Two National victories, three times 2nd National, 35 provincial victories, former overall provincial champion, and 7x Emperor in the local Lummen and Halen... Is there still sand needed??
Some pigeon enthusiasts just have it in their fingers. They feel when a pigeon has something special, recognize quality, and know how to build a strong colony. Jos Das from Lummen, in Limburg, is a perfect example of this. His name has been a well-established fact in Belgian pigeon racing for years.
Everyone who follows pigeon racing a bit surely knows Jos Das. An enthusiast who gained fame primarily through strong performances in the national and provincial races. But behind those successes lies a great passion for the sport, a sharp eye for quality, and a unique feel for breeding good racing pigeons. The start Jos began in 1976 with pigeons: in the first year 8 pigeons from brother Louis Das, as well as 2 pigeons from Frans Engelen (former work colleague) from Geel. Jos started that season with 10 pigeons and at the end of the season, there were still 9 left. Immediately in the first year, first prizes were won. Nowadays, Danny, Jos’s son-in-law, helps out. Jos takes care of the pigeons and Danny keeps the paperwork up to date (computer with pedigrees, results, etc.).
"Thorpe" opened the door
A first absolute highlight in Jos's career came in 2004. His white crack pigeon 'Thorpe' provided an unforgettable performance by winning the 1st National Bourges against no less than 48,000 young pigeons. Furthermore, Thorpe was the fastest of a total of about 68,000 pigeons. A result that immediately made it clear that we were dealing with an enthusiast who possessed particularly high-quality pigeons.
This national victory marked the beginning of an impressive palmarès. Jos did not rest on his laurels and continued to build his colony. With the following highlights: 1st National Tours in 2014 with “Brenda”. In 2025, the 2nd National Bourges of nearly 23,000 pigeons. The day before the race, several pigeon fanciers visited Jos at home and said to each other: “the 166/25 looks so good, we really expect it early.” (Full sister in the current auction!). Another top achievement came this year at Chateauroux with young pigeons. Locally: 1, 2, 4, 7, 9, 10, 15, and 16. Provincially: 2, 4; 10, 13, 16, 18, 31, 32, and 154 (9 prize pigeons out of 12). In the old local: 1, 5, 14, and 18. Provincially: 2, 10, 31, 40 (4 prize pigeons out of 6). This with headwind and at 1046 m/m.
A nose for exceptional breeding material
One of the most notable traits of Jos Das is undoubtedly his feel for good breeding pigeons. There are several key moments that gave the Das loft a boost in quality. A couple of these moments include the joint breeding with Pascal Ariën. Also, a hen exchanged with Erwin Schepmans that ultimately became the mother of the 1st National Bourges. A hen exchanged with Johny Jannsens from Eksel (part of the phenomenal Nulens Camiel). From that comes "Senne 2 Also from Johny: "The 555," provincial winner and top pigeon in Limburg!
Jos does not only look at the prizes won. Ancestry, build, appearance, and especially genetic potential play a crucial role. He proved this with the acquisition of several exceptional pigeons and breeding lines. Currently, the Das loft mainly consists of the following lines: Pascal Ariën, Bosmans-Leekens, Leo Heremans (Di Caprio) via Geukens-Bauer, Petré-Robijns, Stockmans Ivan (brother and sister of the "Tom" top pigeon Carme Baltazar) owned by Mariën. Additionally, "Senne 2" and "555" from Johny Janssens.
A beautiful example is the family around the "Superboy" 5062181/2019: a cross of Pascal Ariën x Moluca x Senne2 x Petré-Robijns. This pigeon itself flew 1st provincial Gueret, 21st national, 12th national Bourges, 6th and 22nd provincial Argenton, 1st Melun, 1st Nantuil, 1st Soissons thus 6 x 1st prize! However, this giant also proved to be an excellent breeder. A granddaughter flew 2nd national Bourges 2025 of nearly 23,000 pigeons, and another granddaughter flew this year the 398th national Bourges. There is also a grandson who achieved 2nd provincial Chateauroux in 2026.
