In the RCC Roosendaal the loft championship was won in that discipline and the entire podium of ace pigeon champions was taken over by pigeons from Stef. An overview of some nice results of 2020;

Peronne 202 km - 20275 p. 23-25-27-30-81-87-etc.(25/30) Brabant 2000 Morlincourt 235 km - 11790 p. 12-13-14-27-39-40-46-70-80-etc.(59/106) Brabant 2000 Quiévrain 130 km - 1256 p. 2-3-4-14-17-19-21-23-25-36-37-39-40-etc.(52/121) RCC Peronne 202 km - 1071 p. 1-2-7-8-18-22-24-30-31-34-48-etc.(37/88) RCC

NPO Men the undisputed base sire of the loft

NL10-2047584 NPO men the base sire of the loft of Stef Bals

The common thread in the entire pigeon colony of Stef Bals is formed by NL10-2047584 NPO men. The year 2020 is no exception. NPO men came from the loft of pigeon friend Maarten Huijsmans. NPO men is a grandchild of Miss Universe, in turn the founder of the loft of Maarten Huijsmans himself. Miss Universe is mother and grandmother of an innumerable number of first prize winners. Her grandson NPO men follows in her footsteps as a breeder. He became (grand) father of, a.o.;

1e Sens 8503 p. (Middle Distance teletekst race Brabant 2000) 1e Sens 4971 p. (Brabant 2000) 1e Niergnies 6295 p. (2e Brabant 2000 against 20420 p.) 1e Quiévrain 2510 p. (fastest 11565 p.) 1e Quiévrain 5899 p. 1e Peronne 1071 p. 1e Issoudun 537 p. (13e NPO 7183 p.) 1e Ace Pigeon Middle Distance Brabant 2000 '19 2e Sens 4971 p. (Brabant 2000) 3e Melun 5678 p. 4e Melun 5678 p. 4e Sens 4971 p. (Brabant 2000) 5e Fontenay 7798 p. 5e Pt.St.Maxence 13240 p. (Brabant 2000) 7e St.Quentin 24121 p. (Brabant 2000) 9e NPO Souppes 14695 p. 9e NPO La Souterraine 2753 p.

NL18-1185822 Jody, a fantastic granddaughter of NPO men, won victories from Quiévrain (2510 p.) and Niergnies (6295 p.)

Find the pedigree of Jody here

NL17-1367450 Isa, granddaughter of NPO men, won in the RCC a.o. 1st Issoudun of 537 p. (13e NPO against 7183 p.)

Click here for the pedigree of Isa, who herself became the mother of a.o. 9th Pnt. St. Maxence (7551 p.) and 7th Morlincourt (10

Success on the one day long distance with Father Flash

In 2020 Stef participated very successfully in the one day long distance races. Of the 31 pigeons that were entered, no fewer than 19 won their prize. The best result was achieved by NL 16-1617668 Father Flash, who won a 9th NPO La Souterraine (1st RCC against 327 p.) flying at the head of the result. Father Flash (grandson NPO men) has the Flash as his father, who was 1e Niergnies against 1403 pigeons (5e against 19539 p.), also proven as a breeder. The performances of Father Flash can be seen below:

1e Ace Pigeon Middle Distance RCC 2018 (7e Ace Pigeon Middle Distance Brabant 2000) 1e La Souterraine 327 p. (9e NPO 2753 p.) 1e Gien 361 p. (RCC) 1e Peronne 241 p. (2e RCC 1397 p.) 1e Melun 223 p.

NL16-1617668 Father Flash, 9e NPO La Souterraine against 2753 p.

Click here for the pedigree of Father Flash

Young talent wins Peronne

With NL20-2006951 Eva, the young team of 2020 won a victory on the late-tour race Peronne, for which 1071 (young and old) pigeons competed for the win in the RCC. Eva is again a daughter of NPO men and thus once again proves the class of the founder of the Bals loft.

Click here for the pedigree of Eva

Superboy wins the ace pigeon championship late tour

NPO men is a grandson of Miss Universe, the top hen of Maarten Huijsmans. With NL20-1574106 Superboy Stef again has a grandson of Miss Universe under his roof, who showed himself beautifully by finishing as 1st ace pigeon in the RCC. Superboy (100% Huijsmans) performed as follows on the three late-tour races;

4e Quiévrain against 1256 p. 29e Morlincourt against 1020 p. 34e Peronne against 1071 p.

