Marlbank OLR 2026 Final : 'Raptor' Seals The Deal For Bornman & Jordaan In A Humdinger Of A Final Race
Richmond Final 655km - Jordaan & Bornman claims the win with 'Raptor' and doubles up with Pigeon of the Week, Gavin Rous leads the Fancier of the Race, Oudeluck Wes tops the Follow Up Ranking, and Danie Maree closes out the season atop the Marlbank Ace Pigeon Ranking.
Richmond Final 655km
Marlbank OLR sent 905 pigeons from 233 fanciers to the final race of 2026 from Richmond, contesting 655km back in tough conditions to the lofts at Heron Banks.
Liberation from Richmond, a chilly 8°C, with a light 7km/h north-westerly wind pushing the pigeons onto their line as they broke toward the northeast. By the halfway point over the southern Free State temperatures climbed to around 23°C, with the wind picking up to 15-18km/h and shifting into more of a hard headwind. Conditions at the finish saw temperatures peaking at 27°C, while a 16km/h north-north-westerly greeted the pigeons on their final approach into the loft!
Top 10 Arrivals
Jordaan & Bornman claimed the win at 1125.10 m/min with 'Raptor', leading Marlbank OLR Richmond Final home. Bertus Nel followed in 2nd. Wilnic claimed 3rd, with Tru-Legend close behind in 4th with 'Scuttle'. Skypilots took 5th with 'Karen', with Jaco Fourie following in 6th. Midlands Lofts came home in 7th, with Exclusive Pigeon Paradise 3.0 in 8th with 'EPP Quinn'. Danie Maree claimed 9th, and Dr Piet van Zyl completed the top 10 — the entire top 10 arriving within five minutes of the winner.
Velocity News Fancier of the Race
In Marlbank OLR Winter Season Final, 100 out of 233 competing fanciers qualified for this ranking by meeting the minimum requirement of basketing at least 4 pigeons.
Rankings are based on the percentage of a fancier's basketed pigeons placing within the top 5% of the race (the top 45 out of 905 total entries), with ties broken by the highest average velocity of those positions.
GAVIN ROUS is named Velocity News Fancier of the Race, topping the ranking with 40.00% of their participating pigeons inside the Top 5%.
Please note: This log scrolls from left to right*
The Follow Up Ranking
The Follow Up Ranking ranks fanciers with the highest percentage of their basketed birds finishing in the top 10% of the race, which means the leading 90 out of 905 pigeons. In Marlbank OLR Final, 100 of 233 participating fanciers qualified by basketing at least 4 pigeons. Ties are resolved using highest average velocity across each fanciers arrivals.
OUDELUCK WES led the Velocity News Follow Up ranking with 75.00% of their participating pigeons placing inside the top 10% arrivals.
Please note: This log scrolls from left to right*
Pigeon of the Week
Velocity News introduced Pigeon of the Week to identify the best pigeons week by week. It is awarded to the pigeon with the smallest average margin behind the winner across two consecutive races.
Comparing Hotspot 7 Hanover against the Richmond Final, Jordaan & Bornman's 'Raptor' earns Pigeon of the Week, averaging 1.750 seconds behind the winner with a 5th-place finish at Hotspot 7 and 1st at the Richmond Final. Bertus Nel follows closely at 4.745 seconds (13th at Hotspot 7, 2nd at the Richmond Final), while Danie Maree completes the podium at 4 minutes and 57.510 seconds (21st at Hotspot 7, 9th at the Richmond Final).
Marlbank Ace Pigeons 2026
Danie Maree claimed the top spot with an average velocity of 1322.048 m/min after eight races, topping Marlbank OLR Winter's official Ace Pigeon Ranking for Season 2026. Schalk Jonker followed in 2nd at 1313.887 m/min, with Jaco & Danie in 3rd at 1311.100 m/min. De Kruik Sindikaat claimed 4th at 1309.720 m/min with 'GPE Acurate', and Harry Wilson completed the top 5 in 5th at 1309.425 m/min. 3 R'S continued the ranking in 6th at 1301.242 m/min with 'Heihei', with Sam & Judels in 7th at 1300.234 m/min with 'Piastri'. Tru-Legend claimed 8th at 1295.032 m/min with 'Lago', Smit Racing Lofts followed in 9th at 1291.745 m/min, and Corrie & Danie Hokke completed the top 10 in 10th at 1291.294 m/min with 'Charlie'.
Looking Ahead
Jordaan & Bornman's win at Richmond Final 655km brings the curtain down on Marlbank OLR Winter Season 2026, while Gavin Rous leaves the strongest mark on the race, topping the Velocity News Fancier of the Race performance, backed up by a 14th-place finish in the race itself. Oudeluck Wes claims the Follow Up Ranking with a 75.00% return, backed up by an 11th-place finish of their own. Danie Maree tops the final Ace Pigeon Ranking after eight races, while Jordaan & Bornman doubles up on the honours by taking Pigeon of the Week with 'Raptor' for the pigeon's consistency across Hotspot 7 Hanover 580km and Richmond Final 655km.
With the season now complete, attention turns to the Marlbank Auction — interested fanciers should register in advance on the Pigeon Auction House platform to take part.
Marlbank OLR 2026 Auction coming soon. Click the link down below to register for the auction.
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.
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