Marche, Afdeling 10 NPO • Rinke Kouwen Makes History

His winning pigeon, the “161”, carries a remarkable story. Kouwen received this pigeon from his friend Henk Slot, bred from the same parents as his famous “710”. Friendship, quality, and trust came together in one unforgettable moment — and the result is a victory that will be remembered.

Winner’s race statistics

• Distance: 269.317 km

• Time: 13:04:38

• Speed: 1,741.651 m/min

• Entered: 21 pigeons

• Prizes: 4

• Prize percentage: 19%

The name that makes this race unforgettable is Rinke Kouwen from Nieuwleusen. He not only wins his rayon, but also achieves the fastest pigeon of the entire liberation of Section 10 & 11 against 9,030 pigeons. A rare and historic performance in pigeon racing.

His winning pigeon, the “161”, carries a remarkable story. Kouwen received this pigeon from his friend Henk Slot, bred from the same parents as his famous “710”. Friendship, quality, and trust came together in one unforgettable moment — and the result is a victory that will be remembered.

This young blue pigeon comes directly from the loft of Henk Slot, built on the solid foundation of Gebr. Leideman A&B pigeons. The pedigree is packed with proven champions, including “Floyd”, “Silver Dream”, “Blue Dream”, “Magnus”, and several lines that have already produced NPO and Section winners.

Father: NLD 17-1864055 “Magic Bleu”

• Direct Gebr. Leideman A&B

• Sire of multiple top performers

• Descendant of “Floyd” (1st against 11,474 pigeons) x “Silver Dream”

• Closely related to Grand Prix winner “Dizy Le Gros” (Sections 9/10 and 11 – 2023)

Mother: NLD 22-7071756 (3 x 1^st against thousands)

• Direct from Henk Slot

• Daughter of “Perfect Lady” (NLD 16-1075974), dam of Grand Prix winner “Dizy Le Gros”

• From the renowned Leideman breeding base including “Sigrid”, “606” 1st NPO Châlons, and “Raïssa”

✨ Strengths of this pedigree

• Multiple generations of NPO winners, including 1st NPO Châlons and 1st NPO Orléans.

• Directly from the very best Gebr. Leideman A&B bloodlines, known for their exceptional results.

• Proven on both speed and tough middle-distance races.

• Close family to Grand Prix winner “Dizy Le Gros” (2023).

🔑 Conclusion:
NLD 25-1576161 is a young blue pigeon with a golden pedigree: built on the outstanding foundation of Gebr. Leideman A&B and further refined by the breeding of Henk Slot. With several direct national winners in the bloodline, this pigeon is a potential future champion, perfectly suited for both the race team and the breeding loft.

Small loft, big achievements

What makes this victory truly impressive is the scale on which Rinke Kouwen practices his sport. While others compete with hundreds of pigeons, he manages a small team of just 24 old birds and around 30 youngsters. Yet he demonstrates that you can reach the very top with a compact racing loft.

This success proves that quality outweighs quantity. With passion, discipline, and a clear system, it is possible to beat even the biggest names in the sport. Kouwen follows the full system and advice of Gert Jan Beute and has built his foundation with pigeons from some of the finest fanciers: Gert Jan Beute, Thomas Hullegie, Gerben Knol, Jurgen Menkhorst, Edwin Deijkers (including his darkening and lighting system), Ton de Vries, and Henk Vinke. The result is a compact bloodline with pure class.

Analysis and significance

A victory against more than 9,000 pigeons, while racing with only a handful of birds, says it all. It shows that in modern racing pigeons, it’s not the number of pigeons that determines success, but the way they are guided and prepared.

Kouwen’s achievement is an example for every fancier who thinks success is only possible with a massive loft. His story proves: with few pigeons, but the right pigeons and the right system, you can win at the very highest level.

The Boss Message