The story of Little Joe
Saturday July 19th 2003, the weather reports of the last few days seem to be right. It’ll be a tropical day with a temperature of 35° C in France. Hereby a North-East breeze and each fancier knows that this will be a hard job for the 20.786 pigeons that were put in on the classical long distance race from Marseille. We all know that Marseille usually is a difficult race because of the geographic position. The birds were released at 6.30' to start a long and difficult way home.
The tandem Baerts Henri and Guy put in 3 pigeons for this heavy classic race among which a 2-year old cock, dark chequered by the name of Little Joe. Already as a yearling, this cock had been noticed on a very heavy race from Jarnac (700 km), on which he scored well with a prize per 20, clocked the next morning around 7, again a prove that it was a very hard race.
On that same day of Marseille, there also was the race from Souillac and the first bird from this race had a speed of 1247 m/m but only 42 pigeons did more than 1200 m/m.
It was about 19.30' when Guy Baerts sat down on the stairs of the pigeon loft. The windows were still closed because they didn’t expect the pigeons yet. At the time, there wasn’t the possibility to follow the announcements on the internet. Only a few minutes later, his rest was interrupted when suddenly a pigeon fell on the roof and then tried to get inside. In a hurry, the window was opened and Little Joe was clocked.
The pigeons had to be announced in the club of Obrafo Tienen but the "operator" wasn’t really ready for the pigeons of Marseille because he still was busy with the announcements from Souillac. After the man was convinced that it really was a bird from Marseille, he wrote it all down.
Finally Little Joe won 9th International against 20.786 pigeons. The second bird in the club Obrafo Tienen was announced 2 hours later. The day of release, only 200 pigeons of 20.786 that were put in, reached their loft.
The International victory was won by the Late Robert Vaneycken with his Boris, a bird that also marked the long distance world.
Because he returned rather “fresh” after such a tough journey, his origins and his exceptional beauty, they decided to move Little Joe to the breeding loft.
Little Joe is a rather small bird but with an exceptional quality of feathers and an eye, of which an “eye-specialist” once said that he’d never seen such a breeding quality before.
About his origins, we can say that Little Joe is an inbreed product to the famous Poco Diego strain of Jos Thoné from As. (see pedigree). Hereby we have to mention that as well his father as his grandparents on mother’s side were received in loan of Jos Thoné.
It’s also a fact that one of the best long distance hens that Jos ever owned; Godiva, was a half-sister of Little Joe and so you understand well why Little Joe soon moved to the breeding loft. Godiva won prizes like 1 Prov., 9 National Bordeaux; 1 Prov. , 11 National Perpignan; 27 National Barcelona, 24 Inter-Prov. St-Vincent, etc…
Very soon they found out that they took the right decision when a daughter won 1 Prov. Montauban, 8 Nat. Montauban 6.187 pigeons. In very short time, first prizes were won by his children from Bordeaux, St-Vincent, Tulle, Nanteuil…....
But what’s even more important: his grandchildren and great grandchildren all showed their exceptional qualities on the races… it’s with those pigeons that pass on their qualities in several generations, that you can start to build a colony. That’s the reason why his children were no longer reserved for the races.
Every week they receive top references from all over the world but till now
Little Joe won:
won 9 International Marseille 20.786 p.
(his only race of + 800 km)
Little Joe is father of
1 Prov. Montauban, 1 Bordeaux, 1 St-Vincent, 1 Tulle, 1 Nanteuil,
8 Nat. Montauban 6.187 p. (dubbeling, zie ook 1e Prov.)
19 Prov. Chateauroux 1.038 p.
28 S-Nat. St-Vincent 1.408 p.
30 S-Nat. Tulle 2.191 p.
55 Nat. Gueret 2.608 p.
86 Nat. Bordeaux 2.648 p.
126 Nat. Limoges 16.012 p.
262 Nat. Souillac 7.315 p.
375 Nat. Limoges 11.995 p.
Little Joe is grandfather of:
1 Prov. Pau 249 p.
1 Sourdun 304 p.
1 Prov. Aurillac 449 p.
1 Laon 1.426 p.
1 Hafr Al Batin (SAU) 3.212 p.
2 OLR Semi-Final Costa del sol 1.248 p.
3 Nat. c Brive 1.058 p.
3 Semi-Nat. Jarnac 3.714 p.
3 Olympiad pigeon Cat E Brussels 2017
3 Arrar (Sau) - 1.001 km 5.678 p.
4 Samosierra (Esp) 2.505 p.
5 Nat. C Chateauroux 2.830 p.
7 Prov. Libourne 560 p.
7 Prov. Perpignan 1.084 p.
7 Nat. Acepigeon Agen/Narbonne yearlings
8 Prov. Libourne 990 p.
8 Skaka (SAU) (1.040 km) 3.459 p.
8 Nat. Catanzaro (Mt) 3.999 p.
10 Yelvertin (UK) 1.999 p.
10 Int. Agen 6.042 p.
11 Nat. Perpignan 5.254 p.
12 Prov. Bordeaux 936 p.
13 Prov. Cahors 923 p.
14 Prov. Limoges 1.723 p.
15 Prov. Melun 8.104 p.
15 Nat. c Valence 1.693 p.
20 Exceter (UK) 5.736 p.
20 Int. Narbonne 13.527 p.
22 Nat. Agen 3.547 p.
23 Prov. Chateauroux 2.253 p.
23 Nat. C Tulle 2.780 p.
25 Arar (SAU) (1.000 km) 1.838 p.
27 Nat. Pau 1.989 p.
27 Nat. St-Vincent 2.562 p.
28 Nat. Narbonne 3.942 p.
28 Nat. Souillac 5.282 p.
30 Nanteuil (nl) 3.112 p.
34 Nat. C Brive 2.693 p.
35 Nat. Narbonne 5.098 p.
36 Nat. Marseille (Nl) 3.610 p.
39 Nat. Limoges 14.263 p.
43 Nat. Pau 1.980 p.
43 Nat. C Tulle 3.330 p.
51 Nat. Montelimar 2.832 p.
51 Nat. Barcelona 10.542 p.
56 Arrar (Sau) - 1.001 km 9.223 p.
56 Nat. Montelimar 8.232 p.
60 Nat. Aurillac 3.004 p.
60 Nat. Barcelona (Nl) 4.132 p.
63 Int. Agen 14.799 p.
73 Nat. Agen 5.955 p.
76 Nat. Libourne 7.958 p.
78 Nat. Tulle 5.124 p.
82 Int. Agen 4.524 p.
84 Nat. Perpignan 3.966 p.
86 Nat. Narbonne 4.108 p.
87 Nat. Perpignan (1 Provincial) 3.915 p.
92 Nat. Agen 5.955 p.
Little Joe is grgrandfather of:
1 Prov. Libourne 551 p.
1 Cadiz (Esp) 600 p.
1 Prov. Montauban 722 p.
2 Toury 435 p.
2 OLR Final Costa Del Sol 749 p.
2 Nat. C Argenton 679 p.
2 Nat. Montelimar 2.832 p.
3 Nat C1 Gueret 746 p.
3 Sourdun 2.445 p.
4 Prov. Brive 785 p.
4 Nat. Montauban 6.809 p.
5 Nat. C Montluçon 1.696 p.
6 Fourges (UK) 1.361 p.
6 Nat. Nevers 2.912 p.
6 Montauban (Fr) 8.598 p.
6 Int. Bordeaux 10.919 p.
7 Laon 1.465 p.
7 Nat. Montelimar 2.832 p.
8 Nat. C1 Gueret 746 p.
10 Int. Agen 14.799 p.
10 Prov. Barcelona 712 p.
10 Bordeaux (Fr) 1.004 p.
10 Int. Perpignan 15.937 p.
11 Nat. C1 Chateauroux 880 p.
11 Nat. C Jarnac 1.001 p.
11 Fourges (UK) 1.361 p.
11 Limoges 2.380 p.
12 Bordeaux (Fr) 753 p.
17 Marsac (Fr) 1.088 p.
17 Nat. Perpignan 3.915 p.
18 Nat. Libourne 3.925 p.
18 Nat. Tulle 8.656p.
18 Marsac (Fr) 1.089 p.
19 Yelvertin (UK) 1.999 p.
20 Little Hampton (UK) 4.731 p.
25 Little Hampton (UK) 3.026 p.
29 Int. Perpignan 12.698 p.
34 Nat. C Argenton 6.630 p.
35 Bergerac (Fr) 2.962 p.
42 Nat. St-Vincent 3.132 p.
44 Nat. Marseille 2.750 p.
44 Nat. B Limoges 3.986 p.
46 Nat. St-Vincent 3.240 p.
46 Semi-Nat. Chateauroux 10.719 p.
49 Nat. Agen 5.335 p.
49 Nat. Libourne 7.958 p.
50 Argenton (Fr) 2.500 p.
50 Nat. C Limoges 4.076 p.
61 Semi-Nat. Chalone 5.699 p.
62 Nat. Chateauroux 18.725 p.
63 Nat. B Limoges 4.457 p.
65 Nat. Orange 4.443 p.
72 Nat. Montelimar 4.652 p.
77 Nat. Montelimar 3.778 p.
85 Nat. Tulle 6.345 p.
88 Manfredonia 660 km Malta 3.500 p.
Also in further generations, we noticed top results but this would lead us too far.
TAKE NOTE THAT ALL OF THESE ARE RESULTS WITHOUT DOUBLES (except for 1e Prov. Montauban).
No doubt that this list will grow the following years.
This is the story of a very exceptional bird.
Guy Baerts & Jos Thoné