Find the pedigree of Superboy here

With confidence in the future

Stef is already looking forward to the 2021 season. He has another promising racing team ready to race against the competition. In his breeding loft, work continues to expand his colony to an even higher quality level. For example, Jody (granddaughter NPO Men) can now show her breeding skills.

Stef Bals (Wouwse Plantage, NL) has a 1st Ace Pigeon middle distance Province Brabant 2000 in his collection with Yara

by Vennix Henri on 15/02/2020

Stef Bals was once more one of the leading names in Brabant 2000 in his favourite two competitions, the sprint and middle distance. The ace pigeon championship middle distance and the spectacular closing race from Pont St. Maxence are telling examples.

Stef Bals was in strong form in 2019

2019 was a season to remember

Even though he is still a fairly young fancier, Stef Bals is already one of the leading names in the sprint and the middle distance, his favourite two competitions. He has managed to excel in each of these disciplines for a couple of years now, and 2019 was no different. And Stef has been notably strong with his hens. We take a look at some inspiring results from the 2019 racing season: 

20/4 Niergnies 170 km 20420 p. 2-11-14-32-36-48-50-51-98-etc.(25/36)(Br.2000) 18/5 Melun Andrezel 344 km 13540 p.17-18-20-21-22-35-37-87-etc.(19/22)(Br.2000) 22/6 Quiévrain 130 km 2510 p. 1-2-3-10-11-12-34-37-etc.(11/12)(Rayon 2 Br.2000) 14/9 Pt.St.Maxence 275 km 7551 p. 2-3-5-9-10-11-19-32-33-34-44-45-46-52-etc.(51/58)(Br.2000)

NL10-2047584 NPO MEN, stock breeder for Stef Bals

NPO MEN as the common factor

Almost all exceptionally gifted racing birds in this team have something in common: they are either youngsters or grandchildren of NL10-2047584 NPO MEN. This racing cock is the central theme in Stef's entire pigeon family. The successful generation of racing birds from 2019, that were only raced in the late season, are part of a third generation of descendants of NPO MEN. And this generation appears to dominate the field almost with ease. NPO MEN was introduced in this loft through fellow fancier Maarten Huijsmans. This stock breeder is a grandchild of Miss Universe, which is in turn the main pillar in the pigeon family of Maarten Huijsmans. Miss Universe is the dam and grandmother of countless first prize winners. And we will take a closer look at the descendants of NPO MEN that have excelled in 2019. The star of this team was of course Yara, the best middle distance pigeon of 2019 in a very competitive Brabant 2000 province.

NL16-1617399 Yara, 1st Ace Pigeon middle distance Brabant 2000

Yara, Ace Pigeon middle distance Brabant 2000

In 2019, we saw NL16-1617399 Yara claim a rather prestigious title for Stef. Th three year old granddaughter of stock breeder NPO MEN took the following title in 2019:

1st Ace Pigeon middle distance Brabant 2000 17th National Ace Pigeon middle distance WHZB/TBOTB 20th National Ace Pigeon middle distance NPO

In 2019, Yara won a 5th Fontenay of 7798 p., an 11th Niergnies of 20,420 p., a 42nd Pt. St. Maxence of 6179 p. and an 87th Melun of 13,540 p. For the pedigree of Yara, click here.

NL17-1366883 Blue 883, a granddaughter of NPO MEN

Blue 883, a phenomenal granddaughter of NPO MEN

One of the surprises in the loft of Stef Bals is without doubt NL17-1366883 Blue 883, a granddaughter of NPO MEN. She was quite a successful yearling in 2018, finishing in the top five in three different provincial races (4th Melun 5678 p., 4th Sens 4971 p., 5th Pt. St. Maxence 13240 p.). In 2019, she added the following top results to her palmares:

Quiévrain 130 km 9 – 3929 p. (Rayon 2 Brabant 2000) Niergnies 170 km. 9 - 1403 p. (RCC Roosendaal) Melun 344 km 10 - 4032 p. (Rayon 2 Brabant 2000)

Blue 883 knows how to breed talented youngsters as well: she is the dam of NL19-3917311, winner of a 10th of 7551 pigeons in the closing race from Pt. St. Maxence. As such, she contributed to Stef's best result of 2019. Click here for Blue 883's pedigree.

NL18-1185822 Jody, 1st Quiévrain and 1st Niergnies in 2019

One year old Jody strikes hard with two first prizes

And the loft discovered another high quality bird with NL18-1185822 Jody. As you might have already guessed, this is another grandchild of NPO MEN. Click here for her full pedigree. Jody was able to claim two first prizes in 2019. To begin with, she took the win in Niergnies in Rayon 2 of 6295 p., only just missing out on a provincial first prize (2nd Prov. of 20,420 pigeons). This is Jody's palmares for 2019:

Quiévrain 130 km 1st / 2510 p. Niergnies 170 km 1st / 6295 p. Morlincourt 235 km 4th / 881 p. Niergnies 170 km 10th / 1403 p. Melun 344 km 12th / 4032 p.

