The VOS 916 – GB 96 70916

VOS 916

Currently Owned by FourSeaons Lofts

GB 96 70916

Red Cheq Cock

Extract from an article by the late

RICHARD CLINGAN

I imported my first pigeons in 1991 and continued importing until 1998. My business partner Tony Hayne at all times supplied me with nothing but the best from Ponderosa UK, his own lofts and others throughout Europe having stock of the right calibre. He is not interested in good looks or any of the current handling theories that abound, just a plain common sense pigeon man who has a great feeling for what will do well and what won’t. As is known to many, his selection skills are legend.

An example of the extent to which he went to obtain these birds is as follows. I will relate to you a short story which was a common enough happening over the years with many fanciers. (It wouldn’t be an Irish catalogue without a yarn. Would it? In 1995 I phoned him up asking if he could supply me with a pair of red cheq Janssens if he could find any to meet his criteria. Now this guy has at least 2000 birds at his disposal at any given time. He said quite bluntly but honestly that he did not have any he believed would meet the standard required. (His standard having nothing to do with any theories handling, eye sign or otherwise, just a top breeding background with a history of success and an excellent gut feeling) About 1 month later he phoned and said that he had come across a great cock bird at the Loft of the late Roy Spratley in London and that between us we could buy it for the princely sum of 2.000 pounds about $5000. I asked about the breeding of this bird before parting with my dollars and was told he was a son of the Goede Vos of 79 and a daughter of 019 (To those who do not know, the Vos of 79 was a son of the World Famous “Oude Vos of 73”) Exactly what the Doctor ordered a red cock with nothing but the old original Arendonk bloodlines. To cut a long story short, he was bought and paired up to a hen from the dam of the famous James Bond paired back to her sire’s brother the “05”. In other words a half sister of James Bond inbred on his grand sires side. This hen was at the time considered to be the outstanding producer in Ponderosa UK. My friend Alan Hunniset handled her and could barely control his excitement when describing her. This pair bred two for Tony, two for me which were the Vos 916 and his nest sister the Vos 915 and then we were made an offer for the cock of exactly the same money we paid for him. He was sold for 2005 pounds leaving us with a small profit of 5 quid.

GB96X70916 Red Chequer Cock “The Vos
916” is superbly bred. His sire’s 4 grand parents being the Oude Vos of ‘73, De Schone Duivin
of ‘67 better known as the dam of “019”. The “019” and a daughter of the famous Geeloger
(Yellow Eye) of 74. His dam is a half sister of “James Bond” from the dam of Bond when paired
to a son of the Famous “05” and the “Bange 780 hen” On one of my trips to Ponderosa I handled
this hen and can honestly say she was the best Janssen in the stud, a fantastic hen bred from a
son of the Bange of 51 and a sister of the famous “019”.