Sumo “Super breeder in the world”
On the lofts of 4x world champion Jos Thoné can be found an abundance of super breeders and their progeny that have trough performance year in year out earned for them selves and for Jos Thoné the reputation of the Worlds NO 1 all round performance loft!
Such is the depth of quality one does not know where to start!
When you are fortunately a guest at the Jos Thonés lofts and start to handle his pigeons you quickly realise the experience is one you never forget.
Other world famous names all say the same “Jos Thoné” his lofts contains the “crown jewels” of pigeon racing!
One of Jos Thonés “Diamonds” has sparkled more brilliantly than all others and in doing so has played a major role in this in the world stage of racing pigeons and indeed it’s history rewriting the books forever! The world renowned “Sumo” of “Jos Thoné”!
As in all successful lofts the origin and foundation the stock are and always will be the pillars of support for it’s future and on going success. Stock pigeons are purchased, bred, and kept for one purpose: “To bred winners”!
On Jos Thonés loft those winners have to be of a quality and standard that is by far beyond the expectations of most other lofts! Jos Thonés racing pigeon’s feet only ever reach the floor of his loft to feed and drink! At all other times they must fly the skies above and in the races fly at speed and win. Not once, not twice but in many races, many times and from all distances! The parents of such are not, and will not be valued by Jos Thoné if only one or two such athletes from them are produced! Such stock pigeons are considered by Jos as hit and miss pigeons, they do not stay on his lofts for long. And if their superson or daughter does not produce in the first generation multiply big winners then they soon follow their parents, they are ‘out’!
Jos knows that such a foundation will always be hit and miss in future years. One can never confidently select the unraced athlete from such pigeons and put it to stock with confidence! On Jos Thonés lofts the most valued breeders are those who’s direct offspring are multiply winners and more importantly super breeders themselves. For Jos “Super breeders” are….the breeders of breeders”!
Super breeders will be those who’s multiple winning sons do not share the same mother. The Super breeder sires big winners with many and almost all hens he covers. And when one races hens as does Js Thoné, such is the fact they too follow in the footsteps of these many champion brothers and half brothers and sisters. Super breeders also have superior natural vitality, never get sick, have super fertility and extreme longlivity.
Take as an example Jos Thonés wonder Breeder Valentino Belg 92-5335439. In this the year 2005 he is a grand 16 years old! Still he handles like a 2 year old, he is 100% fully fertile and as was witnessed by the famous Hans Yerkamp of “Ponderosa-farm”, Holland. Breeds super-super offspring, so impressed was Mr Eyerkamp he parted with a substantial figure when purchasing a 2005 bred direct son from Valentino.
Jos Thonés world renowned wonder Poco Diego Belg 92-5000631 she was sired by the super breeder “Oude Diego” when he was ten years old.
And so to the subject of this piece the phenomenal super breeder of Jos Thoné “Sumo”. Considered at this up to date monument in time by many as the greatest producer alive in the world to day. His sire Speedy Belg 84-2558479 was the winner of 14x 1st prise in speed races, Speedy’s brother won 20x 1st prises all pure another 24x 1 prizes all pure and Speedy’s sire and Grandsire of Sumo was the winner of 20x 1st prizes all pure.
“Speedy” was also the sire of Sumo’s famous older half brother on the lofts of Jos Thoné “SupermanII” Belg 88-5100722 himself the winner of 52nd open Belgium National Bourges against 10.992 birds and a great producer himself, sire grandsire, grandgrandsire of winners all over the world.
Sumo himself had a short but sweet racing career winning 5x 1st all pure, and Jos did not need to hesitate when putting him on the stock loft!!
