The AS Croatia Derby has entered its decisive phase. Two high-level races in September, with confirmed results, have redrew the map of favorites ahead of the 550-kilometer Grand Final. This is a chronicle of what happened in Race 5 and the semi-final of the most ambitious Croatian OLR of the season.
Race 5 from Slovakia: De Keyzer withstands the heat
On August 30, 792 pigeons left Novo Mesto nad Vahom (Slovakia) bound for the dovecote in Đakovo, Slavonia. The distance: 389 kilometers. The problem: the temperature reached 35 degrees Celsius during the day, with minimal crosswinds that did not offset the accumulated heat.
The first to arrive was pigeon BE.26-4170854, owned by Belgian breeder Dirk De Keyzer . Flight time: 5 hours, 52 minutes, and 2 seconds. Recorded speed: 1,105.00 meters per minute . Second place went to Croatian Emanuel Ćibarić , just 3.29 seconds behind. The Dutch breeder Zuid Oost completed the podium, followed by Goran Gusak and TE Breeding Lofts Heinzinger.
That night, 479 pigeons returned out of the 792 released: a rate of 60.48 percent. This percentage reflects the impact of the heat, the same heat that affected the international races in Dax and Agen during the summer.
Semifinal from Brno: Riciozo flies at 1,279 meters per minute
On September 6th, at 7:15 AM from Brno, Czech Republic, 622 pigeons began the 450-kilometer semifinal race. Conditions were better than the previous week, and the records confirmed this.
The first to arrive was the Riciozo Racing Pigeons entry with pigeon MK26-260614 , at 13:06:44. Speed: 1,279.34 meters per minute . This is the fastest speed recorded by a winner in the entire 2026 AS Croatia Derby.
Second place went to Team Ekkel , 1 minute and 8 seconds behind. Third place went to Goran Gusak , who placed three pigeons in the top six in this semifinal, securing 30 percent of the top ten positions. This depth makes Gusak one of the top contenders for the final podium.
Of the 622 pigeons released, 467 had returned the next day: a return rate of 75.1 percent, notably better than in Race 5.
What's next: 550 km and 60,000 euros
The AS Croatia Derby 2026 Grand Final will be contested over 550 kilometers with a prize fund of €60,000 . The winner takes home €12,000, with additional prize money distributed down to 50th place. For those who want to go further, there is also an optional Super Final over 620 kilometers where 70 percent of the revenue goes directly to the participants.
The names that aim highest are Riciozo Racing Pigeons, who just won the semi-final with the best time of the season; Goran Gusak, with depth demonstrated in the last two races; and Dirk De Keyzer, proven in extreme heat conditions at almost 400 kilometers.
Also to follow: Talent Quatro 2026
Meanwhile, another Central European OLR is reaching its own final stretch. In the Talent Quatro 2026 , the German team Team Weis won the Katowice Memorial on September 11, the penultimate race before the Grand Final. Pigeon Wicca 811 won the 410-kilometer race from Szigetvár, Hungary, at 1,422.16 meters per minute , the fastest time of the day. The Talent Quatro Grand Final, over approximately 510 kilometers from Vrpolje, Croatia, is scheduled for mid-September.
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