Carnival Lofts – Your One Stop Pigeon Racing

Allflight Gold Cup Race 2026 “The Time for Change Is Here”

February 4, 2026

Over the past season, I was asked an important question by a fancier: “Why do we no longer go to 600km liberations in the summer race series?” The answer is twofold. Firstly, temperatures today are significantly higher than they were 20 years ago.But more importantly, the real issue is time—and

2027 Summer Gold Cup Race

1. Entry Options & Fees
Participants may enter pigeons under one of the following team options:

Small Team Entry

2 paid entries
Up to 4 reserve pigeons
Maximum pigeons sent: 6
Entry fee: R10,000

Big Team Entry

6 paid entries
Up to 6 reserve pigeons
Maximum pigeons sent: 12
Entry fee: R25,000

Entrants may send fewer reserve pigeons if desired.
Payment Terms

50% deposit is payable on the day the first pigeon from the team arrives at the loft.
The balance is payable after the 100 km training flight.

2. Eligibility & Health Requirements

Pigeons must be at least 45 days old.
All pigeons must be vaccinated against Paramyxovirus a minimum of 10 days prior to shipping.
Only pigeons fitted with officially recognized 2026 rings will be accepted.
Pigeons previously entered in any other Allflight competition will not be accepted.

3. Intake Period

16 March 2026 – 1 September 2026

4. Paid Entries, Reserves & Transfers

Paid Entry Eligibility
Only paid entry pigeons are eligible to compete for:

Prize money
Hot Spot prizes
Final race prizes
Ace Bird competition

Reserve Pigeons

A reserve pigeon may be converted to a paid entry at any time by paying the R5,000 entry fee.

After Hot Spot 3

Within 4 days after Hot Spot 3, all un-entered reserve pigeons remaining in the loft will be offered for sale to third parties.
Cost to third parties: R5,000 per pigeon.
Once purchased and entered, all future prize money won by that pigeon transfers to the new owner.

Replacement of Lost Paid Entries

Any lost paid entry pigeon that has not won prize money in Hot Spots 1, 2, or 3 may be replaced by nominating a reserve pigeon from the same team.
No reserve nominations are permitted after Hot Spot 3.
If a fancier activates all reserve pigeons before Hot Spot 1, and a paid entry pigeon is lost before Hot Spot 4 without having won prize money in Hot Spots 1– 3, the paid entry fee will be credited to the fancier’s account less 15% admin fees for future Carnival Lofts entries.

5. Race Program (Proposed)

Date	Location	Distance	Event
07 Nov	Kroonstad	160 km	Training
14 Nov	Ventersburg	210 km	Race 1 / Ace
21 Nov	Ventersburg	210 km	Race 2 / Ace
28 Nov	Verkeerdevlei	300 km	Hot Spot 1 / Ace
05 Dec	Verkeerdevlei	300 km	Hot Spot 2 / Ace
16 Dec	Glen	335 km	Hot Spot 3 / Ace
30 Dec	Bloemfontein	360 km	Hot Spot 4 / Ace
09 Jan	Tierpoort Dam	390 km	Hot Spot 5 / Ace
23 Jan	Gariep Dam Area	450–550 km	Final Race / Final Ace

All race dates and liberation points remain at management’s discretion and may be amended in the best interest of the pigeons.

6. Prize Money Structure

(Based on 500 paid entries before Hot Spot 3)
Final Race Prizes (ZAR)

1st: 250,000
2nd: 150,000
3rd: 125,000
4th: 100,000
5th: 75,000
6th: 50,000
7th: 35,000
8th: 30,000
9th: 25,000
10th: 20,000
11th–15th: 12,500 each
16th–20th: 7,500 each
21st–30th: 5,000 each

Ace Pigeon – Overall
(Races 1 & 2, Hot Spots 1–5, and Final Race to count)

1st: 125,000
2nd: 75,000
3rd: 50,000
4th: 30,000
5th: 25,000
6th–10th: 5,000 each

Hot Spot Prizes (1–5)

1st: 10,000
2nd–10th: 5,000 each
11th–20th: 1,000 each

7. Team Competition

Team points are calculated from Hot Spots and the Final Race.
Points awarded per position:
- 1st place = 100 points
- 100th place = 1 point
The team with the highest combined points from Top 100 positions wins.
In the event of a tie, prize money will be split equally.

Team Categories

Small Team Winner: R25,000
Big Team Winner: R50,000

A Big Team entrant may split their 12 pigeons into two Small Teams of 6 pigeons each to also take part in the small team competition.

This must be declared on entry day.
Additional cost: R2,500 per Small Team nomination.

8. Auction & Breeder Kickback

All pigeons will be auctioned after the final race.
Breeders receive 40% of the net selling price.
Pigeons selling for less than R1,000 will have proceeds offset against costs, and no breeder kickback will apply.
Pedigrees are compulsory. Pigeons without pedigrees will not qualify for breeder kickbacks.
Anything not covered herein will be published on our website and/or announced by subsequent short messages notice or emails. Kindly pay due attention to these as they will become part of the rules of entry.