On top of that, Jody is the dam of a winner in RCC Roosendaal: her son Flash took a 1st Niergnies in RCC  Rosendaal, which led to an excellent 5th place of 19,539 pigeons at provincial level. Both the sire and the dam of Flesh are grandchildren of NPO MEN. For the pedigree of Flash, click here.

NL19-3917314 Flash, 1st Niergnies of 1403 pigeons

Promising results from the young birds in Pt. St. Maxence

Stef has a lot of patience when it comes to racing young birds. The juniors were basketed for the natour competitions in August and September. And you can tell from Stef's results with the yearlings and old birds that this approach does not have any negative effects. After a number of young birds' races, the new generation transitions to higher level racing fairly easily, as we've come to expect from Stef's birds. We saw a perfect example in the closing race of 2019: the peloton for Brabant 2000, consisting of 7551 pigeons, was released in Pt. St. Maxence. In this race, for which the results of the old and young birds are put together, Stef excelled with a 2-3-5-9-10-11-19-etc. Remarkably enough, his ten first pigeons all came from 2019. The first pigeon back home was NL19-3917301 Qwinty. And she too belongs to the third generation of NPO MEN descendants. At provincial level, Qwinty had to settle for second place, finishing behind a pigeon of fellow fancier Maarten Huijsmans. In rayon 2 and RCC Roosendaal however, this promising hen did come in first place.

NL19-3917301 Qwinty, 1st Pt. St. Maxence of 2508 pigeons

A fantastic generation of yearlings heading to 2020

With the end of a (mild) winter fast approaching, Stef is quietly starting to look towards the 2020 season. He is backed up by a solid foundation and a promising group of yearlings, so we reckon he has high hopes for this year.

Stef Bals (Wouwse Plantage, NL) sweeps the podium in Quievrain with a 1-2-3 of 2,510 pigeons

by van Eck Jack on 16/07/2019

Stef Bals demonstrates his potential yet again, winning a 1-2-3 Quievrain of 2,510 pigeons, and taking 15 prizes with 17 pigeons. Over the past two years, this promising young fancier (25 years old) has shown repeatedly to be one of the leading names at national level.

The 25 year old Stef showed throughout the 2018 season that he is already one of the big names in our sport, having claimed several top results and championship titles in major competitions. His results in the provincial race from Sens (374km) were particularly memorable. He claimed a 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th of 4,971 pigeons, and he claimed 15 prizes 1:4 with a team of 17 pigeons (88%). Click here to read more about this fantastic result. Besides these and many other brilliant results, Stef also claimed a title of 1st Not Nominated Loft Champion Middle Distance in Province Brabant 2000. The 2019 season sees him continue his winning streak, with top results almost on a weekly basis. Here are some notable examples:

Niergnies 170 km 20,420 p.: 2-11-14-32-36-48-50-51-98-104-124-226-268-etc. (25/36) Melun 344 km 13,540 p.: 17-18-20-21-22-35-37-87-119-138-etc. (19/22) Quievrain 130 km 2,510 p.: 1-2-3-10-11-12-34-37-etc. (11/12)

His result from Quievrain on 22nd of June, in which he won a first, second and third, was particularly remarkable. We will take a closer look at his first three pigeons later on.

Stef started the season with about 30 to 35 racing birds raced in total widowhood. He has an additional 8 breeding pairs, and a group of around 75 youngsters. About 80% of his pigeon collection is now related to the breed of Hok Huijsmans (Hoogerheide, NL), combined with other introductions. For instance, he bred several talented descendants from a cock of Eijerkamp paired to pigeons of Hok Huijsmans. His team races in the sprint, the middle distance distance, the one day long distance and in the young birds' races, but Jef's main focus is the middle distance competition. He does moest of the care-taking by himself, although he does get some help from his father occasionally, who would for instance feed the pigeons (which Stef prepares), darken the birds or take the pigeons away for a training flight, with Stef awaiting them at home. The undisputed stars in Stef's breeding loft are NPO Men and his son NPO Men. They are both the sire of several talented pigeons.

