We finished out the 2024 old bird series with a nice set of wins. We started racing with 8 celibate hens and sadly lost a few along the way. Every race was released with the Kentucky Combine which is 90 miles deep and 165 miles wide. Pigeons really have to break early and take the lead to get home in good time.
Our winning hens were once again part of the Stirling Kastle and Claymore lines. They continue to get the job done at Kastle Loft.
Below you will find photos and descriptions of our M&D Evans Vandenabeele and Macaloney pairings. Many of our pairings are switched up every year to truly get a good test of each bird. I do not have every pair listed below as I am breeding from children of these pairs as well.
The birds listed below are what I consider our best birds although we do breed from about 15 total pairs. I am increasing my stable of the brilliant performance pigeons from Macaloney in Scotland. They have had an immediate winning impact in my loft. We have children of Double Vision, Blue Caviar, Troy, Black Caviar, Denman, Vision 772, Shergar, the Supermac line and Janefield Amal line. Please contact me if you are interesting in those crosses or any of them bred straight.
Scroll to the bottom of the page for details on purchasing from these pairs.
Most of these pairs will produce racing pigeons that carry the LDHA, DRD4 (dopamine receptor), and CRY-1 genes which have proven to have an influence on the performance of racing pigeons. Prices will reflect the performance of the pigeon plus the rarity of the gene combinations. More genes and more performance will be reflected in the cost of the pigeons.
Pair 1: Stirling Kastle x Janefield 210
Toughness and consistency as young birds. Hands down, one of my most cocks with a high strike rate. This is a new pairing for 2023.
Stirling Kastle, son of Troy x Black Caviar
Sire: Stirling Kastle 17 SU 2125. He is a son of two of Macaloney pigeon’s best, Troy and Black Caviar. Stirling is fast becoming, if not already, the Number One breeding cock in our loft. Just look at these results from 2021 alone. His children are breeding exceptionally well also.
Stirling is sire of: Breeder of: AU National Ace Pigeon Young Bird (Kastle 2223) 4th, 5th, 6th (x2) and 10th Champion birds LRPC (through 2022) 1st 300m combine 1st 100m Eq1 (3rd) 200m 306b Sooner Challenge OLR (2224) Eq1 (3rd) 300m 52b Eq1 (4th) 300m combine Eq1 (4th) 160m Eq1 (5th) 160m Eq1 (5th) 230m 89b Eq1 (3rd) 150m Eq1 (8th) 230m 89b Eq1 (9th) 230m 89b 3rd 100m 5th 150 miles 7th 300m 52b 7th 210m 8th 250m 359b Sooner Challenge 11th Combine 200 miles, 14th club, 16th Combine 300m, 16th 100m 383b Sooner Challenge, 53rd 325m 269b final Sooner Challenge Grandsire to: 1st, 7th, 9th, 9th, 10th Champion Bird LRPC (through 2021) National Ace YB (Kastle 2150) 1st Club 270 miles 1st 230m 149b (Covington) 15th 350m 429b AU Convention Race 1st Champion Bird Bama-Buckeye Challenge OLR 1st at 250m Bama Buckeye OLR Eq1 (2nd) 180m Bama Buckeye OLR Eq1 (2nd) 355m Bama Buckeye OLR Eq1 (2nd) Club/Combine 300 miles Eq1 (2nd) Club 230 miles Eq1 (2nd) Club 150 miles Eq1 (2nd) Club 160 miles Eq1 (2nd) Club 160 miles Eq1 (2nd) 180m 136b (Covington) Eq1 (3rd) Club/Combine 300 miles Eq1 (3rd) Club 150 miles Eq1 (3rd)Club 160 miles 5th 275m 151b 5th Club/15th Combine/38th Fed vs 810b 435m 6th Fed 400m 507b (HOF 807) 6th Club/14th Combine vs 362b 230m 8th 200m 189b 13th 200m 462b 17th Combine vs 426b @ 125m 20th Combine vs 569b @ 125m 20th combine 125m 569b 25th and 32nd final 380m High Desert Yearling Classic vs 246 birds and only 37 day birds. 52nd 330m GHC Classic vs 1382b Great Grandchildren: 8th champion young bird LRPC (2271) 1st 300m 52b 1st 100m 163b (LKY 133) Eq1 2nd 230m 89b Eq1 5th 150m 321b Sooner Challenge OLR (2272) SU 2125 is direct from two outstanding producers and 1/2 brother to 1st Fed 4935 birds, 1st Fed 3100 birds, 1st Fed 1633 birds, and more.
Stirling was mated to three hens this year:
#1 Daughter Shergar
#2 Bonnie Blue (his half-sister)
#3 Kastle Thrawn (2312) the 5th place Avg Speed winner at the 2023 Sooner Challenge. I will have late hatches available from this pairing.
Pair 2: Claymore x Hallelujah Here She Comes
Straight Macaloney: Another example of the Claymore line crossed with the Stirling Kastle line. This should make a fabulous pairing. Claymore’s children are fast and consistent. The daughter of Stirling Kastle should add even more toughness.
Claymore, son of Home Boy x Black Gold
Sire: Claymore17 AU JFL 7275. 7275 is a Macaloney cock bred by Kevin Jones and raced at Kastle Loft. He is a grandson of Merlin 49.
