This category,, whose norm is achieved by ranking five long distance races, is a very special category. Starting with the 2020 season, the National Pigeon Regulation of the National Federation provided that this category is achieved only with middle distance and long distance races, having a minimum distance of 475 km. The difficulty of the category is given by the fact that in a competitive season, as a rule, only five long distance races are organized. Thus, the pigeons competing for Long distance ace must rank all the races at which they are basketed in a competitive year. This is also the reason why, at the end of the 2020 season, only 626 old birds achieved the Long distance Ace norm.

Out of the 626 old birds that ranked five long distance races in the 2020 season and met the norm of the Long distance Ace category, the best score was obtained by the hen RO-17-0184039, competed by Ion Caranica from Constanta. Her coefficient is 39.39 penalty points, enough to be the national champion of the category. She is also followed by a hen, RO-18-0341719, competed by the Barbu brothers, from Argeș, who finished the norm with 49.03 penalty points. The national podium is completed by the Cărbune brothers, from Dolj, a cock this time. His series is RO-17-0437643, and the score achieved at Long distance Ace is 62.21 penalty points.

Hen RO-17-0184039 brings Ion Caranica (Constanța) the national champion trophy

Ion Caranica’s champion was competed using the “natural” method and managed to come in the top of the rankings at all five long distance races organized by the Constanța Association. The launch for these competitions was made from the town of Medika in Ukraine, races that for Ion Caranica had a distance of 760 km. The Constanta fancier’s hen managed to obtain, at these races, the following places: 2/1,987 pigeons, 2/1,699 pigeons, 4/896 pigeons, 6/957 pigeons and 14/529 pigeons, having, besides the result from Long distance Ace Old birds, and 5th place National Long distance Old birds. “I only compete in the natural, and this hen, which is a cross between Gust Christiaens, Vandenabeele and Koopman pigeons, performed very well on eggs or young birds of about 10 days old. I used the Polish food Flornas, the Champion Turbo mixture, to which I added other seeds. For recovery I used teas, honey and lemon, the next day after the competition the pigeons received Belgasol, and for the most difficult races they also received protein. For the preparation, I used RO200 from Rohnfried, and during the week they received at least one meal with brewer’s yeast. Because the fact that I wasn’t home when she arrived and the clock wasn’t lit, the hen has a race of 26 penalty points, knowing the fact that the norm is obtained with 39 points ”, Ion Caranica explained.

The Barbu brothers (Argeș) are in second place

The trophy for the 2nd National place was also won by a hen, RO-18-0341719, competed by the Barbu brothers, from Argeș, who finished the norm with 49.03 penalty points. In his case we are discussing the ranking of four Snihurivka competitions (674 km) and one Ivanivka competition (589 km), in which the hen of the Barbu brothers occupied the following places: 3/6,513 pigeons, 2/1,653 pigeons, 10/1,307 pigeons, 34/3,070 pigeons and 100/3,492 pigeons. “In the first two races, I competed her using the widowhood method. But before the second race she stimulated herself, she laid the first egg in the transport car and the second at home, after she arrived. In the third stage it was natural, on eggs, and in the fourth stage it was basketed on small squabs. The story was repeated at the fifth long distance race. She laid the first eggs at home and the second in the car. Her father is a male competed by me, whose origins are Jos Thone, from Giani Antonescu, and her mother, the hen’s grandmother, is Etienne Devos and Marcel Sangers, from Simion Emil. Her mother is from my friend, Tănase Adrian, a hen who also competed very well, originating from the Limburg and Nouwen-Paesen brothers. I used food from Bayers, Gaby Vandenabeele, Super Widowhood and Koopman mixes, and I prepared and recovered it with the classic products based on electrolytes, amino acids and glucose. This hen also has a very good brother, who has a 3-year record at Allround category, Long distance and Lond distance Ace, and if the Long distance Ace had a three-year record at the national level, she would have had the 4th place nationally. However, it is the 3rd place in the province for Long distance Ace, 3 years Palmares”, said Viorel Barbu.

Frații Cărbune, from Dolj, wins the 3rd place National Long distance Ace

Between the two hens, on the national podium of the Long distance Ace category, there is also a cock, competed by brothers Alexandru and Octavian Cărbune, from Amărăștii de Jos, Dolj County. In the five races ranked, the cock of the two young pigeon fanciers accumulated a coefficient of 62.21 penalty points, after ranking the following places: 1/10,740 pigeons (537 km), 8/2,592 pigeons ( 698 km), 8/803 pigeons (698 km), 80/3,422 pigeons (653 km) and 40/1,557 pigeons (698 km). “The mother of this cock was received as a gift from our mentor, Florin Cioacă, and the father is from George Popa. After raising one squab, the pigeons were widowed two weeks before the first long-distance race and continued to be widowed all season. I used food from Versele Laga, Champion Plus, Gerry and Energy blends. For recovery after the races I used Tollyamin and brewer’s yeast with garlic oil. Twice a week, the pigeons were taken to a 60-70 km training session, releasing them alternately, one time the first ones released being the hens, and the other time the cocks. This was the only method we used to motivate them “, Octavian Cărbune explained.