Carl is known in the community as the force behind Red Card Pigeons. Carl has confirmed his participation in the next season.
Dubai OLR: Can you start by telling us about your pigeon racing journey?
Carl Turner: “Before my divorce in 2008, we raced successfully in the North West of England and amassed 121 x 1sts in three and a half seasons. We were club, federation, and Combine Champions, and we also achieved the honor of being the 11th WORLD CHAMPION SPRINT in the 2007 Olympiad held in Bruges.”
Dubai OLR: That’s an incredible record. What happened after 2008?
Carl Turner: “After a few years, my son came back to live with me, and so we got a loft and began getting a team of stock together. These were mainly Mark Janssen and Luc Vervoort sprinters, birds which are now sought after.”
Dubai OLR: How did you transition back into the sport and start competing in OLRs?
Carl Turner: “We tried a few birds in our first OLR since getting back into the sport and ended up 3rd OPEN FINAL in the BRITISH MASTERS with ‘RED ARROW,’ which went to China after the auction. We also tried a few in Pattaya International but soon learned we needed the correct breeding for these tougher challenges. So, we obtained birds from top OLR Champions, such as ‘STARBOY,’ father to 1st OPEN PATTAYA INTERNATIONAL, to compete at the highest level.”
Dubai OLR: What are your plans for this season?Carl Turner: “We were happy with our small team’s performance last season in Dubai, with our good blue cock ‘TANK’ flying the whole race program and being the 1st UK BRED PIGEON and 33rd OPEN IN THE GRAND AVERAGE. We hope to improve that in the next race season in Dubai.”
Dubai OLR: That’s impressive. What are your expectations for the upcoming Dubai OLR season?
Carl Turner: “We hope to improve on last season’s performance. We aim to compete at a high level and see our birds perform well throughout the season. We wish all entrants a great and successful season ahead.”