Sumo’s mother Belg 92-5000929 was also a golden goose that laid the golden eggs for when paired to different cocks produced phenomenal racing athletes including “Het Fenomeentje” 1st National ace pigeon Netherlands ’97 and she also laid the egg that produced the winner of 6th National Bourges against 39119 birds. It may be of interest to know that Sumo’s mother carry’s in her genes the bloodline of Jos Thonés great friend, the world renowned Roger Desmet-Mathijs! This trough her sire. So as you can see Sumo carry’s within his genes truly world-class bloodlines. Racing athletes that sprint from 100 to 600 miles! On Jos Thonés own lofts can be traced over 25x 1st prizewinners from Sumo, but when one looks deeper one discovers the true value of Jos Thonés Sumo-bloodline the bigger more competitive “National Stage” and the ultimate world stage of Internationals!
I said above that Sumo’s direct offspring won over 25x 1st, but what have they bred themselves?
Sumo is this year 2005 a sprightly 11 years old, still 100% fully fertile, but as insurance Jos has several very valuable semen of Sumo frozen for the future, the reason is obvious read on!
A few years ago Jos sent to England a draft of 4 young birds amongst which was a small pencil blue cock, direct son of Sumo. Those 4 birds were taken by a friend of Jos to be offered for sale to the British public. The price was a very reduced offer as Jos wanted to see his pigeons competing in Great Britain. At the end of that weekend in Birminghams NEC- Complex the racing pigeon magazines “Old Comrades show” that little pencil blue son of Sumo remains no one even picked him up. He was taken back to the lofts of Jos’ friend and put in an aviary were he remained, celibate, unpaired until he was 2 years old, finally he was offered at Blackpool for sale bij Jos’ friend but just imagine all those thousands of experts, selectors, world renowned names that attend the Blackpool pigeon weekend annually, all those auctions and thousands of pounds being spent, and there in a basket for sale, that little pencil blue cock, son of Sumo, still unsold, no interest, desperate to be noticed. Then late on Sunday just before it was time to pack away things were about to change and the lives of people too, history was in the making. British racing would change with it and all because a little English gentleman named Brian Sheppard purchased from that basket that little pencil blue son of Sumo. The first son he bred at Brian Sheppards lofts was two years later to write the history books, showing his class he won in the English National flying club 6th open Saints against 5000+ birds. Then a few weeks later was sent to the Dax International racing against the best fanciers in the whole of Europe and arguably the world were he won 1st National , 1st Open International Dax against approx 20.000 birds. Never ever in his wildest dreams did Brian expect such a performance. If only it was considered at that time impossible to win an International on to the shores of Great Britain with the dangerous channel, dangerous as in minutes the weather ever it can and does change from good to absolute tremendous in minutes, visibility down to zero, heavy swell and the English long distance pigeon having to cross it to west country folk at the widest point (120 miles+) having flown already over 400 miles and often solo, with day light fading fast. It takes tremendous courage, motivation and confidence for such pigeons to take on that English Channel alone. But that Grandson of Jos’ Sumo did and made history in doing so, earning himself the worthy name of “Legend” earning his father, that little pencil blue cock, son of Sumo, that no one wanted to buy, the name of “Emperor”, earning the British fancier the worlds respect and underlining the quality of Jos Thonés pigeons and the difference they can make and in this case the great Sumo.
Even after this being said still there remained the lyrics, the sceptics and those in denial, a one in a million performances, they cried.
But they would all eat their words, as sitting in Brian Sheppards loft was a little late bred, himself like the “legend” a grandson of Sumo but this time from a different mother. Brian was out to prove those lyrics; sceptics and disbelievers how wrong they were and with that in mind, began preparing his Dax International winners little late bred brother for the same race the following year. He was given just three races in preparation all across the channel from Picaville, winning the 1st prize in all three, then into the Dax International of 2004. With conditions similar to 2003 Brian was confident so much that he told me the week leading up to the race that he would definitely get that little late bred grandson of Sumo on the day!