NL10-2047584 NPO Men

Racing bird NL10-2047584 NPO Men, obtained from fellow fancier and great champion Maarten Huijsmans, has really left his mark on Stef's pigeon family. NPO Men is a grandchild of Miss Universe, which is in turn one of the founders of Maarten Huijsmans's own breed. Miss Universe is the dam and grandmother of a countless number of first prize winners. NPO Men is the sire/grandfather of:

1st NPO Sens 8,503 p. 1st Prov. Sens 4,971 p. 2nd Prov. Sens 4,971 p. 3rd NPO Melun 5,597 p. 1st Quievrain 5,899 p. 2nd Niergnies 20,420 p. 4th NPO Melun 5,597 p. 4th Prov. Sens 4,971 p. 4th Prov. Pont st. Max. 13,240 p. 5th NPO Fontenay 7,798 p.

NL13-1338982 Son NPO Men

A son of NPO Men, this racing cock is well on his way to following in the footsteps of his own sire. He could well become Stef's new stock breeder one day. He is already the sire of:

1st Niergnies 6,295 p. (and 2nd 20,420 p.) 1st Quievrain 2,510 p. (and 1st 11,565 p.) 4th Prov. Melun 5,579 p. 4th Prov. Sens 4,971 p. 5th Pont st. Max. 13,240 p. 5th NPO Fontenay 7,798 p.

Quievrain 1-2-3 of 2,510 pigeons

NL18-1185822 Jody, 1e Quievrain (2.510 d)

Jody is quite a promising name indeed. She is a daughter of Son NPO Men (and thus a granddaughter of NPO Men). Click here for her pedigree. She has some excellent results to her name as a one year old, including:

1st Quievrain 2,510 p. (and fastest of 11,565 p.) 1st Niergnies 6,295 p. (and 2nd of 20,420 p.) 12th Melun 4,032 p.

This is her sister's palmares:

4th Prov. Melun 5,579 p. 4th Prov. Sens 4,971 p. 5th Prov. Pont st. Max. 13,241 p.

NL18-3807861 Iza, 2nd Quievrain (2,510 p.)

The 2nd place winner in Quievrain was Iza, who finished a mere second behind the winner of the race. Her sire is another grandson of NPO Men, and her dam is Blue Pearl, a granddaughter of Miss Universe, a stock breeder for Maarten Huijsmans. Blue Pearl has a 1st Prov. Pont St. Maxence (13,240 p.) with a two minute lead to her name, as well as a 3rd Prov. Sens (4,971 p.) behind two teammates. Click here for Iza's pedigree.

NL18-1186221 Jana, 3rd Quievrain (2,510 p.)

The third place winner, who finished almost alongside the number two in the race, is Jana. Judging from Jana's pedigree, we can tell that both her sire and her dam are related to the bloodlines of super class breeder Miss Universe.

A promising young fancier who works with top quality birds

Given his age (he is 25 and he turns 26 next week) and his splendid results over the past two seasons, Stef is indeed a young and promising fancier. He puts it this way: "I consider myself a pigeon racing fanatic. I invest a lot of time in this hobby, especially in my head. I always try to raise the bar, both for my pigeons and for myself. Besides, I am still increasing my knowledge of pigeons." With this mindset, and with the help of a number of top quality birds, Stef has managed to become one of the top players in The Netherlands. With several more races coming up both for the old and the young birds, we reckon Stef will continue to produce spectacular results in the near future.

Stef Bals (Wouwse Plantage, NL) sweeps the podium in Quievrain with a 1-2-3 of 2,510 pigeons

by van Eck Jack on 16/07/2019, related fanciers:Bals Stef

Stef Bals demonstrates his potential yet again, winning a 1-2-3 Quievrain of 2,510 pigeons, and taking 15 prizes with 17 pigeons. Over the past two years, this promising young fancier (25 years old) has shown repeatedly to be one of the leading names at national level.

The 25 year old Stef showed throughout the 2018 season that he is already one of the big names in our sport, having claimed several top results and championship titles in major competitions. His results in the provincial race from Sens (374km) were particularly memorable. He claimed a 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th of 4,971 pigeons, and he claimed 15 prizes 1:4 with a team of 17 pigeons (88%). Click here to read more about this fantastic result. Besides these and many other brilliant results, Stef also claimed a title of 1st Not Nominated Loft Champion Middle Distance in Province Brabant 2000. The 2019 season sees him continue his winning streak, with top results almost on a weekly basis. Here are some notable examples:

Niergnies 170 km 20,420 p.: 2-11-14-32-36-48-50-51-98-104-124-226-268-etc. (25/36) Melun 344 km 13,540 p.: 17-18-20-21-22-35-37-87-119-138-etc. (19/22) Quievrain 130 km 2,510 p.: 1-2-3-10-11-12-34-37-etc. (11/12)

His result from Quievrain on 22nd of June, in which he won a first, second and third, was particularly remarkable. We will take a closer look at his first three pigeons later on.

