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Harold
Lamon's
"Pair One"
by
Gerald Hebert
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In late 1994 Harold
visited Fred Smeltzer looking for a granddaughter of "969". They were
about the best for his area he had seen. What he found and liked
was a beautiful, small, super conformation blue hen banded IF 94 GSS
353 BB. This hen was out of a son of "969" named "Boy Scout", which
Fred said was a fine producer for him. The dam of 353, 90 GSS 1695, was
a daughter of "Assured Gold" when mated to a daughter of "Continental
Class". Very well bred to say the least, "Assured Gold" was said to be
the best son of "Champion 969", and he was mated to one of the best
daughters of "Continental Class", called CH4. Harold had no idea
exactly what he would mate this hen to, but he did have in mind to one
day breed her to AU 93 SMD 387, a cock he had seen and was interested
in purchasing. This should prove to be an exceptional pair with the
conformation he demanded, and the blood to produce winners.
IN 1995 Harold
finally came across the really nice breeder he had seen, banded AU 93
SMD 387 BB. His sire was a son of "Champion 969" and his dam was a
daughter of "969", both bred by his friend, Mike Ganus, who lived very
close by. This cock had already produced several good racers for other
lofts, but was for sale, and Harold wanted him. Tom Hummer was the
present owner, and was willing to let Harold have him as long as he was
able to get a few young himself, because he knew the quality of
Harold's loft. Harold bred several birds by pulling eggs early, and it
paid off in dividends, this cock was a producer! Harold had purchased
the cock he needed, 387 had the conformaion Harold insisted on and was
young enough to breed for many years.
As it happened, in
1995 Harold did put these 2 birds together, just for one round. A super
cock bird was hatched in that round and Harold put him on his
young bird race team, to fill it up early, and just to see what he
could do. The results are still talked about today! That young cock
bird won his first race in not only the club, but beat the whole
combine! The next week Harold entered him again just hoping the bird
didn't burn himself out the first week. Not a chance, this young cock
went on to win the next 3 races in a row, and also took the combine
every time. What a young bird racer! The best Harold had ever flown,
beating 900 to 1,200 other young birds each race. Unfortuanately the
following race was a smash and he lost the formidable racer, as
somtimes happens with a really hot speed bird.
A fluke many might
say, but Harold was confident in his "dream mating," and put them back
together the next season. All the cock birds were sold right out of the
nest, but Harold kept 3 daughters to test this mating one more time.
The 3 daughters were sent to the races, and all three were combine
winners! All 3 were sold to some very excited fanciers who wanted to
breed with these super race hens. Over the next 7 years Harold has
never raced another direct youngster out of the mating. He has 6 direct
children in his stock loft, and I have 4, and many were sold to
fanciers all over the country, so many Harold has lost count. No one
has ever complained about these children of the couple Harold has since
named "Pair One", and many, many reports have come back how they were
super breeders. We have noticed the hens are somewhat more consistent
breeders of good racers than the cock birds. Harold has one daughter,
"1775," that has produced as many as 6 combine winners in one season.
Ron Diescher bought
one of the 3 hens that Harold flew in 1996. This hen proved to be a
super breeder for him. Ron won race after race with 3 children of that
hen in the first season he had her. Ron won average speed and Champion
loft, but said he could have won all that with just these 3 birds! They
were named 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Ace of his club and combine.
The door has since been closed; Harold will not sell anymnore children
directly from his fabulous "Pair One"". Harold says, "they are the best
of the "969" breeders in the country," and he is saddened to say they
will not be around any longer, age is finally catching up with them,
and the hen has stopped laying. All their children are powder blue
colored, and they all have a very distinguishing mark, a one-feather
tail. The "Pair One" children have done very will in the show ring
also, showing the super conformation of their now famous parents. I
have shown one cock that was named Champion Young Cock, and Champion
Young Cock in the Eyesign division, in the same show, Houston Jan. 2001.
Many grandchildren of
Pair One have been dominate in many combines across the US. B. Habitz
of New Iberia, Louisiana had never won a combine. He purchased a
grandson of Pair One in our club auction that Harold had donated to.
Since then, Mr.Habitz has won several combine races, and ALL, yes, I
mean ALL of them were from that same grandson of Pair One!
The Pair One hen, 353, is now in Louisiana as since she has stopped
laying eggs, and we thought the mild winters and early spring might
just get her to lay one more time. The hen is in wonderful condition,
but Mother Nature just stepped in and stopper her from laying. The full
record of her children and grandchildren may never be known, as pigeon
fanciers have a bad habit of not keeping up with all the contacts who
happen to have owned and bred from them. We're not too worried about
that, we know they have the goods, and their children and grandchildren
will produce top birds for us for many more years
The Pair One cock, 387 is still in
Michigan at Harolds loft, and is still filling eggs. We know the
youngsters will never match up to all his previous children with 353,
but there should be a few good ones to hang on to.