Claymore is Grandsire to: National Ace Young Bird 2022 (2204) National Ace Young Bird 2022 (2206) National Ace Young Bird 2021 (2175) National Ace Young Bird 2021 (2111) 1st Champion Young Bird LRPC 2022 (2204) 2nd Champion Young Bird LRPC 2022 (2206) 2nd Champion Young Bird LRPC 2021 (2111) 5th Champion Young Bird LRPC 2021 (2176) 6th Champion Young Bird LRPC 2020 (2072) 15th 350m 429b AU Convention Race 1st 160m LRPC 1st 200m LRPC 1st 230m LRPC 1st 230m LRPC 1st 160m LRPC 1st 100m 319b IHC Eq1 (2nd) 300m 52b Eq1 (2nd) 270m LRPC Eq1 (2nd) 160m LRPC Eq1 (3rd) 160m LRPC Eq1 (4th) 230m 89b Eq1 (4th) 300m 52b Eq1 (4th) 160m LRPC Eq1 (4th) 160m LRPC Eq1 (5th) 140m LRPC Eq1 (5th) 300m Combine Eq1 (6th) 230m 89b Eq1 (7th) 160m LRPC Eq1 (7th) 230m LRPC Eq1 (11th) 140m LRPC Eq1 (14th) 100m LRPC Eq1 (15th) 100m 205b 3rd 125m 571b (River PR Combine) 6th 250m 461b IHC 7th 200m 220b 22nd 300m 393b HOF race $ winner Great grandsire to: 2nd 350m 126b (LKY 200) 2nd 230m 89b Eq1 5th 150m 321b Sooner Challenge OLR (2272) 4th Champion Bird (Cov club – LKY 200)
Dam: Hallelujah Here She Comes, 19 AU Kastle 1927. She is a daughter of Stirling Kastle & Baker’s Revenge. I chose to retain her for breeding based on her consistency and good performance in a very strong headwind and her children are racing as young birds even better than she did all the way out to 380 miles. I am breeding from 4 of her children in 2023.
AB CTCT – Raced in the Sooner Challenge. 8th @250 miles vs. 359b (strong headwinds), 43rd @200miles vs 369b, 53rd @325miles vs. 269b final race 23 minutes to win.
She bred: National Ace Young Bird 2021 (2150) 1st and 9th Champion Bird LRPC (2150, 2154) 15th Place AU Convention Race, 350 miles vs. 429 birds Eq1 (9th) 160m Eq1 (14th) 160m Eq1 (2nd) 300m Combine Eq1 (2nd) 140m Eq1 (3rd) 140m Eq1 (2nd) 160m Eq1 (3rd) 160m Eq1 (3rd) 270m 6th 270m 32nd place final 380m High Desert Yearling Classic vs 246 birds and only 43 day birds. 38th place 416m Sooner Challenge Grandmother to: 1st place 300m 52b (4th Combine 135b) Eq1 (3rd) 300m Combine Eq1 (17th) 160m Eq1 (5th) 230m Eq1 (8th) 140m 2nd place 150m 75b (Qualls 2209)
I am breeding from four children off of Claymore, some of which are not listed here (GSWC 858 and Kastles 2280, 2288). I am also breeding from a brother and inbred sister to Claymore (Dirk and Home Girl). Inquire if interested. They all have race or breeding records.
Pair 3: Demolition 64 x Daughter Shergar
Demo 64 is one of my new imports from Macaloney Pigeons of Scotland. His children should excel at headwinds and 100-400 miles. I imported more of these birds because of their reliability, toughness and strike rate in my loft. Demo 64 has the SuperMac line on the top of his pedigree with the Sefaan Lambrecht blood on the bottom side.
In his first year, he did not disappoint. The highlight is when his baby Kastle Embo finished in the money at 27th place in the final 416m race at the Sooner Challenge only 30 minutes behind.
Demo 64 will be mated to Daughter Shergar, another outstanding Macaloney import who proved her salt in her first year breeding n 2022.
Dam: Daughter Shergar: Granddaughter of the New Dream Pair and Daughter of super Gaby breeder Shergar, sire of generations of winners. Bred for 350-400 miles and headwinds, she is mostly Vandenabeele with Leo Hermans and Camphius. LDHA AB In her first year, she bred: AU National Ace Pigeon Young Bird (2223) Eq1 3rd 200m 306b Sooner Challenge OLR (2224) 5th Champion Young Bird LRPC (2223) 6th Champion Young Bird LRPC (2221) Eq1 3rd 300m 52b Eq1 5th 230m 89b Eq1 8th 230m 89b Eq1 9th 230m 89b 7th 300m 52b
Demo 64, half brother to Demolition Man
Shergar x Vision 772
Pair 4: Tiger 75 x Queen of Scots
I have been waiting 2 years since purchasing a son off the new Dream Pair from Paul Macaloney, and 2023 is finally the year. You simply cannot get any better breedings than these two.
Sire: Tiger 75, a proven breeding son of the Macaloney new Dream Pair, Double Vision x Blue Cavair. I feel very fortunate to receive a proven breeder from Paul, let alone one from his best pair.
Dam: Queen of Scots, daughter of Black Caviar and Denman, two of Macaloney’s best ever racers. She was hand picked in the nest for Kastle Loft and is is physically perfect in every metric. She has bred: 3rd @125m vs 561b (GNEO 694) 3rd Champion Young Bird LRPC 3rd @125m vs 561b 3rd 230m 89b 7th 230m 89b 5th 300m 52b 6th 300m 52b
Queen of Scots, daughter of Black Caviar x Denman
Pair 5: Den-X x Bonnie Blue
Performance Macaloney
Bonnie Blue, daughter of Troy x Madonna Blue
Bonnie Blue is an imported daughter of two of Paul Macaloney’s best racers and breeders, Troy and Madonna Blue. Her half brother, Stirling Kastle, is so dominant that I wanted another child of Troy. I got her late last year but managed to squeeze out a round from her to race with Shokri Enbawe in New York. One of her babies outright won his band race winning $3000. I chose to mate her in 2023 with a son of another super star racer, Denman. Bonnie Blue has proven to make babies good for 300+ miles.
Sire: Den-X. He is brand new to our loft and this will be his first full year of breeding. He is an import from Paul Macaloney and is a son of the superb racing cock Denman, which makes him a half-brother to Queen of Scots.
Dam: Bonnie Blue 2020 GB P 34460. Half-sister to Stirling Kastle. She is a daughter of Troy x Madonna Blue.
She bred:
1st place Wild Aces Band Race winning $3000 for Shokri Enbawe.
2nd 300m 167b (LKY 200) flown by Larry Brock
Pair 6: Kastle 2121 x Sainz 204
Crossing the Picasso line with Stirling Kastle expecting 300-350 mile performances.
Sainz 204, double Picasso
Sire: Kastle 2121. He is a son of Stirling Kastle x Baker’s Revenge who won 1st place Combine 300 miles as a young bird in 2021.
