THE BARCELONA CHALLENGE ONE LOFT RACE


IN LATE 2007 WE SAW AN ARTICLE ABOUT JOHN AND LOU MCGEE WHO HAD MOVED OUT TO NORTHERN FRANCE WITH A DREAM TO COMPETE IN AND WIN THE GREATEST EUROPEAN RACE THE BARCELONA INTERNATIONAL . 

IN ORDER TO SHARE THEIR DREAM WITH OTHER UK FANCIERS THEY HAD SET UP A ONE LOFT RACE IN WHICH FANCIERS COULD ENTER THEIR YOUNGSTERS AND THE ULTIMATE AIM WAS FOR THEM TO COMPETE IN THE BARCELONA INTERNATIONAL RACE AS TWO YEAR OLDS. AFTER THIS STAGE BIRDS COULD BE RE-ENTERED ON A YEARLY BASIS. THE EMPHASIS ON THIS UNIQUE ONE LOFT RACE IS PLACED NOT ON FINANCIAL WINNINGS BUT ON THE PRESTIGE OF COMPETING IN THE BARCELONA INTERNATIONAL.  

WE DECIDED TO ENTER TWO BIRDS INTO THE ONE LOFT RACE IN 2008 AS ALTHOUGH WE ENJOY DISTANCE RACING WE KNEW DUE TO OUR LOCATION IN THE UK WE WERE UNLIKELY TO EVER EXCEL WITHIN THE INTERNATIONAL RESULT.  WE ALSO ENTERED SIX BIRDS WE HAD BRED IN 2009 TWO AS HARRISON AND HULL AND FOUR AS THE PARTNERSHIP OF HARRISON, HULL & PEARSON.

BOTH THE 2008 BIRDS WERE SENT TO THE SOUSTONS INTERNATIONAL YEARLING RACE AS YEARLINGS FLYING 500 MILES. BOTH RETURNED, ONE WAS BADLY INJURED UNABLE TO RACE AGAIN AND THE 2ND BIRD GB08L22348 WAS ENTERED INTO BARCELONA INTERNATIONAL 2010.