When he came as Brian predicted unlike last year when his “Legend” made history Brian had a garden full of visitors, friends that anted to witness and share in Brians confidence, however what was to happen was not in the script and almost 15 heart sloping minutes that little late bred played about clapping and clapping and clapping and spanking about as he knew he had the time to spare eventually being clocked to win 2nd open National, 2nd open International Dax 2004, beating 17.000+ birds, earning himself the name “Super Sumo” and earning for his owner Brian Sheppard the respect he so richly deserved from pigeon fanciers all over the world. No longer could anyone but the fool cry luck and no longer could any true long distance British fancier find an excuse no to support the International Programme. It must be said that the day that all the long distance British organisations sit around the table, act like gentlemen and work together in deleting these race programmes so that they are all at the same race points, the same days as the Internationals were by thousands not hundreds of British pigeons can compete in those Internationals will be the day that British long distance pigeon racing took the biggest step forward in its history. Do not make excuses, do it.
That said, Sumo now the grandsire of 1st National, 2nd National, 6th National, 1st International, 2nd International plus several 1st prizes through one son that little pencil blue cock now known as the “Emperor” is just the beginning. In 2003 weeks after Brian Sheppards historical performance Jos Thoné himself was focussing his attention preparing his team of young birds for the Belgium National from Vichy! I was there the week leading up to the basketing filming the video “Cracked vol2” those that have seen the film already know the story, Jos crowned yet another super season by winning the 2nd open Belgium National Vichy with “The artificial Yutta”. She is a greatgranddaughter of Sumo through her mother whose dam is a full sister of the “Emperor” of Brian Sheppard. Shortly after this race Jos Thoné lost his voice, advised by the doctor not to speak Jos inside wishing to shout with pride, could say nothing, his phone was red hot with well wishes from all over the world and they all wanted to purchase direct offspring from Jos Thonés Sumo! As seen in the video Cracked Vol 2 Jos took Sumo to the artificial insemination Centre, run by his friend a man who Jos has helped in the past by selecting some of his own pigeons to get the concept off the ground. He kindly let them use his winner of the 1st National Limoges against 16.000+ birds.
During numerous conversations with myself and after much research – Jos never one to stand still – tried an experiment of his own. Armed with the knowledge that Brian Sheppard had used his son of Sumo, the Emperor, as a first cross into his old English long distance family, old not in quality or ability but in origin, pigeons of iron constitution that could fly all day and get up and do it again the next day, Jos posed himself a question. He wondered if by crossing his Sumo bloodline on to his world famous Poco Diego line which are considered amongst the best Barcelona pigeons in Europe, would this result in an athlete capable to win at National level at distances of 600 miles?
So in 2004 he selected two daughters of Sumo and covered them both with selected cocks from his Poco Diego line. This resulted in two hens being produced. This year 2005 as yearlings those two hens were prepared and entered in the Narbonne International race.
A distance to Jos’ lofts of approx 515 miles, both dropped together, side by side, to be clocked to won the following: 1st National, 2nd National, 1st International and 2nd International but also the fastest of more then 10.000 birds (old pigeons and yearlings) National. These hens are now known as “Sedna I” and “Sedna II”. Both are granddaughters of Sumo. Sedna I has also made this year the 7th Open Semi-National Jarnac against 5000+ birds, 98th Semi-National St-Vincent against 3320 birds and 206th National St-Vincent 10.000+ birds. So she is Provincial ace pigeon long distance.
SednaII has also made 134th National a Souterraine against 16.000+ birds, 29th Provincial Nanteuil against 1222 birds and many other prizes.
Before we continue I’ll let you into a little secret, at this moment Jos has something else in mind. If he pairs both Sedna I and Sedna II with two selected “Poco Diego” bloodline cocks could their offspring win at National level flying to Niel-Bij-As from Barcelona? Well, I wouldn’t hold your breath, the prognosis is certainly good and when rather than if that happens I wouldn’t mind betting that Sumo will still be filling all his eggs in other words it won’t be long.
I’ll close with these words “You will hear a lot more about Sumo because YOU AINT SEEN NOTHING YET!!!!”
Ronny Bigwood