Dam: Sainz 204 18 AU Sainz 204 – She is 2x Picasso from two of Yoannys Sainz best breeders. She has bred: National Ace Young Bird 2019 (GSWC 858) 25th Concourse Champion Young Bird 2019 (GSWC 858) First place (tie) LRPC Champion Young Bird 2019 (LKY 18) 4th LRPC Champion Young Bird 2021 (2169) 1st 160m LRPC 1st 150m LRPC Eq 1 (4th) 160m LRPC Eq 1 (5ht) 140m LRPC Eq 1 (5th) vs 105b @ 175m (GNEO 500) Eq1 (21st) vs 404b @85m Plymouth Peak 2020 Eq1 (12th) vs 387b @100m Plymouth Peak 2020 Eq1 (9th) vs 322b @175m Plymouth Peak 2020 20th place Avg Speed $ winner 2020 Plymouth Peak OLR 2nd place 200m combine vs 68b, 2nd place 150m LRPC 2nd place auction bird 300 miles winning $700 (28th combine) 3rd 125m 121b (GNEO 500) 3rd 150m Bama-Buckey OLR 4th 150m LRPC 4th place 150m LRPC 5th 100m Bama-Buckeye OLR 6th Combine vs 426b @ 125m (GNEO 500) 7th 150m Bama-Buckeye OLR 12th 100m Bama-Buckeye OLR 22nd 250m vs 383b Sooner Challenge 2020
A new cock, bred by Kevin Jones, mated to a great granddaughter of Stirling Kastle.
Sire: JFL 1521 is a sister to KJ’s Girl, one of Kevin Jones’ best breeding hens. This is out of his best cock, Piranha while mated to Princes Cruise (a daughter of Cruise missile).
Dam: Kastle 2153, who was my second best performing young bird in 2021. She is a straight Gaby and raced every single race (8) in the series. She was only late once time and was 7th club champion bird. She bred Kastle Embo who was 27th place in the money in the Sooner Challenge final 416m race.
Pair 8: Kastle 1757 x Baker’s Revenge
The best of Golden Gaby and Shadow on top and bottom for hard one loft races. I will get some good recessive opals out of this pair and possibly some AB CTCT babies.
Sire: 17 AU Kastle 1757. Cherry cock, line bred to Golden Gaby, Shadow and Black National
Bred 20th place, 2nd drop, 3 minutes to win in the final 351 mile Apple Cup race with over 900 birds originally entered. Full sibling won 5th place 250m vs 285b. Grandfather to 2nd place 250m Breeders Fall Classic vs. 345b., 3rd place Western Colorado Youth OLR 150m vs. 131b. 10th place 100m vs. 410b., 37th place 200m 351b BFC 25th and 32nd place final 380m High Desert Yearling Classic vs 246 birds and only 37 day birds.
Dam: Baker’s Revenge 18 Kastle 1862. No doubt one of my best breeding hens
Raced in the Breeders Fall Classic. A super consistent flyer she won: 2nd (eq 1) vs. 296b 250 miles, 4th (eq 1) vs. 303b 200 miles, 16th (eq) 1) vs. 332b 100 miles, 29th vs 322b 150 miles, She is breeder of: 4th, 6th and 10th Champion bird LRPC (through 2021) 1st 300m combine 1st 100m Eq 1 (4th) 300m combine Eq1 (4th) 160m Eq1 (5th) 160m Eq1 (3rd) 150m, 3rd 100m 5th place 150 miles, 7th 210m 8th 250 miles vs. 359b Sooner Challenge. 11th Combine 200 miles, 14th club, 16th Combine 300m, 16th 100m 383b Sooner Challenge, 53rd 325m vs. 269b final Sooner Challenge Grandsire to: 1st, 7th, 9th, 9th, 10th Champion Bird LRPC (through 2021) 1st Club 270 miles 1st 230m 149b (Covington) 1st Champion Bird in the Bama-Buckeye Challenge One Loft Race 1st at 250m Bama Buckeye OLR Eq1 (2nd) 180m Bama Buckeye OLR Eq1 (2nd) 355m Bama Buckeye OLR Eq1 (2nd) Club/Combine 300 miles Eq1 (2nd) Club 230 miles Eq1 (2nd) Club 150 miles Eq1 (2nd) Club 160 miles Eq1 (2nd) Club 160 miles Eq1 (2nd) 180m 136b (Covington) Eq1 (3rd) Club/Combine 300 miles Eq1 (3rd) Club 150 miles Eq1 (3rd)Club 160 miles 5th 275m 151b 5th Club/15th Combine/38th Fed vs 810b 435m 6th Club/14th Combine vs 362b 230m 8th 200m 189b 13th 200m 462b 17th Combine vs 426b @ 125m 20th Combine vs 569b @ 125m (first drop) 20th combine 125m 569b 25th and 32nd final 380m High Desert Yearling Classic vs 246 birds and only 37 day birds. 52nd 330m GHC Classic vs 1382b
Pair 9: Kastle Embo x Kastle Stingray
Super racers, super consistent, tough, fast and 350-416 mile young birds. Let’s hope like breeds like! These two are mostly Macaloney with a little Picasso, Konbird and Evans Gaby thrown in the mix.
Kastle 2197 Stingray with her Champion Bird plaque.
Sire: Kastle Embo, 22 AU Kastle 2266. 27th place money winner in the final 416 mile race vs 113 birds at the Sooner Challenge, 35 minutes to win. Lost for one month, showing up the week before the final. Grandmother and great grandmother also performed well at the Sooner.
Dam: Kastle Stingray. 21 AU Kastle 2197. Talk about consistent! You can’t get any better than her performance in the Bama-Buckeye One Loft Race hosted by Mike Reeser in Ohio. This was a small OLR with 158 birds originally entered and a 3-race series. She had a near perfect performance, 1st drop in all three races, the only pigeon to do so. She is a granddaughter of Stirling Kastle & Baker’s Revenge.
Champion Bird 2021 Bama-Buckeye One Loft Challenge
1st place 250 miles
(Eq1) 2nd place 180 miles,
(Eq1) 2nd place 350 miles
Pair 10: Inigo x Kastle 2150
Picasso crossed onto performance Macaloney
Sire: InigoProtege 116 (AA). He is Inbred multiple Picasso and father to winners.
