Hotspot 4

Springfontein 444km was the latest leg of the Marlbank OLR Winter Season 2026, sending 1,330 pigeons from 246 fanciers to Springfontein. Mountain Loft/Murray & Mills/C Oxley (ENG) took the race win. Michael Burger was named Velocity News Fancier of the Race and also led the Follow Up Ranking.

Race Conditions

Pigeons left Springfontein at 07:45 under a thick blanket of winter cloud, with temperatures of 4-6°C and a light northwesterly breeze of 6-8mph. Isolated fog patches were reported in low-lying areas nearby.

By the midpoint near Kroonstad, skies had cleared to partly sunny with temperatures climbing to 12-14°C, the wind shifting west-northwest at 5-7mph and acting as a gentle tailwind.

At Heron Banks, birds arrived into a mild, fully sunny afternoon of 19-20°C, with a steady 5mph westerly breeze giving calm, clear conditions for the finish.

Top 10 Arrivals

Mountain Loft/Murray & Mills/C Oxley (ENG) took the win with a velocity of 1395.94 mpm into Heron Banks. Francois Steinmann took second , ahead of RMG Racing in third . Hans Paul Esser & Fouche (DE) placed fourth behind 'Kettle', followed by Ronnie Huebsch in fifth . SAIPR's 'Tipical GJT' took sixth, with Centurion & Retro Lofts seventh . Jerry Right claimed eighth with, Jagger Lofts ninth , and Greg Anderson rounded out the top ten.

Velocity News Fancier of the Race

Of the 246 fanciers who basketed pigeons for this race, 139 met the minimum eligibility threshold to be considered for this ranking.

Ranking is based on the percentage of each fancier's basketed pigeons that finished inside the top 5% of the race — position 66 of the 1330 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.

Michael Burger was named Velocity News Fancier of the Race by placing 40.00% of his pigeons inside the Top 5% of the race.

By raw volume, Jaco & Danie placed the most pigeons inside the top 5% cutoff, with 4 positions.

Top 10 Most Efficient Fanciers

Fancier of the Race

Hotspot 4 Springfontein · Marlbank OLR Winter Season 2026 · Liberation: Springfontein, Free State · 444 km · 10 July 2026

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 66 of the 1330 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.

Ranking	Team Name	Pigeons Participated	Positions	Efficiency Rate	Avg Speed
1	MICHAEL BURGER 🇿🇦	5	25, 64	40.00%	1382.64 m/min
2	GREG ANDERSON 🇿🇦	7	10, 32	28.57%	1389.31 m/min
3	JACO & DANIE 🇿🇦	15	17, 35, 48, 62	26.67%	1382.68 m/min
4	JERRY RIGHT 🇬🇧	4	8	25.00%	1395.33 m/min
5	ANDRE FIVAZ 🇿🇦	4	42	25.00%	1382.26 m/min
6	ALBERT LINGENFELDER 🇿🇦	4	63	25.00%	1381.59 m/min
7	JAGGER LOFTS 🇿🇦	5	9	20.00%	1395.31 m/min
8	SAM & JUDELS 🇿🇦	5	12	20.00%	1394.70 m/min
9	OUDELUCK WES 🇿🇦	5	18	20.00%	1384.03 m/min
10	FOURIE FORTE 🇿🇦	5	19	20.00%	1384.02 m/min

Velocity News Fancier of the Race — official ranking — velocitypigeonnews.com

The Follow Up Ranking

Of the 246 fanciers who basketed pigeons for this race, 139 met the minimum eligibility threshold to be considered for this ranking.

This ranking identifies which fanciers had the highest percentage of their basketed pigeons landing inside the top 10% of the race — position 133 of the 1330 pigeons basketed in this race. This metric is 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.

A five-way tie at 40.00% was broken by average velocity across each fancier's qualifying finishes.

Michael Burger led the Top 10% Follow Up Ranking by placing 60.00% of his basketed pigeons inside the Top 10% of the race.

By raw volume, Jaco & Danie placed the most pigeons inside the top 10% cutoff, with 5 positions.

Top 10% Follow Up Ranking

Hotspot 4 Springfontein · Marlbank OLR Winter Season 2026 · Liberation: Springfontein, Free State · 444 km · 10 July 2026

This ranking identifies which fanciers had the highest concentration of their basketed pigeons landing inside the top 10% of the race — position 133 of the 1330 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.

Ranking	Team Name	Pigeons Participated	Positions	Follow Up Rate	Avg Speed
1	MICHAEL BURGER 🇿🇦	5	25, 64, 107	60.00%	1375.80 m/min
2	SAM & JUDELS 🇿🇦	5	12, 106	40.00%	1378.50 m/min
3	LOUQ_UYS 🇿🇦	5	26, 98	40.00%	1373.18 m/min
4	RHYNO BOTHA 🇿🇦	5	44, 99	40.00%	1372.42 m/min
5	R.A.M. ANNANDALE 🇿🇦	5	34, 127	40.00%	1372.18 m/min
6	BENEKE LOFTS/TOP PIGEON 🇿🇦	5	114, 133	40.00%	1361.35 m/min
7	DJB SINDICATE 🇿🇦	8	16, 80, 111	37.50%	1371.68 m/min
8	JACO & DANIE 🇿🇦	15	17, 35, 48, 62, 128	33.33%	1378.40 m/min
9	HANS DE NOON 🇿🇦	6	41, 79	33.33%	1375.69 m/min
10	GREG ANDERSON 🇿🇦	7	10, 32	28.57%	1389.31 m/min

Velocity News Top 10% Follow Up Ranking — velocitypigeonnews.com

Looking Ahead

Michael Burger's Velocity News Fancier of the Race performance, backed by a Follow Up Ranking win, sets a strong early marker for the Marlbank OLR Winter Season 2026. Jaco & Danie's depth across both rankings — the most pigeons of any fancier inside both the top 5% and top 10% — points to a team building real momentum. Mountain Loft/Murray & Mills/C Oxley's win with ZA-25-MOUN-155 puts them firmly in the conversation as the season progresses. With several hotspots still to fly, the standings remain wide open.