Stef started the season with about 30 to 35 racing birds raced in total widowhood. He has an additional 8 breeding pairs, and a group of around 75 youngsters. About 80% of his pigeon collection is now related to the breed of Hok Huijsmans (Hoogerheide, NL), combined with other introductions. For instance, he bred several talented descendants from a cock of Eijerkamp paired to pigeons of Hok Huijsmans. His team races in the sprint, the middle distance distance, the one day long distance and in the young birds' races, but Jef's main focus is the middle distance competition. He does moest of the care-taking by himself, although he does get some help from his father occasionally, who would for instance feed the pigeons (which Stef prepares), darken the birds or take the pigeons away for a training flight, with Stef awaiting them at home. The undisputed stars in Stef's breeding loft are NPO Men and his son NPO Men. They are both the sire of several talented pigeons.

NL10-2047584 NPO Men

Racing bird NL10-2047584 NPO Men, obtained from fellow fancier and great champion Maarten Huijsmans, has really left his mark on Stef's pigeon family. NPO Men is a grandchild of Miss Universe, which is in turn one of the founders of Maarten Huijsmans's own breed. Miss Universe is the dam and grandmother of a countless number of first prize winners. NPO Men is the sire/grandfather of:

1st NPO Sens 8,503 p. 1st Prov. Sens 4,971 p. 2nd Prov. Sens 4,971 p. 3rd NPO Melun 5,597 p. 1st Quievrain 5,899 p. 2nd Niergnies 20,420 p. 4th NPO Melun 5,597 p. 4th Prov. Sens 4,971 p. 4th Prov. Pont st. Max. 13,240 p. 5th NPO Fontenay 7,798 p.

NL13-1338982 Son NPO Men

A son of NPO Men, this racing cock is well on his way to following in the footsteps of his own sire. He could well become Stef's new stock breeder one day. He is already the sire of:

1st Niergnies 6,295 p. (and 2nd 20,420 p.) 1st Quievrain 2,510 p. (and 1st 11,565 p.) 4th Prov. Melun 5,579 p. 4th Prov. Sens 4,971 p. 5th Pont st. Max. 13,240 p. 5th NPO Fontenay 7,798 p.

Quievrain 1-2-3 of 2,510 pigeons

NL18-1185822 Jody, 1e Quievrain (2.510 d)

Jody is quite a promising name indeed. She is a daughter of Son NPO Men (and thus a granddaughter of NPO Men). Click here for her pedigree. She has some excellent results to her name as a one year old, including:

1st Quievrain 2,510 p. (and fastest of 11,565 p.) 1st Niergnies 6,295 p. (and 2nd of 20,420 p.) 12th Melun 4,032 p.

This is her sister's palmares:

4th Prov. Melun 5,579 p. 4th Prov. Sens 4,971 p. 5th Prov. Pont st. Max. 13,241 p.

NL18-3807861 Iza, 2nd Quievrain (2,510 p.)

The 2nd place winner in Quievrain was Iza, who finished a mere second behind the winner of the race. Her sire is another grandson of NPO Men, and her dam is Blue Pearl, a granddaughter of Miss Universe, a stock breeder for Maarten Huijsmans. Blue Pearl has a 1st Prov. Pont St. Maxence (13,240 p.) with a two minute lead to her name, as well as a 3rd Prov. Sens (4,971 p.) behind two teammates. Click here for Iza's pedigree.

NL18-1186221 Jana, 3rd Quievrain (2,510 p.)

The third place winner, who finished almost alongside the number two in the race, is Jana. Judging from Jana's pedigree, we can tell that both her sire and her dam are related to the bloodlines of super class breeder Miss Universe.

A promising young fancier who works with top quality birds

Given his age (he is 25 and he turns 26 next week) and his splendid results over the past two seasons, Stef is indeed a young and promising fancier. He puts it this way: "I consider myself a pigeon racing fanatic. I invest a lot of time in this hobby, especially in my head. I always try to raise the bar, both for my pigeons and for myself. Besides, I am still increasing my knowledge of pigeons." With this mindset, and with the help of a number of top quality birds, Stef has managed to become one of the top players in The Netherlands. With several more races coming up both for the old and the young birds, we reckon Stef will continue to produce spectacular results in the near future.