Dam: Kastle 2150, Granddaughter of Stirling Kastle & Baker’s Revenge. In her young bird season, she won: National Ace Young Bird 2021 1st Champion Bird LRPC Eq1 (9th) 160m Eq1 (2nd) 300m Combine Eq1 (2nd) 140m Eq1 (3rd) 160m Eq1 (3rd) 270m She has bred: 1st place 300m 52b (4th Combine 135b) 2nd place 150m 75b (Qualls)
Pair 11: Kastle 1925 x Kastle 2280
This pair is another cross of the Stirling Kastle x Claymore lines and will be line bred to Black Caviar.
Kastle 1925, son of Stirling Kastle & Baker’s Revenge
Sire: Kastle 1925. He is a son of Stirling Kastle & Baker’s Revenge and is AB CCCT. Kastle 1925 raced in every young bird race and is among my most consistent flyers. He flew 8 races and was on the first drop 5 times, 2nd drop 2 times. He flew 1670 miles. Eq1 (3rd) @150, 5th place 150 miles, 11th Combine 200 miles, 14th club, 16th Combine 300 miles, 10th place Champion Young Bird LRPC 2019 He has bred: Kastle 2197, Bama-Buckeye Champion Bird 2nd place (Eq1) 180 miles, 1st place 250 miles and 2nd place (Eq1) 350 miles 2nd place LRPC 230 miles 5th Club/15th Combine/38th Fed vs 810b 435m 6th Club/14th Combine vs 362b 230m 17th Combine vs 426b @ 125m 20th Combine vs 569b @ 125m (first drop) 9th place Club Champion Old Bird 2021.
Dam: Kastle 2280, 22 AU Kastle 2280. LDHA AA, CRY-1 AG/TT, Macaloney hen out of two of my best. She is a daughter of Claymore and granddaughter of Black Caviar. She raced every young bird race for Kastle Loft (7) winning: 3rd Champion Bird LRPC 2022 Eq1 (3rd) 230m 3rd 140m 5th 300m
Pair 12: Avocado x Home Girl
This is a Stirling Kastle x Claymore cross. I took a great performer from Stirling and mating him to an inbred sister of Claymore and their babies did not disappoint in 2021 or 2022. Hoping for more success with this pair in 2023.
Home Girl, JFL 293, inbred Home Boy
Sire: Avocado, 20 AU Kastle 2022. A high-performing son of Stirling Kastle & Baker’s Revenge. He was 10th Champion Young Bird in 2020. Raced every single race, 8 races. He won
Eq1 (3rd) 100m,
Eq1 (5th) 160m.
He has bred:
4th Eq1 300 mile combine vs 179b
Eq1 160m
Eq1 230m
Dam: Home Girl, 20 AU JFL 293. She is a father daughter mating of Home Boy, bred by Kevin Jones, making her a sister to Claymore and Dirk two sons of Home Boy.
Pair 13: 858 x Kastle 2026
This is another cross of the Claymore and Stirling Kastle lines. Both parents have raced well and bred babies who race well out to 300-380 miles. I expect their children to do the same
(photos to come)
Sire: GSWC 858, a LDHA AA son of Claymore & Sainz 204. Flown as a young bird by Yendez Loft
National Ace Pigeon for 2019 YB 25th Concourse Champion YB 2019 10th Concourse @300m vs 587b, 25th Concourse @200m 721b, 35th Councourse @200m 674b 45th Concourse @100m 945b. He has bred: 1st place 300 miles Wild Aces Kit Band Race winning $3000 for Shokri Enbawe. National Ace Pigeon YB 2nd Club Champion Young Bird 2nd @270m 4th @160m 5th @300m combine 7th @160m 7th @230m 14th Combine Champion Young Bird
Dam: Kastle 2026. She is a daughter of Stirling Kastle x Baker’s Revenge and is loaded with performance genes CTCT, AG/TT
Pair 14: LKY 18 x Kastle 1941
This is a very underrated pair in my loft. Don’t let their “Pair number” fool you. They have consistently produced some of my top young birds. They are both great performers from my 2019 young bird race team and are a great example of performers breeding performers. When I took the first two best performing young birds of 2019 and put them together, their babies have consistently done the same. I have no reason to break them up. They are a mix of Macaloney, Evans Gaby and Konbird/Vanloon.
Sire: 2019 LKY 18. He is a son of Claymore x Sainz 204 and was First place (tie) LRPC Champion Young Bird 2019, racing in 7 races. 2nd place 200m combine vs 68b, 2nd place 150m LRPC, 4th place 150m LRPC, 2nd place auction bird 300 miles winning $700 (28th combine).
Dam: AU 19 Kastle 1941. She is a daughter of PSC 251 who is a grandson of Konbird. He is also an underrated cock in my loft who doesn’t get the attention he deserves.
As a racer, she placed:
1st Combine 200m vs 68b, 3rd @ 100 miles LRPC, 3rd Champion Bird LRPC 2019
I am mixing it up a bit with this pair and giving 1611 a new performance mate. This pair will produce recessive opal and should help advance my record with those on my team.
Sire: 16 AU Kastle 1611, a recessive opal son of Einstein x Kastle Black who has a long long list of winners to his name
Dam: Kastle Longshot. AA CTCT AG/TT. Money winner, 25th place in the final 380 mile race of the High Desert Yearling Classic against 246 birds and only 37 day birds. Very tough series with more than 500 birds originally entered. She is a grand daughter of Stirling Kastle.
She has bred 1st place 100m 163b (LKY 133).
Pair 16: Titanium x Kobayashi Maru
While I am breeding from a number of recessive opals, this pair will produce blues, blacks, and recessive opals. I plan to race as many as I can, including the recessive opal spread that will come from them and hope to bring the best back into the breeding program.
Dam: Kobayashi Maru, Kastle 2047. She raced in 2020 Sooner Challenge: 47th vs 478b @150m 49th vs 383b @ 250m 38th vs 161b @ 416m She has bred: 3rd (Eq1) 300m 179b combine 5th 230m 5th 270m 7th Place Champion Bird LRPC 2021
Grandmother to Kastle Embo, 27th place 416 miles Sooner Challenge final race 2022.
