'POKERFACE' The Western Cape Wonder For Wiehann Vermeulen (Somerset West, ZA)

The Pigeon Every Fancier Is Talking About

In a sport built on consistency, some pigeons simply rise above the rest. This season, that pigeon is 'POKERFACE', the remarkable cock racing for Wiehann Vermeulen of Vermeulen Lofts in Somerset West (ZA). Across four races, against an average of 7,926 pigeons and 541 fanciers per race, 'POKERFACE' has finished in the top 0.40% of the field on average, a level of consistency very few pigeons ever achieve. That sustained excellence has now made him the current 1st FBHU Short Distance Ace Pigeon, 1st SDHU Short Distance Ace Pigeon, and 1st SDHU Overall Ace Pigeon.

For Vermeulen Lofts, already enjoying a standout 2026 campaign, 'POKERFACE' has become the headline act of the season.

A Season To Remember

The Ace Pigeon title is not awarded for a single great result. It is earned through sustained excellence, race after race, against thousands of pigeons. 'POKERFACE' is currently leading the Ace standings in two separate organisations: the FBHU (Federated Board of Homing Unions) and the SDHU (Strand & District Homing Union), holding top spot in the Short Distance Ace category in both, as well as the Overall Ace Pigeon title in the SDHU.

Meet The Ace Pigeon

'POKERFACE', ZA24-FB-09595, is a two year old cock flying out of Vermeulen Lofts in Somerset West (ZA). Bred from a sire carrying proven Tomlock and De Zutter lines and a dam built on some of the most respected Kittel genetics in the pigeon sport world, 'POKERFACE' was, in many ways, bred for exactly this kind of results.

Consistency That Built A Champion

Ace Pigeon titles are won in the basket, not by chance. Across his four performances this season, 'POKERFACE' was basketed against an average liberation of 7,926 pigeons per race, an extraordinarily competitive standard to face four times over.

'POKERFACE' results:

2nd vs 7731p, 556 fanciers, 1531.00 mpm, from Leeu Gamka 324km

15th vs 8078p, 555 fanciers, 1312.00 mpm, from Leeu Gamka 324km

33rd vs 7884p, 515 fanciers, 1417.00 mpm, from Laingsburg 214km

77th vs 8012p , 539 fanciers, 1442.00 mpm, from Laingsburg 214km

Calculated across all four results, 'POKERFACE' finished in the top 0.40% of the race on average, a remarkable statistic against thousands of pigeons. This was not a single brilliant performance. It was four of them.

The Bloodlines Behind The Success

Behind every great Ace Pigeon is an equally great pedigree, and 'POKERFACE' is no exception.

His father, 'YOUNG GUN', combines proven Tomlock lines crossed with De Zutter lines, a cross already known for producing top racers. 'Young Gun' is the grandson of 'DIE KANDIDAAT', winner of the 1st Ace Short Distance title with the OERF Federation in 2012. 'Die Kandidaat' himself was a full brother to ZA10-THU-05734 'THE MACHINE', a 3 x Federation winner, with both brothers bred from the top pairing of 'ALWAYS' x 'FOUNDATION HEN'.

On the dam's side, ZA24-LVR-182 carries equally significant breeding. Her father, ABL-20-195, is a full brother to ZA20-ABL-167, ZA20-ABL-168 and ZA21-ABL-518, three sisters bred from the world-class pairing of 'GB18-V-63384' x 'NLD19-1418637', recognised within the sport for producing exceptional quality. ZA24-LVR-182's dam takes the pedigree even deeper into proven genetics, as a granddaughter of 'VETTEL' x 'INFERNO', herself bred from an inbred Kittel cock paired to an inbred 'OLYMPIC ROSITA' hen, placing some of the most respected Kittel bloodlines directly behind 'POKERFACE'.

Excellence Runs In The Family

Few pigeons carry the kind of pedigree that 'POKERFACE' does on both sides of his pedigree. On the father's side, an Ace winning grandsire and a three time Federation winning great uncle point to a family with a long history of producing pigeons capable of performing week after week. On the mother's side, the link to 'GB18-V-63384' x 'NLD19-1418637', a pairing that has already produced multiple highly regarded full siblings, combined with inbred 'Kittel' through 'Vettel', 'Inferno' and 'Olympic Rosita', shows a family built deliberately around proven racing performance.

A Loft Built For Success

'POKERFACE''s achievements arrive during what is already a standout season for Vermeulen Lofts. The operation, which races as two teams, Vermeulen Lofts (Somerset West) and Vermeulen Lofts Paarl, currently sits as the FBHU All Race Points Leader, a measure of depth and consistent performance across the entire loft, not just a single bird.

That depth of performance is no accident. Vermeulen Lofts has invested heavily in sourcing some of the best genetics available internationally, strengthening its own breeding stock with bloodlines capable of producing pigeons like 'POKERFACE'. The result is a loft firing on all cylinders in 2026, with 'POKERFACE' as its most visible success story so far.

Looking Ahead

With the season still underway, 'POKERFACE' is well placed to add further results to an already outstanding campaign, and his current Ace standings in both the FBHU and SDHU give Vermeulen Lofts every reason to expect more from him before the season closes. Given the strength of his pedigree on both sides, 'POKERFACE' also represents a significant future breeding asset for the loft, carrying Tomlock, De Zutter and concentrated Kittel genetics that Vermeulen Lofts will no doubt look to build on in seasons to come.