'BAKBEEN' The New Breeding Sensation at Die Painters (ZA)

BAKBEEN: The Cock Who Refused to Quit

The 2026 season has already delivered top performances for Die Painters in their own lofts, in many other fanciers’ lofts, but most noteworthy is their performances on the OLR circuit.With the season having barely started at some OLRs, others have progressed to beyond the halfway mark. As usual, the Painters’ pigeons have produced top results at several of these. The highlight is the 1st place win at Diaz in the 525km race from Ixopo. This followed their 2nd place in the first race of the season at Diaz. In the same week as their Diaz win they very nearly made it two in a row when they flew 2nd at SAIPR Winter’s first race from Bultfontein.

All of these performances come in the wake of their phenomenal 1st Afrikapro Final at the end of last year. Every loft has its champions, but every so often a pigeon comes along whose story is less about talent and more about sheer will. This week’s tribute goes to arguably the most courageous pigeon Die Painters has ever owned: Bb Cock ZA KRPS 19 1900, known to everyone simply as BAKBEEN.

Bred From the Platinum Pair

'BAKBEEN' was bred directly out of what has come to be known as the “Platinum Pair” — Miracle Breeder “BLUE WHIP” crossed with “RING FACIE”. It’s the only pair of pigeons on record to have bred two different 1st National Ace Pigeons in South Africa, and a mating that needs no introduction at Die Painters. This same pairing produced the SANPO Gold Medal Winner “MEDAL MISS” (ZA 18 WRPD 3822), BAKBEEN’s full sister, and between them the Platinum Pair’s children have accounted for seven individual winners and counting —including full brother “GOLDEN WHIP” (ZA 22 KPUD 29), who went on to claim 1st National Ace Long Distance in Category C (500–2,000 pigeons) and a SANPO Gold Medal for Long Distance in 2024. Like his siblings, 'BAKBEEN' wasted no time announcing himself. As a young racer he scored in the Union Top 10 on only his third race — the kind of early form that tells a breeder they might have something special on their hands.

The Collision

A few races later, everything changed. 'BAKBEEN' came home from a race having suffered what appeared to be a horrific collision with a car or truck, shattering his left thigh and upper leg. Remarkably, even with that injury, he still arrived home as the loft’s 5th bird that day and scored in the Union Top 75.

The damage, though, was severe. The bone was so shattered, and so close to his body, that there was no way to fit a splint. His owners genuinely doubted whether he would recover at all.

'BAKBEEN' had other ideas. After roughly eight weeks in the hospital basket, he started walking again - on a very skew left leg, in an awkward new gait that gave him his name.“BAKBEEN” means “Crooked Leg” in Afrikaans, and it fit him in every sense.

Fixing Himself

Once the race season ended, 'BAKBEEN' was placed among the race hens for further rehabilitation. It didn’t take him long to make himself at home - he picked his own mate, took a nest, and was sitting on fertile eggs within just 10 days. For a bird no one was sure would ever walk properly again, it was a small miracle in itself.

One of his very first hatchlings was entered into the 2021 Diaz One Loft Race. The organisers, with no knowledge of the family history, named her “THE FIX.” The irony was hard to miss - her father had, quite literally, fixed himself after everyone assumed his career was over. 'THE FIX' went on to prove she’d inherited more than just a name, winning 1st Place on the Enduro race from Kokstad at Diaz, and finishing 4th fastest in the combine liberation against the EPPU field of more than 2,000 birds.

An Unexpected Second Act

At the start of the following race season, 'BAKBEEN' found himself placed among the old race cocks, purely as a matter of convenience - there was no intention of racing him again. He took a box, seemed perfectly content, and was left to be. Then, during exercise with the old birds, 'BAKBEEN' kept up with the pack. Curious, his owners let him join the tosses too, despite what was by now a distinctly non-aerodynamic frame thanks to that skew leg. Once again, he surprised everyone — arriving regularly among the first birds home from the mass liberation tosses. It was enough to convince his owners to basket him for the first Sprint race of the year.