Titanium, recessive opal spread, Gaby with a touch of Black Widow
The Recessive Opals
Winning lines of Eisenhower, Jester, Carrie, Golden Gaby and more.
I have a handful of recessive opal and cherry birds (also called mosaics to the Brits and racing pigeons folks). It is a recessive color and the gene has to be present in both parents in order for the children to show the color. Our recessive opals (see more photos here) will have the blood of Shadow, Eisenhower, Jester, Carrie, Lady Spirit, 90 Cock, Golden Gaby, Joint Venture, etc. These birds are winning in my club and one placed in the money in the 2016 Dixie Convention Race. Some of the recessive opal birds we are breeding from includes A cock (Kastle 1418) and another hen (Kastle 1616) will be from Kastle Einstein x Kastle Black. The second cock is a product of Golden Gaby x Lady Bliksem and the 90 Cock x Lady Spirit. Babies from Kastle 1418 have been racing very well earning diplomas in my club and winning some money in an auction race in North Carolina.
Check for availability and specific pricing. Babies will be starting at $300. Raced young birds will be more.
Terms
We will not be raising many extra late hatches unless someone has asked us to. If you see something you are interested in, I would highly recommend talking with me about it before I split up my breeders. It is entirely likely I will have some birds to sell from my racing teams at the end of the season, but of course the prices will be higher since they will have been tested. But there will be no guarantees as to which birds I will sell from my team.
This is a racing loft, not a breeding station, and the majority of birds are being raced here at Kastle Loft and around the country in futurity and One Loft Races. If you are interesting in purchasing a baby from one of these pairings, the only way to guarantee it is to place a non-refundable deposit. I keep a close eye on the health of my breeding pairs and limit the number of babies they feed in any given year. I will not be raising extra babies from every pair just to sell.
A $100 non-refundable deposit will hold a baby for you. With a deposit, I can also put you on a waiting list in case someone backs out. By holding a bird for you, I will not make it available for purchase to anyone else while I feed, medicate and care for it. Therefore, the deposit is non-refundable. The bird(s) must be paid for in full by November 1, or I will make the bird available again for purchase. If I am not happy with the quality of the birds, I will refund your money or we can apply it to another available bird. Total balance will need to be paid before I ship any birds. I do not have space to house birds into the next breeding season. I prefer to ship the bird as soon as possible to get them acclimated in their new home. All birds will be vaccinated with PMV and KM-1.
Kastle Loft racing pigeons flying in the yard on July 9, 2021 in Lexington, Ky.
I am very pleased with how our young bird performed in 2022 again, especially at the club level. And once again, the star breeders were Claymore, Queen of Scots, Stirling Kastle and their progeny.
Flying in the Lexington Racing Pigeon Club, Kastle Loft earned:
3 AU Ace Pigeon Young Birds
1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8th champion birds
1st -9th 230m
1st -7th 300m
1st Avg Speed
1st Champion Loft
1st Master Loft
In the futurities and other lofts we sent birds to:
15th 350m 429b AU Convention Race out of a grandson of Claymore and grandson of Stirling Kastle. (Kastle 2212)
1st 100m 163b (LKY 133)
2nd 350m 126b (LKY 200)
4th Champion Bird (Cov club – LKY 200)
In one loft races, we had a number of pigeons finish series’, but the biggest wins came at the Sooner Challenge and on the toughest of days:
Eq1 3rd 200m 306b Sooner Challenge OLR (2224)
Eq1 5th 150m 321b Sooner Challenge OLR (2272)
27th 416m 113b Sooner Challenge final race (2266)
I broke out many of the individual wins and listed them according to which cock they were down from:
Baker’s Revenge, daughter of Kastle 1611 and Kastle 1729.
Stirling Kastle, son of Troy and Black Caviar
I compiled a list of wins in 2021 Young Birds down from Stirling Kastle and Baker’s Revenge. Their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren really produced for us in multiple lofts, clubs, futurities and one loft races.
LRPC club and combine wins from Stirling Kastle and Baker’s Revenge:
1st, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th Champion birds
National Ace Young Bird: Kastle 2150 (1st Ace Pigeon Kentucky)
19 Equal Firsts
1st Club/Combine 300 miles
1st Club 270 miles
2nd Club/Combine 300 miles
2nd Club 230 miles
2nd Club 150 miles
2nd Club 160 miles
2nd Club 160 miles
3rd Club/Combine 300 miles
3rd Club 150 miles
3rd Club 160 miles
4th Club/Combine 300 miles
Out of Area (Futurities, Band Races and One Loft Races):
1st Champion Bird in the Bama-Buckeye Challenge One Loft Race
1st at 250m Bama Buckeye OLR
2nd Eq1 at 180m Bama Buckeye OLR
2nd Eq1 355m Bama Buckeye OLR
1st place 230m 149b (Covington)
2nd place 180m 136b (Covington)
5th place 275m 151b (Ohio)
8th place 200m 189b (Ohio)
13th place 200m 462b (Ohio)
25th place 380m 246b High Desert Yearling Classic Final $$
Notable:
In our Kentucky Combine 300 mile race, I had 6 on the drop and they took the first six positions ahead of the next loft by nearly 30 minutes and against 179 birds. Of those 6 on the drop, two are children of Stirling Kastle & Baker’s Revenge, two are grandchildren and one is a great grandchild.
In our club, we had 8 races this young bird season. Stirling Kastle and Baker’s Revenge are responsible for two 1sts, five 2nds, three 3rds, a 4th place and 19 Equal 1sts.
Also in our club, my pigeons won the first 10 champion bird positions. Of those 10 pigeons, 6 are children or grandchildren of Stirling Kastle.
At the Bama-Buckeye Challenge, a small one loft race managed by Mike Reeser, my pigeon won Champion Bird out of the 158 pigeons originally entered. Kastle Stingray was on the first drop on all three races in the series winning 2nd at 180 miles, first place in the 250 mile race and 2nd at 355 miles. This pigeon is a grand daughter of Stirling Kastle.
