Jos Thoné : born to become a world class fancier! (PIPA)
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Jos Thoné : born to become a world class fancier! (PIPA)

April 3, 2016

A top quality breed has always been the key to success for the fancier from As, Belgium, along with great ambition, passion, and dedication. The result is an impressive list of achievements, to which he added the title of 1st Nat. Champion Long Distance Yearlings KBDB and 2nd General Champion of Belgium KBDB in 2015.

Jos Thoné is a trendsetter, one step ahead of his opponents in many respects. His pigeons appear to be just as motivated as their fancier. Their only goal is to be the best in every race, from sprint to Barcelona.

Jos Thoné has been overwhelmingly strong at international level. His career started in 1991, and he was off to a great start. He managed to push boundaries time and time again, and he excelled in basically every race on the calendar. This has always been one of his main objectives. We take a look at his impressive palmares:

Career highlights

  • 4 x World Champion
  • 6 x Winner of Gouden Duif
  • 5 x winner Olympiad Pigeon
  • 2 x National Champion KBDB
  • 7 x 1st National victories
  • 2 x 1st International victories
  • 12 x 1st Zonal victories

Jos does have an eye for talent, and this proved his biggest asset. The descendants of the ionic Thoné pigeons Cavendish, Avril, Deep Impact, Sedna I, Jutta, Sedmos, The Crow, Faro, Sardus, and Pro Freddy continue to play a defining role in and around the lofts of the champion from As. His team of racing birds allowed him to win numerous first prizes and top results in national and international competitions.

2015 was another great season; he added several more titles to his already impressive palmares.

The highlights of 2015

  • 67 x 1st prizes
  • 5 x 1st Nat. Zone
  • 1st National Champion Long Distance Yearlings KBDB
  • 2nd General Champion of Belgium KBDB
  • 6th National Ace Pigeon Long Distance Yearlings KBDB
  • 10th National Champion Longer Middle Distance Old Birds KBDB
  • 12th National Champion Longer Middle Distance Yearlings KBDB
  • 13th National Ace Pigeon Sprint Old Birds KBDB
  • 20th National Champion Sprint Old Birds KBDB

Jos Thoné is really satisfied with the high number of top prizes and national titles he has managed to win. It is the result of a lot of hard work. Many of his opponents appreciate his hard work, especially those that know the true value of the many championship titles on Jos Thoné’s palmares. After all, these fanciers know how difficult it is to win a renowned championship title.

Champion from 100 km to Barcelona

Some might be wondering how Jos Thoné has managed to win so many prizes and titles. Well, motivation is key in this loft, both for the fanciers and the pigeons. They are eager to win top prizes week in week out. Each time Jos baskets pigeons, he wants to be the best across all competitions and distances.

Kajo: one of the stars in the Thoné Pigeons loft
Kajo: one of the stars in the Thoné Pigeons loft

Being a successful pigeon fancier is all about making the right decisions at the right time. It is crucial to get your pigeons in great form at the right time, alternated with weeks of recovery. Nutrition, caretaking, training and motivational techniques are another important aspect of pigeon racing. Jos tries to stay one step ahead of his opponents by paying attention to detail and by trying to stay innovative. You cannot change the weather conditions during the race but you can change the level of fitness of your pigeons. That is the responsibility of the fancier, says Jos.

As a fulltime pigeon fancier, Jos spends every single day in his loft. He knows that the breeding loft is the most essential part of your pigeon family. His biggest challenge is to try and breed pigeons that can win prizes in sprint races and in Barcelona and anything in between. He really enjoys creating new combinations and finding out what comes from it.

 

Jos tries to breed pigeons from true winners (at national, zonal and provincial level) and from ace pigeons, pigeons with a proven record that have shown to be just that little bit stronger than their opponents. Jos pays particular attention to top class hens. In fact, he believes the lack of talented hens has caused many lofts to lose form. What is the point of having ten top class cocks and just one good hen? Jos would rather prefer two super class cocks and ten excellent hens, which can be alternatingly paired to the two cocks, resulting in a high number of descendants. And this strategy is paying off: his super class hens Sedna I, Jutta, Avril, Dora Mar, Deep Impact, Gouden Grijs, Poco, Iruna, Temptation, and Chloë have played an important role, and he has quite a successful generation of racing hens as well, with Kirin (10 x 1st), Sachi (1st Nat. La Souterraine 19,150 p., and 32nd National Bourges 33,524 p.), Thea (7 x 1st), Karin (5 x 1st), Kara (6 x 1st), and several more.

It is partly thanks to their exceptional breeding value that the pigeons of Jos Thoné continue to dominate the international scene. The fancier from As continues to win important top prizes in national and international competitions on a regular basis.

Jos Thoné and his wife Gaby in Brussels Square as 1st. National Champion long distance yearlings KBDB 2015
Jos Thoné and his wife Gaby in Brussels Square as 1st. National Champion long distance yearlings KBDB 2015

Xavier and Maxim Thoné: 1st National Champion Long Distance Yearlings KBDB 2015

Jos Thoné won the title of 2nd General Champion of Belgium KBDB in his own loft in 2015, which illustrates the versatility of the Thoné pigeon breed. In the lofts behind his house he now focuses on the races from sprint to national long distance, while his loft opposite the street is raced under the name of his sons Xavier & Maxium Thoné, who compete mostly in the long distance and the extreme long distance.

It was in the lofts of Xavier & Maxim that Jos won the title of Long Distance Champion of Limburg and Bronzen Vleugel in 2014. The Thoné pigeons did even better in 2015, winning the title of 1st National Champion Long Distance Yearlings KBDB 2015; it was a crowning achievement. It shows that he has several talented young pigeons for the long distance in his collection.

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