Stef Bals (Wouwse Plantage, NL) ends the middle distance season in style with a 1-2-3-4 from Sens in the entire province Brabant 2000

by Vennix Henri on 18/07/2018, related fanciers:Bals Stef

Stef Bals is a young and highly talented pigeon fancier who surprised his colleagues repeatedly in the past. The race from Sens is the first major highlight in his pigeon racing career: he wins the first four prizes in Province Brabant 2000.

Stef Bals excels in Sens in Province Brabant 2000

Stef Bals

The pigeons of S.C.A. Bals have been winning top prizes in Province 2 Brabant 2000 more and more often, and we wanted to find out more about the fancier behind this team. The 25 year old Stef Bals from Wouse Plantage can be considered a fairly young player. He started keeping pigeons at the age of five, initially keeping fancy pigeons and one bird that had landed here accidentally. Stef then met a pigeon fancier who was living down the street, and that is how he got introduced to the sport. He even gave Stef a few of his pigeons. The first real pigeon loft was built in 2003, and he raced for the first time in 2004. His first victory came fairly quickly, with a first prize in the club in 2005. Stef also claimed an Ace Pigeon title middle distance in the Blauwe Doffer district in 2010. It was the start of a great career: his pigeons have gone through a demanding 2018 season seemingly with ease, with a crowning achievement in Sens: a 1-2-3-4 of 4971 pigeons in Brabant 2000 (15/17).

Founded on pigeons of Maarten Huijsmans

The pigeons that enabled Stef to excel in major competitions originate from the loft of Maarten Huijsmans (Hok Huijsmans, Hoogerheide, NL). It is no coincidence that it is Maarten who has been achieving some fabulous results almost every single week in Province Brabant 2000. Stef and Maarten met each other at the 2006 youth series day of Province Brabant 2000, where they were both awarded. Soon a number of Maarten's young birds were transferred to the loft of Stef, who promptly noticed that his results were improving. Stef obtained a pair of youngsters from Maarten in 2012, and one of them became Maarten's most successful young bird that year. Stef also borrowed the parents of that same youngster, and this was a turning point in his career. He wins his first NPO race from Sens in 2014 with a youngster of this pair. It was exactly the same race in which he excelled just now. Claiming a 1st and 2nd in the province with two youngsters from the same pair (NPO MEN x NPO Girl) that bred the winner of the NPO race a few years ago, is quite remarkable.

Sens 1-2-3-4 of 4971 pigeons

Before talking you through the top four in the provincial race from Sens, we take a closer look at the magnificent results of the old birds in 2018 (District 2 Blauwe Doffer):

26-05 Pont St. Maxence 275 km 4053 p. 1–3–6-17-18–19–20–21-24–35-etc.(21/24) 23-06 Montlucon 586 km 1183 p. 4-10-173-197 (4/4) 30-06 Melun 344 km 1787 p. 2–3–13-14-20-22-27-37-67–87-etc.(17/22) 07-07 Sens 374 km 1473 p. 1-2-3-4-19-30-33-44-45-56-64-etc.(15/17)

NL17-3720611, 1st Sens Prov. 2 Brabant 2000 of 4971 p.

Of the four pigeons that arrived home simultaneously from Sens, racing bird NL17-3720611 was the first to officially get clocked. This racing cock is a son of Stef's stock pair: NL10-2047584 NPO MEN and NL08-1633171 NPO GIRL. These two pigeons have really left their mark on a demanding race from Sens. Click here for the pedigree of the winner. This 611 wins the following prizes in 2018:

21-04 Peronne 202 km 6 - 1455 p. (RCC Roosendaal) 30-06 Melun 344 km 3 – 5678 p. (Brabant 2000) 07-07 Sens 374 km 1 – 4971 p. (Brabant 2000)

NL17-1366866, 2nd Sens Prov. 2 Brabant 2000 of 4971 p.

Racing bird  NL17-1366866 arrived home a mere second behind her brother/loft mate, claiming a 2nd in the province from Sens. She too comes from stock pair NPO MEN x NPO GIRL. The 866 showed her potential earlier this season as well:

14-04 Quiévrain 130 km 7 – 1199 p. (RCC Roosendaal) 05-05 Pont St. Maxence 275 km 31 – 22708 p. (Brabant 2000) 12-05 Melun 344 km 19 – 1401 p. (RCC Roosendaal)

Click here for the full pedigree of The 866

DE 877 1st Pont St. Maxence 13240 p./3rd Sens 4971 p.