In the Hall of Fame Classic 300-mile futurity race, Heber Nelson clocked my pigeon first in his loft, winning 5th in his section and 15th overall in the race vs 372 birds. This same pigeon placed 13th against 462 birds at 200 miles earlier in the season. This pigeon is a grandson of Stirling Kastle & Baker’s Revenge.
In Larry Brock’s loft in Ohio, one of my birds won a 1st and a 2nd in his club racing. This bird is a granddaughter of Stirling Kastle.
The 2021 young bird racing season has been a lot of fun with a good number of wins locally in our club but also in multiple futurities and one loft races. Now is a good time to look for recurring themes in breeding.
Kastle pigeons have been hauling in a number of impressive wins for me at the club level (big drops!) but also for other handlers in other lofts and in money races. I am admittedly in a small club, which is why I like putting my birds in other lofts in bigger clubs.
Highlights:
Won 6 of 8 races in our club.
Won Avg Speed and Champion Loft in our club.
Won 1st through 10th place champion birds in our club.
32 Equal Firsts over 8 races.
5 National Ace Pigeons flown in 3 different lofts.
Won the combine 300 mile race with a 6 bird drop, ahead by 30 minutes.
Won our club 150 mile race with the entire team of 13 birds coming on the drop.
Won Champion Bird in the Bama-Buckeye Challenge One Loft Race
Won 2nd Eq1 at 180m, 1st at 250m and 2nd Eq1 at 355m in the Bama-Buckeye
1st place Plymouth Peak Challenge One Loft Race 138 miles vs 245 birds
1st place vs. 125 at 300 miles with 1173 ypm speeds in the Aces Wild Kit band race flown by Shokri Enbawe in New York winning $3,000.
1st place 100 miles vs 319 birds flown by Terry Finnerty, Independent Homing Club
16th place 350 miles money winner in the OCR flown by Joe Rostocil, Independent Homing Club
17th place 300 miles HOF band race flown by Heber Nelson, Ohio.
Multiple top 5% finishes and Eq 1sts in local, out of area and one loft races.
As I look at the best performances, there are a couple of very clear common denominators. Two pairs of breeders dominate: Stirling Kastle x Baker’s Revenge and Claymore x Sainz 204. The two cocks are Macaloney’s bred by Paul Macaloney and Kevin Jones. Yoannys Sainz bred Sainz 204 (Picasso blood) and Dustin Baker’s Blue Miracle Janssens are behind Baker’s Revenge along with Mark Evans Gaby’s.
Here is a highlight list of what those pairs produced in the 2021 young bird season.
In our Kentucky Combine 300 mile race, I had 6 on the drop and they took the first six positions ahead of the next loft by nearly 30 minutes and against 179 birds. Of those 6 on the drop, two are children of Stirling Kastle & Baker’s Revenge, two are grandchildren and one is a great grandchild. The sixth pigeon on the drop is a grandchild of Claymore & Sainz 204.
In our club, we had 8 races this young bird season. Stirling Kastle and Baker’s Revenge are responsible for two 1sts, five 2nds, three 3rds, a 4th place and 19 Equal 1sts. Claymore and Sainz 204 are responsible for three 1sts, a 2nd and a 4th place.
Also in our club, my pigeons won the first 10 champion bird positions. Of those 10 pigeons, all but one pigeon are children or grandchildren of Stirling Kastle and Claymore.
At the Bama-Buckeye Challenge, a small one loft race managed by Mike Reeser, my pigeon won Champion Bird out of the 158 pigeons originally entered. Kastle Stingray was on the first drop on all three races in the series winning 2nd at 180 miles, first place in the 250 mile race and 2nd at 355 miles. This pigeon is a grand daughter of Stirling Kastle & Baker’s Revenge.
Five pigeons flown by me, Joe Rostocil and Terry Finnerty earned National Ace Pigeon honors. Four of those five are down from Stirling Kastle or Claymore
In the Hall of Fame Classic 300-mile futurity race, Heber Nelson clocked my pigeon first in his loft, winning 5th in his section and 15th overall in the race vs 372 birds. This same pigeon placed 13th against 462 birds at 200 miles earlier in the season. This pigeon is a grandson of Stirling Kastle & Baker’s Revenge.
Terry Finnerty is racing a few of my birds in the Independent Homing Club before their OCR money race. In a 100 mile race, my bird trapped first at his loft and won the club race against 319 birds. This same bird was 6th place vs 461 birds at 250 miles earlier in the season. This pigeon is a grandson of Claymore & Sainz 204.
Claymore and Sainz 204 are also the grand parents of King’s Gambit who won first place in the Plymouth Peak 138 mile race.
Claymore and Sainz 204 are the grandparents of the 300 mile winner of the Aces Wild Kit band race flown by Shokri Enbawe, winning $3,000.
In Larry Brock’s loft in Ohio, one of my birds won a 1st and a 2nd in his club racing. This bird is a granddaughter of Stirling Kastle and Baker’s Revenge.
In Mike Glaab’s loft in Ohio, one of my birds won a 3rd and a 5th in his club. This bird is a full sister to Baker’s Revenge.
I sense a trend. These two pairs are going to be the future of my loft. I’m very thankful to the breeders behind these pigeons and the handlers who earned the winning performances.
Kastle 2197 Stingray with her Champion Bird plaque.
Baker’s Revenge, above, LDHA AB, DRD4 CT (456) CC (954): 2nd (eq 1) vs. 296b 250 miles, 4th (eq 1) vs. 303b 200 miles, 16th (eq) 1) vs. 332b 100 miles, 29th vs 322b 150 miles, In her first year she bred a AB CTCT pigeon who was 8th @250 miles vs. 359b (strong headwinds) Sooner Challenge. 3rd (eq1) @150, 5th place 150 miles, 11th Combine 200 miles, 14th club, 16th Combine 300 miles, 53rd @325miles vs. 269b final Sooner Challenge race 23 minutes to win
I have been testing my racing pigeons for the LDHA gene since 2015. Now in 2020, what I thought would be a five year project is clearly something I will be working on for a lifetime. In these five years, testing and researching pigeons with both the LDHA and DRD4 genes, I have learned a lot and have refined my breeding philosophy around these genes.
