PDI: World Slasher Cup

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– Gameness (til the End)

2009 World Slasher Cup is biggest ever
By Manolo Iñigo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 07:42:00 01/12/2009

Filed Under: Sports Events

The biggest ever World Slasher Cup since 1963 awaits cockfighting enthusiasts as businessman-sportsman Jorge “Nene” Araneta announced a strong field of nearly 200 entries that will vie for fame and honor from Jan. 19 to 24 at the Araneta Coliseum.

“I am personally inviting you to come and enjoy the fights at the Big Dome,” said the dapper derby promoter and coliseum owner.

From an average of 60 entries to a high of 150 per staging, this year’s number is a cinch to enter the record books as the biggest ever in the history of the World Slasher Cup.

Considered as the “toughest cockfighting event in the world,” this annual international 8-cock derby will be extended from the usual three-day format to five days.

Glo Avena, a Big Dome old-timer, said elimination matches will be held on Jan. 19 to 20, the semifinals on Jan. 21 and 22 and the finals on Jan. 24.

* * *

The 35-strong foreign contingent will be headed by former champions Ray Alexander of Alabama and Roger Roberts of Georgia. Also seeing action are many-time Manila visitors Chuck Berry of Oklahoma and Mike Formosa of Hawaii, Richard McCormick of Canada and Australia’s Greg Berin.

On the other hand, a full complement of the Philippines’ cockfighting Who’s Who is hell-bent to win the World Slasher Cup, the most-coveted prize in the sport.

“We have proven in recent past that Filipino cocker-breeders are at par with their American counterparts,” said Rey Briones, a newcomer who surprised everyone by winning the 2003 World Slasher Cup in a tie with veteran Matt Bitanga.

“It’s time to break the colonial mentality that imported cocks or pure bloodlines, are unbeatable,” he stressed. “That’s not true anymore.”

He said that local crossbreeds are performing better in recent years and that imported cocks are no longer a guarantee that they will dominate the big-time derbies here.

* * *

In winning the World Slasher Cup, Briones only fielded locally bred fighting cocks, yet he beat the pure bloodlines of famous American cocker-breeders Dan Gray, Carol NeSmith, Ray Alexander and Roger Roberts.

Now breeding his own signature bloodlines—the Spartan Reds and Greys—in his modest farms in Masbate and Bacolod City, Briones has joined past World Slasher Cup champions, including former Ambassador Danding Cojuangco, Nene Araneta, the late James Chiongbian, Peping Cojuangco and his partner Esting Teopaco, former Rep. Rudy Albano, hotelier Biboy Enriquez, Pampanga’s pride Jun and Rudy Jingco, Eddie Araneta, Dickie Lim, Patrick Antonio, William Co, lawyer Rudy Salud and Wilson Ong.

* * *

The steady stream of top American cocker-breeders was brought here by Filipino cockfighting legends such as D.O. Plaza, Dr. A.P. Reyes, Jose Lanuza, James Chiongbian, Ramon Mitra, Ricardo Silverio, the Lacsons of Bacolod, the Cojuangcos of Tarlac and the Yulos and Montinolas of Negros.

These true-blue pioneers were responsible for infusing the bloodlines that improved local stocks, thus making the authentic Filipino sport of cockfighting more competitive.

Among the names familiar to Filipino sabungeros were American cockfighting greats like Duke Hulsey, Joe Goode, Billy Abbot, Oscar Aikins, Billy Ruble, Richard Bates, Dan Gray, Carol NeSmith, Bob Howard, Ray Alexander and Tom Wilson.

Meanwhile, I am glad to learn that the cockfighting calendar is now bursting at the seams, with several international derbies lined up for this new year.

Among them are the three-day National Cockers Alliance World Slasher Championship Derby at the Ynares Center in Pasig City which gets going tomorrow, and other international derbies slated in Metro Manila cockpits.

Carol NeSmith, Sweater

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– Gameness (til the End)

Sweater Strain
By Carol NeSmith, Blackwater Farms, Alabama

While complying with the request of my friends in the Philippines, Mexico and here at home, I would like to give some history of the Sweater strain of gamefowl since they came into my possession. The story starts about 49 years ago when I first fell in love with the game fowl. Now I am 60 years old and still, I love game fowl as much or more than I ever have. I have bred, fought, fed, bought, healed and handled cocks of many different strains and crosses and have done (probably) as much breeding experimenting as many man my age. It’s my opinion that there is no “one best strain fowl” and not one best feeder either. There are many of both in class “A” and when you go to a derby nowadays for real money, you are sure to meet both of them. The days of a monopoly in the cocking game has passed away because of money and brains in the cocking game.

