John Aisbett scored a clear win by four minutes, 11 seconds in Horsham’s Pigeon Club’s race from Hillston, NSW, a distance of 472 kilometres from Horsham, on Sunday.
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Aisbett’s winner averaged 1591 metres a minute or 95.46 kilometres an hour for its four-hour, 56-minute flight from the release point.
Thinking the pigeons would not be home that fast, to his surprise there were two in effect equal winners, they had entered the loft whilst he stepped inside for a coffee.
Race pigeons have an electronic tag on their leg which on return to their loft are registered on an electronic timer. Although the win is registered, however for racing pigeon enthusiasts, the thrill of viewing their leading pigeon return home is part of the buzz in each race.
528 pigeons were released at 6.30am for their return flight. Favourable NNE winds ranging from 18kmh with gusts up to 32kmh were forecast along the flight path.
Whilst there was little wind at Hillston at 6.30am, no doubt the leading mob encountered favourable wind to boost their average speed by over 25kmh for the entire journey. Some 30 leading pigeons were sighted arriving in their home region on the eastern fringe of Haven.
The fresh NNE breeze meant some had over-flown their lofts located closer to the CBD thus returned from the south of Horsham rather than online from Hillston. Their average velocity flown being reduced as a result.
Second placed pigeon, four minutes, 11 seconds from the winner, owned by Dalton Cross averaged 1569m/m 94.14kmh to be 11 seconds ahead of Rob Nelson’s third-placed leading entry at 1568m/m or 94.1kmh.
Next weekend an open race for various aged pigeons will be from Broken Hill 516 kms from Horsham together with a gold band feature race for pigeons in their first year of racing.
Members tend to use gold band life rings on youngsters bred off their better breeding stock.
This is the second feature middle distance race on the Club’s 2026 calendar.
Ballarat Central Highlands held a Breeders Plate Race from Coombah, 421km to Horsham on Saturday.
Horsham member Terry Brauer struck the jackpot having three of his entries take first, second and third in this feature race, which is open to Western Victorian lofts including Ballarat, Geelong.
Arguably more significant is that St Arnaud racing pigeon enthusiast, Murry McPhie bred all three pigeons and placed them in Terry’s loft to race on his behalf, there being no pigeon club in St Arnaud.