Let’s get this part out of the way right now: these genes are not a magic bullet. Geneticist and pigeon breeder Dave Shewmaker, who is literally writing the book on pigeon genetics, says that there are potentially a hundred genes, if not more, that contribute to the success of a racing pigeon. I agree. Currently we can only test for two of them (well, three technically speaking). No breeder should expect to add these genes to their loft and instantly see win after win. And no breeder should eliminate proven, high-performance pigeons simply because they do not carry LDHA or DRD4.
What is LDHA? LDHA is the gene that stands for a lactate dehydrogenase enzyme in racing pigeons. This is an enzyme that is responsible for both the synthesis as recycling of lactate (out of pyruvate) in the muscles. I encourage you to scour the pigen.be website for more details. But the gist is that the presence of the LDHA gene affects how a pigeon processes the lactic acid it creates during muscle exertion. Basically, the pigeons can process the lactic acid better, they won’t be as sore and they can turn the lactic acid back into energy allowing them to fly longer. Here are some exerpts:
Lactate is made by the so-called white and mixed muscle fibers. It is what causes the pain in muscles when doing physical efforts, especially for efforts related to speed and power. It’s these muscles that are being trained when an athlete goes in anaerobic phase, meaning using as much power as possible. Everyone doing or having done sports knows this causes pain in the muscles. This is caused by the lactate, an acid made by the (anaerobic – without oxygen) burning of glucose. The more an athlete reaches the maximum of his effort, the more lactate is made.
The LDHA gene can be found in two alleles (locations). A pigeon will be one of three variations of LDHA. These three variations are represented by BB, AB and AA. BB means that the pigeon does not carry the LDHA gene. A pigeon that tests as AB carries the LDHA gene in one allele and a pigeon that is AA carries it in both alleles. A very very small percentage of racing pigeons (3-9%) are tested as AA.
From what we see, it seems that this AB genotype is a good indication for top performances, especially in the ace pigeons that race distances where both speed and endurance are important, meaning the day races. This indicates this gene could also be of the utmost importance for one loft racers.
This could be quite logical as it seems this gene can influence how efficiently lactate can be recycled and re-used in the muscles. As it’s the more powerful muscle fibers that are responsible for lactate synthesis it is a normal conclusion this gene has something to do with speed, or better the capability to maintain a certain speed for a longer period of time. This could explain why it is found more in the ace pigeons from 300 to 700 km.
When I tested my first batch of breeders, I was exceptionally lucky to have one of my cocks test as AA. Einstein, a son of Eisenhower and Joint Venture, is a full brother to 3rd place final race of the SAMDPR. His blood runs throughout my loft now and most of the LDHA in my loft originated from him. If his brother won 3rd place in the SAMDPR, makes you wonder if the LDHA played a factor. I believe it did.
A couple of years later I learned of the next piece of the genetic puzzle, the DRD4 genes and I began testing my flock. Those genes are equally rare and I had very very few of them in my small loft of 10 breeding pairs.
Dopamine receptors (DRD4) are found in the brain and have the function to transfer signals of the neurotransmitter dopamine in specific zones inside the brain. From Pigen.be:
Variations in this gene has been associated in humans and animals with character treats and certain mental capabilities. In humans f.e. this receptor has been associated with creativity, more or less sensitivity for depression, etc. In this recently published research (in the scientific magazine “Animal Genetics”) a number of different variations were found in this dopamine receptor type 4 gene in racing pigeons, of which two were relevant for racing performance. On all distances this influence was found, but only on speed and middle distance races this difference was statistically significant. In this study 1380 racing records were taken into account. (Proskura et al, 2015) The variant CCCC was associated with the lowest mean in racing performances. The variants CTCC and CCCT with higher averages (statistically significant); and the CTCT variant very clearly had a very high mean in racing performances. This was significantly proven on speed and middle distance. Also on long distance the mean was higher but this could not be proven statistically. More research will have to give more clarity on that.
This is when you say “but there are so many champion racing pigeons that don’t carry these genes!” And yes, there are. That’s why you should never get rid of, or not breed from fantastic race birds. There are too many unknown genes that contribute to their success and we cannot exclude them from our breeding strategies. But consider for a moment the true world-class legends of racing pigeons. Some of the absolute best racing pigeons in the world carried these racing genes. Kannibaal, Harry, Never Say Die, Bliksem, Golden Gaby, Janssens, Porsche 911, Picasso, Wolverine, Said in Spun Silver, Untamed Desert, Eisenhower, Joint Venture . . . I could go on. Isn’t it every pigeon breeder’s goal to have a pigeon the likes of Harry?
It starts to get very complicated when you are testing and breeding for all of the possible variations of these genes. My breeding strategy is to try and “fix” these genes in their homozygous state in my pigeons, but I want my breeders to have proven, high quality racing performance at the same time. This means I have to race and test as many pigeons as possible with these rare genes. I also do not acquire any new pigeons unless I can test them first and know if they carry any of the genes.
I have pretty much stopped racing old birds anymore due mostly to my loft size and time constraints in the spring. I now breed from proven members of my race team. I have “fixed” the LDHA gene in the majority of my breeders. In fact, there are only 3 pairs of the 20 I am breeding from that do not carry any of the genes. 17 pairs in my loft carry 2-7 genes out of a possible number of 8 per pair. I have lost count of the AA birds I am breeding from. That’s a good thing, so I don’t have to worry about losing them anymore. I am breeding from TT pigeons and can get CTCT pigeons on my team regularly. I have a long way to go with the DRD4 genes, particularly with the 456 variation. It was much more difficult to find and it is a slow process to breed, test and propagate a loft with them.
Here are a few summary bullet points that reflect my strategy:
• I use performance and pedigree at the top of my list for selecting breeders. The pedigree reflects the performance of close relatives and how concentrated the genes are. For example, if Picasso is LDHA AB, I could spend $5,000 on a child and only have a 50% chance of the baby being AB, depending on his mate of course. But if I spend $1200 on a double grandchild, I have a decent chance (25%) of getting an AA pigeon, something that would be impossible with a child of Picasso.
• If I add a new pigeon to my loft, it will have the performance and pedigree requirements above, plus it will carry at least one of the performance genes. This is an incredibly difficult combination to find, trust me.
