Alfonso Polanco is our agent for Mexico. Alfonso lives in Veracruz, Mexico, is 64 years old, married, and has two children. Starting as a fancier as early as ten years old, he became one of the most famous fanciers in Northern America. In the past, he partnered with Mike Ganus for the sale of Ganus Family Loft pigeons.
You are known for your Gaby Vandenabeele pigeons. How did you get these pigeons?
In 1999, I went to the Las Vegas Race and met Gaby Vandenabeele. I was among the first to import 22 pigeons direct from his loft in Dentergem. These pigeons turned out to be super racers, and they continue to produce excellent pigeons. Currently, the offspring of my pigeons are breeding, and racing in México, the USA, Poland, South Africa, England, Taiwan, Hawai, Puerto Rico, and Alaska.
What was your best experience as a pigeon fancier?
The pigeon sport has given me a lot. I had the privilege of meeting many people worldwide and building a network of great friends.
But my best experience from a racing perspective was winning a race in México against 40,920 pigeons.
What are your secrets for successful breeding?
The secret of breeding winning pigeons is to have pigeons with winning genes and excellent pedigrees. But it would be best if you also had some luck to breed that long-awaited super-pigeon to win tournaments. To compete in Open Loft Races, you need to breed from the best strains to be able to win. Open Loft Races are becoming increasingly popular, and the quality of the lofts is very high. You need to have high-quality pigeons to perform.
What do you think about the Dubai One Loft Pigeon Race?
It will be a great experience to race pigeons in this world-class race against the best pigeon lofts from Belgium, the Netherlands, and the Golf, mainly because the conditions will be very different from the competition in other parts of the world due to the Emirates desert.
Do you have any advice for fanciers willing to participate in OLRs?
To be able to select your pigeons, you need to race them against the best pigeons in the world. The Dubai One Loft Pigeon Race will give fanciers this opportunity to assess the quality of their pigeons.
