ABOUT US

“The Hoosier Classic International Race is committed to the highest standards of accountability and quality.   Our team takes a genuine interest in ensuring that your pigeons are met with the highest professional standard of care.”

By Jim & Kelly Ward

The Hoosier Classic International Race is owned and operated by my wife and I.  We live in Wanatah, Indiana, on 20 acres of beautiful farmland.  I have been involved with the great sport of pigeon racing since the age of 9 years old.  I started flying pigeons in Chicago, Illinois, at the South Side Racing Pigeon Club.  I left the sport at the age of 18 to pursue a career and start a family.  As my family grew by a daughter (Morgan), and 3 sons (Ryan, Jimmy, & Colin), I moved my family to the country and the pigeon bug bit me again. Over the course of 10 years, my family and I won over 50 – 1st Place wins, along with multiple Champion Loft, Champion Bird and Average Speed awards.  We also won several top One Loft Races as well as winning the Prestigious GHC Classic Futurity.

In 2013, my great friend Al Hillaert and I started the Hoosier Classic One Loft Race.  Because Al was retired and I owned my own business for over 20 years, we felt we had enough knowledge and time for a successful One Loft Race.  We hosted our first race series in 2013 and in the following year added onto the loft.  In 2016, Al decided to retire from our partnership and I continued to run it with the help of my wife.  Over the next 2 years, the race grew larger and larger.  As the race grew, so did our staff.  We now employee 2 full time and 3 part time loft attendees.  In our 2017, race series we paid out $504,000 in prizes with $150,000 going to first place.

We have always stayed innovative and spared no expense when it comes to the pigeons.  The Hoosier Classic was the first One Loft Race to implement GPS Tracking on our trailer to monitor the driver and trailer on releases.  We have imported the best feed and products for your champions, including Jovati Mineral Grit. We go the distance when it comes to training.  All of our trainers and races are seen live on Wincompanion with live clocking results.

In late 2016, we started to prepare for a 2018 Million Dollar International Race.  In 2017, careful planning coupled with advice from top fanciers throughout the world, enabled us to start construction on the first Million Dollar One Loft Race in the United States.  The new loft is 16ft x 280ft, with a 12ft x 200ft fly pen attached to the front of the loft.  Sitting on 20 spacious acres, which is surrounded by hundreds of acres of Indiana farmland, the new loft can accommodate 7500 pigeons.

The Hoosier Classic has guaranteed $1,017,000.00 in prizes for 2018, with $250,000 going to first place. The 2018 Million Dollar International Race is one of the biggest prizes ever in the pigeon racing sport. The Hoosier Classic International Race is committed to the highest standards of accountability and quality.   Our team takes a genuine interest in ensuring that your pigeons are met with the highest professional standard of care.

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