• I race test as many children off my own pairs as I can and then bring the best, along with their performance genes, back into my breeding program. For example, Kastle Kingsman, pictured below, raced in the 2018 Apple Cup one loft race and won $2,000 finishing 20th place, second drop, 3 minutes to win from 350 miles out of 900 birds originally entered in the series. That’s the performance I want and he is AA CCCT. In 2019, I brought another good performing one loft race hen back to Kastle Loft to be mated to Kingsman. She is AB CTCT and performed very well in headwind races at the Sooner Challenge. That pair has very good performances AND the genes. They are mated together in 2020 and their babies will be AA or AB and some combination of CTCT, CCTT or CCCT or CCCC. If I get lucky, one of their babies will be a top performer and be AA CCTT and will make the perfect breeding pigeon, homozygous in two locations.
• I have a couple of test pairs that are a little farther away from performance than I’d like. But I bred them to be homozygous LDHA (AA) and homozygous DRD4 (TT). The goal is to get babies that are AA CTCT which is statistically the best combination for racing. The odds of these babies having the right combination of the other 98 or so genes is smaller since their parents haven’t been race tested. But I’m willing to have a few test pairs like this in case I get lucky.
• I keep my best breeding couples, no matter how they test for the performance genes. I simply use them to mate to the pigeons that do test positive for the genes. This is what takes so long to fix the genes in your loft. My #1 breeding pair does not contain a single LDHA or DRD4 gene. I have no intention of breaking them up because their babies are just that good. But I take their best performing babies and cross onto the best performing pigeons who are homozygous for LHDH or DRD4 or both. Those babies are race tested and the best ones will carry the genes, have performance, and qualify to move into the breeding program. As my couples get older and stop breeding, you can see how eventually every breeding pigeon in my loft will contain these genes, but also have some kind of performance record.
We are always looking for competitive advantages, whether it be through bloodlines (genes), feed, training, supplements, eye sign or wing-theory (two things I do not ascribe to until I see research that proves it). It remains to be seen how much these performance genes in pigeons will elevate the performance of a particular pigeon. Research shows that very successful pigeons carry them. If I can add another 3-5% of a performance advantage to my pigeons with these genes, you can bet I will. These last five years have seen an improvement in my results locally in my small club and also in futurities and one loft races. Hopefully those improvements will continue over the next five years and beyond.
Einstein, 2012 GB C 39756 LDHA AA. Full brother to 3rd place SAMDPR, very rare LDHA AA. His children have won: 11th vs. 443b. 100 miles (3%) | 8th vs. 545b. 100 miles (2%) | 33rd vs. 357b 175 miles (9%) | 30th vs. 275b 100 miles (11%) | 4th ACE bird ABC Combine & Ohio-Penn Fed | 6th AU ACE bird Ohio Middle Distance |1st Section, 4th Combine, 70th Fed vs. 1372 b. 96L 300 miles (5%) |34th Combine vs. 407 b. 32L 200 miles (1%) | 16th Combine vs. 542b 29L 150miles (3%) |1st Club, 5th Combine vs. 469b 34L 300 miles (1%) | 7th (Eq 1) @ 200 | 8th @ 85 | 12th @ 150 | 16th @ 100 | 7th @ 500 | 4th @ 150. HIS GRANDCHILDREN have won: 1st vs. 1048b @150m in the competitive GHC, 2nd Ohio ACE young bird, 1st combine 250m v 257b., 4th and 5th 200m Banks of Wabash | Again 4th and 5th Banks of Wabash 300m final | 1st Combine, 200m., 705b. | 29th 300m., 856b. GNEO Race | 2nd (eq. 1) 200m., 229b. | 5th (eq. 1) 200m., 188b. | 8th (eq. 1) 175m., 266b. | 8th (eq. 1) 100m., 220b. | 11th 200m., 178b. | 79th 340m., 537b. (OCR) | 3rd (eq. 1) 100m., 269b. | 6th 200m., 197b. | 10th (eq.1) 100m., 90b. | 1st 200m | 4th 300m LRPC
Kastle Kingsman, 18 AU Kastle 1896, LDHA AA DRD4 CC (456) CT (954): He won $2,000 with 20th place, 2nd drop, 3 minutes to win in the final 351 mile Apple Cup race with over 900 birds originally entered. He also bred a 1st @ 100m in my club.
We took the old bird season off in 2019, but came back strong with our young bird team. Our club and combine made some adjustments and we all had much better returns this year thankfully.
Below I have compiled a list of our best finishes in our local racing (club and combine) and also with the pigeons we sent out to one loft races, futurities and friends to fly in their clubs and combines. Our best producing pairs this year were Sylvan Perfection x Lovely Rita, Magnus x Lelu (Einstein x Kastle Black), Stirling Kastle x Baker’s Revenge and another one of our Macaloney cocks mated to a Picasso hen.
I am currently getting an inventory of what I have to sell. Please contact me to see what I have. I have late hatches and experienced race birds to sell off my teams. Some straight Macaloney, some are out of imports, some are crossed. All will carry the LDHA/DRD4/CRY1 racing genes in some combination. Please see my Pairings Page to see how I plan to have birds mated this year. I plan to have late hatch inbred Gaby’s, Macaloney’s and Picasso birds for sale. If you are interested in those please contact me to get on a list.
Shipping is $50 per shipment. I have had a lot of people show interest in the recessive opal pigeons so I won’t hold them for long. A check or payment in hand is the only way these will be marked as sold.
I’m so very fortunate that this recessive color has popped up in my racing homers. They are all down from my stock of Eisenhower, Golden Gaby and Black National from Mark Evans. As best I can tell, the common ancestor in all of these go back to a bird of Gaby Vandenabeele’s named De Bijter. Additionally, if you study pigeon color genetics, you will see a variant of recessive opal known as cherry among my pigeons.
Kastle Loft young bird racing pigeons around the loft in Lexington, Ky., Friday, May 6, 2016. (Photo by David Stephenson)
Kastle Loft young bird racing pigeons around the loft in Lexington, Ky., Friday, May 6, 2016. (Photo by David Stephenson)
Kastle Pigeons 1583 and 1598 and 1502 Sunday, May 29, 2016, in Lexington, Ky.
