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The influence of foundation cock Linus continues to shine through at the highest level. On May 23, 2026, Frans Strikker from Hengelo achieved another outstanding result when his hen NL24-8145760 won 1st prize against 1,889 pigeons from Hirson. He also claimed 2nd and 5th prizes in the same race, earning 3rd Grandmaster in the federation.

This was not the first major victory for NL24-8145760. Earlier in the season, on May 2, she already won 1st prize against 2,811 pigeons from Marche-en-Famenne and also recorded 4th against 18,432 pigeons in the larger competition.

Her pedigree explains why she is capable of such performances. Her sire is “New Merlin”, a son of “Merlijn” and “Kamilah”. New Merlin has already proven himself as an exceptional breeder and is also the sire of “Always”, Frans Strikker’s superstar who won two 1st prizes against more than 8,000 pigeons and was crowned 1st Sprint Ace Pigeon Division 9.

The real connection to one of the most important pigeons in our breeding loft, however, comes through the dam’s side. The mother of NL24-8145760 is a direct daughter of the legendary breeding pair Linus x Katja and a full sister to both Pandamic and Olympic Pizza. This makes the winner a direct granddaughter of foundation cock Linus, a pigeon whose descendants continue to excel for fanciers throughout the Netherlands and far beyond.

With two first prizes within just a few weeks, NL24-8145760 once again demonstrates the tremendous breeding power of the Linus family. Yet another granddaughter of Linus has risen to the top, this time on the loft of Frans Strikker.