I don’t claim to have originated the best strain of pit fowls in the world or even in Alabama, but the fact that Black Water fowl have won the majority of their fights in hard competition and have kept pace with the best of the cocking people for the last 15 – 20 years under all rules and lengths of gaffs and knives in the Philippines and Mexico is very gratifying. For the last six years I have been out of the game and breeding, but my son Chris has had the honor of carrying on the breeding and fighting the Black Water fowl, and may I say he has done a wonderful job. Our fowl passed the experimental stage and have characteristics bred into them. I fell that with our system of breeding we can hold them at their present standard for years to come. We have several breeds of game fowl at Black Water Farms, now I would like to tell you about the Sweater strain and how they came into my hands. For years I attended the fights at Clear Creek and Pumpkin Valley pits in Alabama and saw these Sweater cocks fought by man named Sonny Ware and anybody who is anybody in the cocking game, know this gentleman from Alabama.

Sonny and his father were in the game fowl business all of their lives and have had some of the best bloodlines of game fowl. Sonny and I fought against each other at these pits and I had to ask Sonny for some of these yellow leg Sweaters. Because of the fact that we competed against one another, he would not let me have a drop of Sweater blood.

Then one day several years later, a good friend called me and said he would sell me a trio of the Sweaters because he was getting out of the game fowl business and that Sonny had let him have an old Sweater cock and two hens to breed and he would sell me young trio of these chickens. The mans’ name was Odis Chapell, he said he had to return the cock and hens to Mr. Ware but he had several young chickens out of these and he would sell me a trio of my choice. So I bought a trio of young sweaters and that’s how I came into possession of my first Sweaters.

Odis had other friends that he let have or sold these young Sweaters to. Newton Wade and George Lay were two of them that I know of. Mr. Lay was already known for his Lacy Roundheads and Newton Wade was known for his Albany’s. Both of these people were good friends of mine and in later years I did use some of their Sweaters to infuse into my Sweaters, but let’s get back to the trio I got from Odis.

When I purchased the Sweaters from Odis, he said that Sonny thought that the Sweaters were bred out and could not longer compete in the tough competitions anymore, but the young trio matured into a wonderful looking fowl. The cock, a light red with white streamers in the tail, pea comb and yellow legged and very good station and good conformation with lots of plumage. The hens, a buff and straw color with black trail feathers looking a lot like a Roundhead but with better station and more plumage.

I didn’t want to breed brother and sister, so I sent the Sweater cock to Mr. Brown of Oak Grove Farms to breed to his yellow leg Hatch since at that time I was fighting with Mr. Brown and his son Gene in a partnership. I had the two hens left to breed at my farm and so I went to Mr. Jumper to get something to breed to these two hens. Everyone knows this wonderful gentleman and while I was there Johnny gave me some information about these Sweater chickens. Mr. Jumper said that Sweater McGinnis (from whom these chickens got their name) needed some cocks to fill a main at the pit in Hot Springs, AR. I forgot the year that Mr. Jumper said this main was fought but anyway, he said the late Mr. Harold Brown of Red Fox Farm let Mr. Sweater have or sold him cocks that were half Boston Roundhead and half Mclean Hatch. Some of these were yellow leg and some were green leg.

He said that Harold Brown liked the green legs better and that he let Sweater have the yellow leg ones to fight in the main. Johnny told me that the cocks were sensational when Mr. McGinnis fought them. At that time, all the big time cockers (Mr. Law, Mr. Kelso and Duke) bought one of these cocks for $500.00 each as Mr. Sweater would fight them and bring these cocks out of the pit. He also said the cock that Mr. Kelso had bought was sent to Mr. Cecil Davis to breed to his Kelso hens. At the time, Cecil was breeding a lot for Mr. Kelso and he did what Kelso had ask him to do, but each year he also bred the cock back to his daughters to get back as close as possible to the cock’s side.

That was the Sweater strain that I had got from Sonny. Johnny had some of the Sweaters from Cecil and having been friends with him for years, I got one of these Sweater cocks from him to breed to the hens that were part of the trio that I got from Odis. This was a very beautiful cock and the offspring were very good pit fowl.

I think that this cock from Mr. Jumper contained a little more of the Kelso blood because the offspring came with yellow and white legs. I discarded the white leg pullets and only bred the yellow leg ones.

After breeding the Sweater cock at Mr. Brown in Mississippi, I brought him home to breed the daughter of the Jumper cock. I would like to tell a story about the cock I got from Mr. Jumper. We had a flood in some bottom land where we kept about one hundred cocks. We only lost one as fate would have it; it was the cock from Johnny. I told Mr. Jumper and he knew how upset I was about losing the cock. Mr. Jumper is the closest friend that I have in this cocking game and he understood about how you can lose game fowl in strange ways (that was why I only got to breed that cock one year) After breeding the cock from Odis back to the daughters out of the Johnny cock (I did this each year until they were only 1/8 of the Jumper cock) this is the family of Sweater we call our right outs.