What followed was a run that no one saw coming. 'BAKBEEN' was among the first arrivals week after week, winning twice outright and scoring in the Union Top 20 on five separate occasions across the series — a series that averaged around 1,100 competing birds. As the season wore on, it became clear he was in genuine contention for Ace Pigeon honours. Going into the final race of the series, 'BAKBEEN' held a handy lead, but the competition was close enough that he needed to score again to seal it. True to form, he delivered - arriving with the first four birds at the loft and logging another Union Top 20 finish. 'BAKBEEN' was crowned 1st Ace Pigeon, Union Sprint Series.

A Once-in-a-Lifetime Legacy

'BAKBEEN' is a truly amazing pigeon with an undying will not only to survive, but to win. He is a superstar in his own right, and he proudly takes his place among the other illustrious offspring of Miracle Breeder 'BLUE WHIP'.

BLUE WHIP’s record now reads:

• “MEDAL MISS” (ZA 18 WRPD 3822) - 2x SANPO Gold Medal Middle Distance, 1st Ace Union Middle Distance.
• “BLOEM QUEEN” - 1st Overall Ace Union and 1st YB Ace Union; a 2x Union winner and mother to a 2nd Overall Ace Combine pigeon
• “BAKBEEN” - 1st Ace Union Sprint Series (Top breeder)
• “WHENNY” - mother to “MICHELANGELO’S PURPOSE”, winner of the Afrikapro Final in 2025, and to “WHIPROOIJ”, a 2x 1st drop performer (officially 2nd and 3rd) on Races 7 and 12 of Afrikapro 2023
• “GOLDEN WHIP” (ZA 22 KPUD 29), 1st National Ace Long Distance in Category C (500–2,000 pigeons)
• 2 further Combine Winners
• 11 Club Winners, and more

'BLUE WHIP' is, quite simply, a once-in-a-lifetime breeder, delivering top performers in literally every nest. Across six different hens he bred over 25 documented individual winners between 2018 and 2025, from Union and Combine winners to SANPO Gold Medal recipients - and that list continues to grow through his grandchildren.

Die Painters remains a proud breeder and blessed owner of this phenomenal pigeon - and of the son who inherited his fighting spirit in full measure. That fighting spirit is still winning races today.

Just this year, one of BAKBEEN’s descendants, “PILOT” (KPU 26 4556), took 1st Place on the Sixth Race from Ixopo in the Diaz One Loft Race - a 525km race liberated on 14 July 2026, won in a photo finish at a speed of 1332.0484 m/min for team Stear Painter, edging out De Kruik Sindikaat by less than a second.

His daughter “BAKKOP” (ZA KPUD 24 1063) has been flying just as well, taking 1st Place in the Gauteng West Combine from Modderrivier, a 454km race with 76 members and 1,301 birds competing. Five years on from that Sprint Series title, the BAKBEEN bloodline is still delivering on race day.

BAKBEEN’s own children’s achievements so far:

• “SHEWASDU 2 WIN” - 1st Place, Green Jacket, Afrikapro, 2024
• “PILOT” (KPU 26 4556) - 1st Place, Sixth Race (Ixopo), Diaz OLR '2026
• “THE FIX” - 1st Place, Enduro race from Kokstad, 2021 Diaz One Loft Race; 4th fastest in the combine liberation with the EPPU (2,000+ birds)
• “BAKKOP” (ZA KPUD 24 1063) - 1st Place, Gauteng West Combine, from Modderrivier (454km), 2026
• “VAN GOGH” - 9th Place, Race 7, Afrikapro, 2025

BAKBEEN’s story isn’t really about a race, or even a season. It’s about a bird who was written off twice — once by a shattered leg, and once by low expectations for an old cock filling a spare box — and who answered both times in exactly the same way: by winning anyway.

📲 Join the Velocity News WhatsApp Channel

Get race day results, Fancier of the Race announcements, and breaking pigeon racing news sent straight to your phone, no need to check the site.

Click To Join