Die Vrystaters Clinch Hotspot 3 as Marlbank OLR Season Heats Up
Marlbank's Hotspot 3 Edenburg delivered a fast and decisive result, with Die Vrystaters taking the win ahead of La Almeida and Andre Fivaz. Roberto & Boesman was named Velocity News Fancier of the Race, while Sam & Judels led the Top 10% Follow Up Ranking.
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Hotspot 3 Edenburg 390km
Marlbank OLR Winter Season 2026's Hotspot 3 Edenburg sent 1,352 pigeons from 249 fanciers on a 390km race from Edenburg, Free State, to the Marlbank One Loft at Heron Banks Golf Course, Sasolburg. Die Vrystaters, raced by Riaan von Gericke, took the win. Roberto & Boesman was named Velocity News Fancier of the Race, and Sam & Judels led the Top 10% Follow Up Ranking.
Race Conditions
Pigeons left Edenburg into freezing, frost-laced air at 07:45, with temperatures between -1°C and 2°C under clear skies. A southwesterly wind of 15–20 km/h blew as a tailwind on the northeast route, giving the birds a fast start.
By the Kroonstad area near the 195km mark, conditions had warmed to 7–9°C under bright, hazy sunshine. The southwesterly wind freshened to 20–25 km/h, continuing to push the birds toward Sasolburg.
At Heron Banks Golf Course, birds arrived into a crisp, clear afternoon of 13–14°C. A brisk 27.8 km/h southwesterly wind carried the pigeons over the final stretch, aiding the fast average velocities recorded across the top of the results.
Top 10 Arrivals
'Riaan Von Gericke', raced by Die Vrystaters, took the win at 1436.28 m/min. La Almeida's ZA-25-VPU-2052 was 2nd, ahead of Andre Fivaz's ZA-25-MAC-853 in 3rd. Rous & Grobbelaar's 'Spice' placed 4th, followed by Jacques Parsons' ZA-25-VSDK-0687 in 5th and Protea Hokke & McDermott Lofts' ZA-25-GPU-2489 in 6th. Timeless Trio's ZA-25-VPU-2709 took 7th, Botha Hokke's ZA-25-OERF-14757 finished 8th, and Tashreeq Smith's ZA-25-PETOTREAT-2246 was 9th. Timeless Trio doubled up with ZA-25-CRU-4564 in 10th.
Velocity News Fancier of the Race
Of the 249 fanciers competing, 140 basketed the minimum 4 pigeons required for eligibility.
Ranking is based on Efficiency Rate: the percentage of each fancier's own basketed pigeons that finished inside the top 5% of the race — position 67 of the 1352 pigeons basketed in this race. Fanciers with fewer than 4 pigeons basketed are excluded. Ties are broken by average velocity across that fancier's top 5% finishes.
This race produced two tightly bunched ties inside the standings: a four-way tie at 25.00% and a three-way tie at 20.00%, both resolved by comparing each fancier's average velocity across their qualifying finishes.
The Top 10 Most Efficient Fanciers
Please Note: This log can scroll from left to right to view all information*
Roberto & Boesman was named Velocity News Fancier of the Race with an Efficiency Rate of 40.00%.
By raw count, Timeless Trio placed the most pigeons inside the Top 5% cutoff of any fancier, with four birds finishing inside position 67.
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The Top 10% Follow Up Ranking
This ranking identifies which fanciers had the highest concentration of their basketed pigeons landing inside the top 10% of the race — position 135 of the 1352 pigeons basketed in this race — relative to how many pigeons they had participating. This metric is the Follow Up Rate, a measure of how many pigeons a fancier brought home in succession relative to their total pigeons in the race. Fanciers with fewer than 4 pigeons basketed are excluded, and ties are broken by average velocity. This ranking does not decide Velocity News Fancier of the Race.
Of the 249 fanciers competing, the same 140 fanciers meeting the 4-pigeon eligibility minimum are considered for this ranking.
This race produced one tie inside the standings: a two-way tie at 50.00%, resolved by comparing average velocity across each fancier's qualifying finishes.
Please Note: This log can scroll from left to right to view all information*
Ace Pigeon Rankings After Hot Spot 3
Hans de Noon topped the Ace Pigeon Ranking at 1362.30 m/min, ahead of Andre Fivaz in 2nd and Burgers & Muller in 3rd. Loft Einkamerer was the standout across the list, placing three pigeons inside the top 25 — Apple 2-381-76 (11th), Black Loner 338-208 (19th), and Kazro 172 (21st) — while Thone Pigeons & R&R Lofts also doubled up, with entries at 4th and 10th.
Looking Ahead
Roberto & Boesman's Velocity News Fancier of the Race performance and Sam & Judels' Follow Up Ranking both point to strength in depth heading into the next stage of the Marlbank OLR Winter Season. Loft Einkamerer's six-pigeon showing inside the Top 10% and three Ace Pigeon placings mark them as a team to watch across the rest of the season, while Hans de Noon leads the current Ace Pigeon Ranking. With Hotspot 4 still to come, the standings remain wide open.
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