The Odis cock that we bred to the yellow leg Hatch of Mr. Brown was almost unbeatable. We fought these cocks in all the big pits in the circuit, Sunset, Texoma, Clear Creek and all the ones in between. I like the Sweater cock so much that I went back to Odis to find out if he knew which of the hens from Sonny the mother of the cock was so that I could breed this cock back to his mother. Unfortunately, he had not single mated the two hens so he didn’t know which one was the mother. He said that one of the hens had spurs and that he liked that one best. When I went to Sonny’s farm and asked for the spurred hen that Odis had told me about. Sonny already knows about how we were winning with the yellow leg and Sweater crosses. He saw them fight at Clear Creek and I had fought on that and had an impressive fight, he had asked for the cock and I let him have him. I also fought one of my Gilmore Hatch cocks and he won a wonderful battle after having titled, he also asked for this cock and I let him have him, out of friendship, no money involve. He knew he could not refuse me the spurred hen because he owed me a favor for my letting him have the two cocks. Besides I had told every body that the Sweaters I was fighting came from Sonny. Sonny let me have the hen and I bred the son back to his mother (or aunt) not knowing which one she really was. I do know one thing, she was the mother of the possum pullets of our Sweaters and everyone know how good these cock and hen are in the breeding of the Sweaters at Black Water Farm. If you don’t know the story about the possum, I am about to tell it.

When she as a pullet she was very beautiful. She had a high fan tail, very good station and body like a football. We let her run loose on free range at the farm and one day at feeding time, I missed her. Not wanting anything to happen to her, I started to look for her. Bruce Barnett was doing a lot of breeding at Black Water Farm at that time and had been for years. Bruce and I located the possum pullet under a root of a large oak tree. She had stolen a nest off under the root and was setting on her eggs. Not thinking anything would happen to her, we left her there and planned to catch her in a few days and put her in a pen. In a few days we returned to the place where she had been under the root setting. We only found feathers and all her eggs had been eaten by a possum and we thought we had lost her too. A few days later while we were feeding, she showed up with no tail feathers and very badly bitten in her back from the possum. After a little doctoring, she was ok and we put her in a pen. From that time on, the name just stuck we would say “go feed and water the possum hen” We bred her back to her father and the possum side of the Sweater.

I had been breeding these cocks for a few years and fighting them continuously each year. It gradually became apparent to me that they were being bred a bit too close to cope with the rough cocks they were having to meet. It was my experience from the past that because of the fast starting side stepping and phenomenal cutting abilities in the air and on the ground, these cocks could beat most of the cocks they met in the early stage of the battle. I think this was their greatest quality, but in the latter stage of the battle when it came down to give and take, I never thought that they excelled. I was convinced that to stay in the game and to fight down to a “tug of war” they had to have new blood. I made several unsuccessful attempts with this end in view.

I have a very good partner in the Philippines by the name of Nene Abello and Nene is one of the best in the Philippines. Nene and I had already won the World championship in the Philippines and lots of other big derbies with the Sweaters. I told him what I thought and that I was looking for some new blood to put in them. He said when he came to visit the next we would look for something that could help improves the Sweaters. Nene and I were always looking for new blood to improve our strains of gamer fowl. Nene always said that out of all the cockers he know I was the only one that he had met who was always looking for something to improve the stain of game fowl. He thought that I would always have great game fowl because of this. I never let them go to nothing before adding new blood.

On his next trip from the Philippines, we went to see Mr. Ray Hoskins of TX. If anyone has ever been to Ray’s farm they can tell you that he has some very impressive game fowl. He has green leg Hatch which is what I was interested in. All of the chickens at Ray’s farm were in very good health and uniform in every way. I know that Ray was a good breeder and that he never let too may people have any of his bloodlines. If not for Nene I would probable not have gotten any of the yellow leg Hatch, but with Nene being friends with Ray for many years, he agreed to sell me a cock for $500.00 and I bought it.

The yellow leg cock had good station and was black breasted with the same type and color as the Sweaters, but the plumage was longer and much improves. He consisted of very broad feathers and a quill of whale bone toughness. Such plumage enables a chicken to be fought several times during a season. The first crosses were strong, tough and desperately game. I bred back to the Sweater side, fighting and testing them. Each year’s breeding showed improvement over the year before. I kept this up until they were back to type, showing improvement over the year before, showing all the old fighting qualities of the Sweaters, but they were now back with strength and endurance making them more efficient cocks at any stage of the battle. Ray said he got this yellow leg Hatch from a very wealthy man from Chicago and that’s all he told me about them. That was the blood that put the Sweaters back on the map.

