A semi final should separate the good pigeons from the serious contenders. Derby Zagreb delivered exactly that.
On Sunday 13 September, 900 pigeons were released at 08:00 in Verpelét for a demanding 375 kilometer battle towards the Derby Zagreb loft. Just over five hours later, Team Pohorje B struck first. Their SLO.26-102-1416 was clocked at 13:13:12.850 with an average speed of 1197.2639 meters per minute. That is almost 72 kilometers per hour for more than five hours of racing. Absolute class.
And the victory was anything but comfortable.
Ten Seconds That Decided the Semi Final
Only 10.100 seconds after the winner, Familie Soellner arrived with DV.26-02733-3315 at 1196.6207 meters per minute.
Think about that for a moment. After 375 kilometers, more than five hours in the air and changing wind conditions, the difference between first and second was barely ten seconds.
Then came the gap.
Team Young Flyers Senohrabek A claimed third with CZ.26-0134-1441 at 1175.3097 meters per minute, arriving almost six minutes behind the winner. That tells us something important about the race. Team Pohorje B and Familie Soellner had managed to separate themselves from the main front of the field.
This was no accidental trap victory. The first two had earned a real advantage in the air.
For Team Pohorje B, that makes this semi final victory one to remember. Winning at Derby Zagreb is always important. Winning a race of this distance, against this level of international competition, just one week before the grand final is a serious statement.
An International Top Ten Worth Celebrating
Behind the leading pair, the quality kept coming.
Third place went to Team Young Flyers Senohrabek A with CZ.26-0134-1441. Pigeon24 took fourth with BE.26-6169989, followed by Team Emiel Denys and Dina Sierens in fifth with BE.26-3006569.
Portugal entered the spotlight in sixth through Pedro and Ivan Porto B with PORT.26-6008092, while WRP Sabol, Vreys, Paloma Blue A finished seventh with BE.26-6171345.
The Netherlands joined the party in eighth position through Team DEK Project and NL.26-8046360. Team Vahab Shahnemati and Tochter claimed ninth with DV.26-02205-185, while Albert Lemque Loft completed this excellent top ten with BE.26-4143356.
Six different ring countries were represented inside those first ten positions. Slovenia, Germany, the Czech Republic, Belgium, Portugal and the Netherlands.
That international mix is exactly what gives Derby Zagreb its character. Different systems, different bloodlines, different racing cultures, one loft and one finish line.
And all ten leading pigeons were home within 14 minutes and 40 seconds of the winner.
The Weather Made This a Real Test
The official race information described partly cloudy conditions, temperatures between approximately 14 and 25 degrees, a side wind at the beginning of the race and changing wind conditions before a headwind developed closer to home.
Historical weather data supports that picture. In the region near the liberation point, conditions were relatively cool with light winds. Closer to Zagreb, temperatures climbed towards 25 degrees and there was no meaningful rainfall. Around midday and early afternoon, observations in Zagreb recorded southerly and southwesterly winds, at times around 14 kilometers per hour. For pigeons approaching Zagreb from the northeast, that meant the final part could become considerably harder than the opening kilometers suggested.
That matters.
A pigeon can look brilliant with help from behind. A headwind near the end of a 375 kilometer race asks another question. Can it keep its line, maintain rhythm and continue to push when the easy kilometers are already behind it?
The leading pigeons answered yes.
753 Pigeons Home and a Race That Kept Going
At 13:00 on 15 September, Derby Zagreb showed 753 arrivals from 900 starters, an arrival percentage of 84 percent.
The contrast inside that number is fascinating. The winner completed the race on Sunday afternoon. Yet pigeons continued to return through Monday and even into Tuesday morning. The result therefore tells two stories at the same time.
At the front, there was elite speed and racing instinct.
Further down the result, there was endurance and determination.
That is one of the reasons one loft racing remains so fascinating. Every race produces a winner, but the complete result also exposes character. The semi final asked a serious question of this Derby Zagreb generation, and hundreds of pigeons found their way back to Hrebinec.
Now Everything Points to the Final
The timing could hardly be better. Derby Zagreb 2026 is entering the week that matters most.
The published program schedules the grand final for Sunday 20 September over 500 kilometers. This is the ninth edition of Derby Zagreb, and the event forms part of the international One Loft Racing World League environment while also operating under the published FCI Grand Prix Mundial framework.
For the pigeons that have survived the program and this semi final, the next assignment is another 125 kilometers longer.
That changes everything.
Five hundred kilometers gives quality more time to speak. Condition becomes even more important. Navigation becomes more decisive. Small mistakes become expensive. And after what we saw in the semi final, nobody should assume that the same pigeons will automatically control the final.
Team Pohorje B has earned the spotlight today. Familie Soellner was only ten seconds away. Team Young Flyers Senohrabek A, Pigeon24, Emiel Denys and Dina Sierens, Pedro and Ivan Porto and the rest of this international top group have all shown that they are carrying serious ammunition into the biggest race.
There is also more at stake than one day’s ranking. The final decides one of the most prestigious victories of the Derby Zagreb season, while ace pigeon competitions, FCI recognition and future auction value add another layer. Under the published 2026 rules, the first 15 pigeons from the final and the five best ace pigeons are scheduled for sale through PIPA. Performance on 20 September can therefore change a pigeon’s reputation in a single afternoon.
This is where a good season can become a great one.
The semi final has given us a worthy winner, an international top ten and exactly the kind of sporting tension Derby Zagreb needs going into its grand finale.
Next stop: 500 kilometers.
The stage is ready. The contenders have revealed themselves. Now we find out who can finish the job.
Jan de Wijs
The Pigeon Boss