Another important pillar of the loft is the 5086197/2018 (De Pascal). This is a cross of Pascal Arien x phenomenal Johnny Janssens Golden Pair Lowet Herbots, Senne2. This pigeon itself flew 2nd provincial and 23rd national Argenton, 1st Sens grand region, 16 provincial Bourges, 11th provincial Vierzon, 27th provincial Argenton, and 3 x 1st prize. Descendants of "De Pascal" produced 1 provincial Argenton also good for 12th place nationally. A granddaughter flew the 2nd national Bourges, and another granddaughter the 22nd national Bourges in 2026. A grandson won the 2nd provincial Bourges. Other descendants, in turn, won several 1st and top prizes. In short: a top bloodline ‘purebred’.
An enthusiast with a vision
What makes Jos Das special is not only his impressive honor list. It is especially his perspective on pigeon racing. Over the years, he has proven that investing in quality can be more important than simply having many pigeons in the loft. A limited number of strong breeding pairs, carefully selected and paired, formed the basis of his successes for years.
His bloodline has also found its way to other enthusiasts, where they have likewise proven their qualities. That is perhaps one of the greatest compliments a breeder canreceive: to find that his pigeons not only perform strongly in his own loft but also with others. A few examples:
Jean-François Collet (France) - Line Senne2, De Pascal, Superboy
Johan Beavisage (France) - likewise
Various Chinese enthusiasts buy young pigeons from all breeders. For several years, many young pigeons have been relocated from this pair 5117591/22 x 5060837/22 Pascal x Superboy.
Jonas Marynik (Romania): Bosmans-Leekens x Di Caprio line (Leo Heremans) as well as from the Senne2 line.
Quix Jos from Neeroeteren
Kennes Gerry from Paal: Bosmans-Leekens line and Senne2
Rayen Ella: Superboy line and Senne2 line
Castermans-Maes from Maaseik: 1st national Bourges 2018 from the Senne2
Das Joël from Lummen
Other important foundation pigeons and performance pigeons
5086156/2018:
2nd provincial Chateauroux, 6th national
3rd provincial Argenton, 17th national
14th provincial Chateauroux, 33rd national
1st Chimay and 1st Soissons
5060802/2020:
1st provincial Chateauroux, 52nd national
25th provincial Argenton
23rd provincial La Souterraine
43rd provincial Bourges
5031971/23 (The Pascal line): 6 national flights per 20 individuals flown in 2026. In 2024 and 2025, 4 national flights per 20 individuals flown each time, and 3 times first prize.
5031984/23 (Superboy x Di Caprio): Flies in 2025 the 127th at Bourges from 18,634 pigeons. At Argenton the 351st from 11,557 pigeons. At Bourges the 131st from 13,580 pigeons, and two times first prize.
5034864/24 (Di Caprio line): 14x prize on 15 flights.
5034850/24 (Pascal x Superboy): 14x prize on 15 flights.
5011159/25 (Bosmans-Leekens x Superboy): 14x prize on 15 flights.
5062181/19 Superboy: (see above) 12th national Bourges from 8,410 pigeons, 21st National Gueret from 8,375 pigeons.
5048449/21 Bosmans-Leekens "Princeske": 2nd Zonaal and 12th national from 23,124 pigeons.
5086156/18 “the Chateaurouxke” (Senne2 x Pascal Arien) 2nd provincial and 6th National Chateauroux, 5th provincial Vierzon, 14th provincial Chateauroux, 35th provincial Argenton, 118th national Bourges....
5011243/25 (Superboy x Pascal line): 2nd provincial Chateauroux
5011204/25 (Bosmans-Leekens x Di Caprio): 2nd provincial Bourges
5031907/23 (Senne2 line): 2nd provincial Chateauroux
5019203/26 (Superboy x Pascal line): 22nd national Bourges against 16,705 pigeons.
Descendants of several of these top performers are on the breeding loft and are also well represented in the current auction!
It's as clear as day: Jos Das has built an exceptional palmarès over the years. From the national victories with "Thorpe" at Bourges in 2006 to "Brenda" at Tours in 2014 to the phenomenal 2022 season with six provincial victories and the 2nd national Bourges in 2025: these are achievements that will not be easily forgotten. In short: a man with a nose for good pigeons, an impressive palmarès, and above all a passion for the sport that has only shone brighter over the years.