NL17-1366877 DE 877, 1st Pont St. Maxence 13240 p. (Brabant 2000)

The most promising pigeon of 2018 is without doubt NL17-1366877 DE 877. She was part of the main group from Sens (in 3rd place), after she already won a provincial race from Pont. St. Maxence earlier on (of 13,240 pigeons). The 877 is a granddaughter of NL08-1633110 Miss Universe, a fabulous breeding bird of Maarten Huijsmans. The sire of the 877 has won an impressive six first prizes. Click here for the pedigree of the 877, and an overview of her best results.

NL17-1366883 DE 883, 4th Sens prov. 2 Brabant 2000 of 4971 p.

The pigeon to finish in 4th place in the province is NL17-1366883 DE 883. She is a granddaughter of stock pair NPO Men x NPO Girl, which shows yet again the potential of this breed. Click here for the full pedigree. The 883 wins the following prizes in Brabant 2000 this season:

26-05 Pont St. Maxence 275 km 5 – 13240 p. 30-06 Melun 344 km 4 - 5678 p. 07-07 Sens 374 km 4 – 4971 p.

Stef's approach

As far as caretaking goes, Stef Bals likes to keep things rather simple. Here are a few peculiarities in terms of racing and caretaking:

• The pigeons are raced in double widowhood, and he starts the season with 36 pigeons. They are reduced to about 20 at the start of the middle distance season. Double widowhood allows you to race all of your best young birds, which Stef considers to be a major advantage.
• The young birds are trained mainly in the natour competition. This results in fewer losses, and the pigeons get relatively few demanding races, which makes them fairly fast as yearlings.
• The floors of the lofts are covered with chopped straw, and the pigeons get a full feeding tray almost throughout the week. The pigeons are not shown before the race.

The road to success seems mainly based around a high quality pigeon breed. Stef appears to have quite a few top class birds in his collection indeed, partly thanks to Maarten Huijsmans, and these have shown their potential in recent weeks in tough weather.

The Ebben Combination (Boven Leeuwen, NL) closes an excellent one day long distance season with a 1st NPO Châteaudun of 4,058 pigeons

by Van Eck Jack on 03/09/2020, related fanciers:Ebben Will & Falco

The Ebben combination took a 1st NPO of 4,058 pigeons with an impressive 8 minute lead (and 2nd N.U. of 15,359 p.), showing their class in the one day long distance, their favourite competition.

Willy (l) and Falco (r) and his daughter Renée and son Linus

Many of you know that Falco Ebben is not only a pigeon fancier but also a pigeon photographer and owner of PigeonPixels (specialised in photography and movies on pigeon racing). Click here for a short clip of their 1st Châteaudun. He races together with his uncle Willy in the town of Beneden Leeuwen as W. and F. Ebben. In this loft, they race a team of old and young birds, which are looked after by Willy. Falco also has a pigeon loft in Boven Leeuwen, home to the Ebben Combination, where he used to race young birds exclusively, just until last year. But since he did not enjoy this quite as much (increasingly shorter distances, late starts and regular cancellations, etc.), he opted for a small team of old birds for 2020 instead. 

He started the season with just 15 racing birds, a third of which are late youngsters. Falco and his daughter Renée are responsible for caretaking. They obviously had limited ambitions for the 2020 season due this new approach. The main goal was to discover a few talented racing birds along the way, so that they could start the 2021 season with a bigger and stronger team, including a few two year olds. But Falco would have never dreamt of such a strong 2020 season. He won two prizes in the Grandmasters competition (Spoor der Kampioenen) in four races in his loft at home, and he won an additional Grandmasters prize with a pigeon from his uncle Willy. Along with that comes a victory NPO from Châteaudun and some high scores in the different championships both in Boven-Leeuwen (the Ebben combination) and in Beneden-Leeuwen (W. & F. Ebben). This has been quite a strong season for them.

We will be taking a closer look at the best performing birds of Willy and Falco, but we begin with an overview of some of their best results and (preliminary) championship titles, which were all won in the one day long distance:

W. & F. Ebben: 6 July Orleans 504 km 833 p.: 7-12-37-43-47-etc. (10/15) 18 July Bourges 578 km 1,451 p.: 7-29-58-101-etc. (7/15) 15 Aug. Châteaudun 517 km 996 p.: 7-24-37-46-56-62-etc. (7/10) (3rd best result in Prov. 8 Grandmasters) Ebben Combination: 18 July Bourges 579 km 1,451 p.: 5-12-22-10-113-127 (6/10) (7th best result Prov. 8 Grandmasters) 1 Aug. Orleans 505 km 1,387 p.: 4-14-25-33-132-142 (6/ 8) (3rd best result Prov. 8 Grandmasters) Region 3 Prov. 8 One day long distance: 1st Not nominated (W & F Ebben) 2nd Not nominated (Comb. Ebben) 1st Nominated (W & F Ebben) 2nd Pigeon Champion (W & F Ebben) Province 8 one day long distance: 4th Not nominated (W & F Ebben) 5th Not nominated (Comb. Ebben) 3rd Nominated (W & F Ebben) 8th Pigeon Champion (W & F Ebben) Northern Union Int.: 2nd Not nominated (Comb. Ebben) 3rd Nominated (W & F Ebben) 3rd Overall (W & F Ebben)

NL19-7001814 Odina, 1st NPO Châteaudun of 4,058 pigeons

Racing hen Odina claimed a 1st NPO Châteaudun with an 8 minute lead of 4,058 pigeons, while finishing in second place N.U. of 15,639 birds. She had won four top prizes as a young bird, and she already has two top results in major competitions to her name as a one year old. We take a look at her best achievements so far:

1st NPO Châteaudun 4,058 p. (and 2nd N.U. 15.639 p.) 1st Morlincourt 1,060 p. (and 4th Prov.T.T. 7,852 p.) 246th Bourges 16,447 p. 92nd Quievrain 5,139 p. 47th Nanteuil 1,879 p. 68th Niergnies 2,650 p. 10th Morlincourt 164 p.

The parents of Odina are top breeder Diablo x Kabira, which is a daughter of the phenomenal Indy (6 first prizes). Diablo is also the sire of Linus, winner of a 1st NPO Châteaudun of 12,511 pigeons.

Click here for the pedigree of Odina

Linus, 1st NPO Châteaudun (12,511 p.) and a half brother of Odina, 1st NPO Châteaudun (4,058 p.)

NL18-1682481, Naomie

Naomie was the strongest bird in the loft of Willy and Falco in Beneden Leeuwen this year. She was for instance 1st Pigeon Champion one day long distance in the District and 8th Pigeon Champion one day long distance Prov. 8/GOU. Here is the palmares of this granddaughter of Indy:

1st Peronne 1,556 p. (and 15th NPO 5,900 p.) 5th Prov 8 Morlincourt 7,852 p. 5th NPO Nateuil 5,215 p. 1st Nanteuil 561 p. (and 4th 1,790 p.) 7th Bourges 1,451 p. (and 29th NPO 5,856 p.) 27th Morlincourt 4,028 p. 100th NPO Orleans 9,218 p. 11th Vierzon 800 p. 5th Etroeungt 305 p.

Like we said, Naomie and Odina are granddaughters of Indy. Indy was a very talented racing bird with six first prizes to Her name. But she proved particularly valuable when she became a breeder. In fact, her name features in the pedigrees of many of Willy and Falco's best racing birds.

Click here for Naomie's pedigree

Indy, the dam and grandmother of many great racing birds

NL19-1466483, Orpheus

Orpheus was the strongest racing bird this year for the Ebben Combination in Boven Leeuwen. He was pigeon champion in the CC as a young bird and 14th National Pigeon Champion in the "Allerbeste" competition. Both his sire and dam are 100% Ad Schaerlaeckens descendants. He already has four first prizes at club level to his name. This is his list of achievements:

3rd Quievrain 5,139 p. 28th Orleans 22,706 p. 4th Niergnies 2,499 p. 2nd Sezanne 568 p. (and 40th Prov. 9,303 p.) 4th Melun 898 p. (and 11th NPO. 2,659 p.) 8th Sens 1,027 p. (and 26th NPO. 3,659 p.)

Click here for Orpheus's pedigree

NL18-1682491, Nanko

And there is one more pigeon that deserves an introduction: Nanko. he played an important role in the one day long distance season of Willy and Falco, since he was the first pigeon back home in Beneden Leeuwen both in Orleans on 1st of August and Châteaudun on 15th of August. He finished in the top 85 NPO on three occasions this season: 

85th NPO Orleans 9,218 p. ( 6 July) 29th NPO Orleans 5,735 p. ( 1 Aug.) 36th NPO Châteaudun 4,058 p. (15 Aug.)

The sire of Nanko is Hannibal (7th NPO Chateauroux 2,335 p., 9th NPO Peronne 6,668 p.), while the dam of Nanko is Katja (Peter Janssen, DE). Together, Hannibal and Katja are also the parents of a 9th Nat. Ace Pigeon PIPA Ranking 2019 (300-700km).