Last Sprint Standing โ€“ Who Will Rule Kaniva and Take the Title? ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ•Š

 

๐Ÿ† Weekend Wrap-Up โ€“ Portelliโ€™s Double, Gusmanโ€™s Glory & Sprint Series Down to the Wire ๐Ÿ’ฐ๐Ÿš€

Saturday, 9 August 2025 was a weekend to remember for the Western Pigeon Federation. Two Kaniva (355 km) races โ€“ the Federation main race and the C & J Morris Ten Birds Memorial โ€“ were flown alongside the penultimate round of the Sprint Series, setting up a thrilling finish for the final showdown. ๐Ÿ•Š๐Ÿ’จ

๐Ÿฅ‡ Michael Portelliโ€™s Weekend Masterclass

Michael Portelli proved why heโ€™s one of the sportโ€™s elite โ€“ winning 1st Federation in the main race AND taking 2nd Federation in the C & J Morris Ten Birds Memorial. To podium in both events on the same weekend is a rare achievement and highlights the incredible depth in his team. ๐Ÿ“ˆ๐Ÿ”ฅ

๐Ÿ’ฅ M. Gusman & Sonโ€™s Ten-Bird Supremacy

Mark & Liam Gusman dominated the Ten-Bird Memorial with their 2024 Blue Bar Pied Hen smashing home at 1369.214 mpm from the South West section to claim Federation victory. It was a textbook display of speed, stamina, and precision timing. ๐Ÿ…๐Ÿš€

๐Ÿ“Š Sprint Series โ€“ Still One Race to Go

The Sprint Series (Friday night basketing, eight races total) is now on a knifeโ€™s edge with just one race remaining โ€“ the prestigious Comeback Race from Kaniva on Saturday, 25 October 2025.

So far: ๐Ÿ† Michael Portelli has claimed 2 Federation wins ๐Ÿ† M. Gusman & Son have claimed 2 Federation wins โ€“ but with one last sprint left, the leaderboard could still flip.

Section Champions so far:
Metro 3 โ€“ Michael Portelli
South West โ€“ Frank Briffa
Metro 2 โ€“ Pierre Anastasi
Metro 1 โ€“ Babaโ€™s Loft (R. Ristevski)
North West โ€“ J. T. Watkins
West โ€“ David Hunter
Overall โ€“ Cachia, Holwell & Cini (current leader)

Consistency Wins Titles โ€“ Cachia, Holwell & Cini still lead the overall Sprint Series points without a Federation win, but their margin could vanish if the big names hit form in the finale.

๐Ÿ… Short Series Winners โ€“ West Line Pointscore 2025 (One Race Remaining)

Rank Flier Points
1 Cachia, Holwell & Cini 202
2 J & M Portelli (Michael) 195
3 Pierre Anastasi 141
4 Frank Briffa 135
5 Babaโ€™s Loft (R. Ristevski) 128
6 R. Saggers 116
7 D & G Vatzakis 114
8 Huang & Zheng 113
9 Frank DePasquale 111
9 David Mallia 111
11 M. Gusman & Son (Mark) 109
12 Saggers Brothers (John) 103
13 Ruel Camigla 101
14 Frost Family 93
15 D. Hunter 91
16 Smith & Zheng (J. Smith) 89
17 S & M Mifsud 85
18 The J Brothers (Jeremiah) 84
19 Alex Diaz 81
20 Farrugia & Bogdan (Joe) 71

๐Ÿ’ฐ Sprint Series Prize Money โ€“ Top 30 Earners to Date


All winners โ€” totals (highest โ†’ lowest)

# Winner Total Prize
1 J & M PORTELLI [MICHAEL] \$ 1,149.05
2 CACHIA, HOLWELL & CINI \$ 1,113.80
3 DAVID MALLIA \$ 898.20
4 D. HUNTER \$ 898.20
5 PIERRE ANASTASI \$ 895.60
6 M. GUSMAN & SON [MARK] \$ 810.30
7 TREVOR WEBB \$ 782.70
8 D & G VATZAKIS \$ 725.05
9 FRANK BRIFFA \$ 684.90
10 BABA’S LOFT [R. RISTEVSKI] \$ 673.30
11 FROST FAMILY \$ 542.15
12 REN INOCENCIO \$ 488.55
13 THE J BROTHERS [JEREMIAH] \$ 477.90
14 M & N CIANCIO \$ 474.15
15 JOHN&NEV CAMILLERI &PRADA \$ 443.75
16 S & M MIFSUD \$ 404.95
17 FRANK DEPASQUALE \$ 404.10
18 RUSSELL & WEST \$ 388.25
19 ALEX DIAZ \$ 377.05
20 RUEL CAMIGLA \$ 368.60
21 L PALIGORA \$ 363.15
22 R. SAGGERS \$ 340.45
23 HUANG & ZHENG \$ 329.75
24 FARRUGIA & BOGDAN [JOE] \$ 306.90
25 SAGGERS LOFTS [MARK] \$ 300.15
26 CHOLO LOFTS [A. SAMBAT] \$ 297.40
27 FRANK DUGDALE \$ 267.60
28 R ZIAJA & G LUP \$ 253.55
29 M BENNETT \$ 252.90
30 CACHIA LOFTS [RENO] \$ 251.20
31 ERWIN BAUMGARDT \$ 238.05
32 NO.5 LOFT [N. SANTOSO] \$ 229.35
33 VELLA FAMILY [RENNI} \$ 226.35
34 BRIFFA, F \$ 198.00
35 PAUL & RYS CAMILLERI \$ 187.20
36 J & R JUDDE \$ 182.50
37 PULIS, J & J \$ 178.50
38 SAGGERS BROTHERS [JOHN] \$ 174.00
39 JUSTIN TENAGLIA \$ 173.20
40 J & T WATKINS \$ 168.80
41 BEN MIZZI & SON \$ 168.30
42 TENAGLIA BROS FMLY CS [MARC] \$ 152.55
43 RAYMOND MIFSUD \$ 148.50
44 KEN SPILLARD \$ 141.40
45 C. BONNICI \$ 108.60
46 CHARLEY ABELA \$ 86.20
47 BABAT LOFT [RAYMOND] \$ 79.20
48 J & J PULIS \$ 78.60
49 MANILA LOFT [H. DEL ROSARIO] \$ 74.40
50 F & E DALLI \$ 67.35
51 ARNOLD BAUTISTA \$ 66.00
52 SMITH & ZHENG [J. SMITH] \$ 63.15
53 RICK MORRISON \$ 60.60
54 TENAGLIA BROS FMLY DR [DANIEL] \$ 58.80
55 JOHN ATTARD FAMILY \$ 58.00
56 B BORG \$ 57.15
57 JOHN GOODWIN \$ 53.25
58 JAMES MCPHERSON \$ 50.00
59 ILIE & SIENNA ION \$ 49.50
60 NO. 1 LOFTS [N. ADIKLI] \$ 46.10
61 TAI TRAN \$ 41.70
62 IANNAZZONE & WARNECKE [NICK] \$ 30.30
63 JEROME TINAO \$ 27.80

 

References

๐Ÿ”ฎ The Big Question โ€“ Who Will Take the Crown?

With one race left, the Sprint Series crown is still up for grabs. Will Cachia, Holwell & Cini hold on through sheer consistency or will Portelli pull off a last-round strike to steal it?

The Comeback Race on 25 October 2025 will decide it all โ€“ the glory, the bragging rights, and the coveted win. ๐Ÿ“ข Every second will count.

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