In my hands, as well as many of my friends such as: Dink Fair, Ronnie Justise, Jeff Hudspeth, Jerry Atkins, Ray Boles, Bruce Barnett, Charley Abley and many other people, who through friendship or for good money, they have been winning for the past 15 years and are still wining today.

Nene Abello and my son Chis have just won the Work Championship in the Philippines again this year. These Sweaters all come a light orange with pea comb and white streamers in their tails. They have good station and are very good to look at. The hen comes looking like an orange straw or straw and buff color. All have good station and conformation. Sometimes we get a green leg hen but never a green leg cock. For the past six years, my son and Nene have been doing all the honors in the cock house and pits, I consider Nene a fine judge of a cock. He is among the best feeders and I know he is one or the best breeders in the Philippines. He knows what to expect from a cock and if they were not right in every respect he would have found out several years ago and passed them up. He tests almost every loser and they have to be right for him or he has no use for them.

Nene as help Chris and I by selecting brood fowl from the pits that we have sent to him to fight. He lets us know from which mating we have sent him which is performing the best. He has conditioned and fought more of these Sweaters than any one man. He knows them through and through and I just want to say thanks to him for staying a true friend to Black Water Farms. For the last 15-20 years he has never looked for any other fowls. I hope that I have not hurt anyone’s feelings by mentioning their name in this article and I hope I have answered most of the questions about the strain of Sweaters we have at Blackwater Farms. I am very proud of having something to do with this strain of game fowl which has taken over the ads in the magazines and the pits around the world and in keeping them as good as or maybe even better than when I came into possession of the Sweaters.

Sweater Pedigree Table
by Gameness (til the End)
Based on the articles posted on this post

Sweater Crosses Carol NeSmith and Eugene Brown

Sweater Cock Odis Chappell Sweater Cock Sonny Ware Sweater Hen Sonny Ware Yellow Leg Hatch Hen Eugene Brown

NeSmith Sweater #1 (7/8 cock 1/4 hen or 1/8 of Johnny Cock) Carol NeSmith

Sweater Cock Odis Chappell Sweater Cock Sonny Ware Sweater Hen Sonny Ware Sweater Hen Carol NeSmith Sweater Cock Johnny Jumper Sweater Cock Cecil Davis Sweater Cock (also see below table and story) Harold Brown Boston Roundhead (probably the Sweater bloodline; see below) Harold Brown McLean Hatch (probably the Sweater bloodline; see below) Harold Brown Kelso Hen (infusion) Walter Kelso Sweater bloodline (probably infused; see below) Harold Brown Kelso Walter Kelso Sweater Hen Odis Chappell

NeSmith Sweater #2 Possum Carol NeSmith

Sweater Cock Odis Chappell Sweater Cock Sonny Ware Sweater Hen Sonny Ware Sweater Hen (Aunt / Mother) Sonny Ware

NeSmith Sweater #3 Carol NeSmith

NeSmith Sweater #1 and #2 Carol NeSmith Yellow Leg Hatch Cock (infusion) Ray Hoskins Sweater (infusion) Newton Wade Sweater Sonny Ware Albany (infusion) Newton Wade Sweater (infusion) George Lay Sweater Sonny Ware Lacy Roundhead (infusion) George Lay

Sweater bloodline Harold Brown

Sweater bloodline Sweater McGinnis Yellow Leg Hatch Mike Kearney Grey Claret Cross Sweater McGinnis Grey E.W. Law Claret John Madigin McLean Hatch (infusion) Harold Brown

Marvin Anderson and Sweater Bloodline
from Harold Brown

Marvin Anderson was born 1878 and died in 1976. While serving in the army he became acquainted with Mr. Sanford Hatch from New York. They both were cockers and became friends at this time. This was during WW1 he fought birds in Alabama and Georgia. During these times people that fought birds traveled by wagon trains to southern towns where cockfighting was a weeklong event. They fought their fowl and mains were on there way out. They decided to weigh and fight them in order until one fought his birds out, almost like ten cock hack fights. They served food and stayed all week in the towns and always had some one stay with there birds.

Mr. McGinnis had fowl as well, Harold Brown told me that he had a family of the left nose hatch, given to him by Mr. Mike Kearny, and he crossed them on 1/2 E.W. Law Grey, 1/2 Madigin Clarets, they was as good of fowl that he had. After meeting a young cocker from Alabama named Harold brown they became acquainted. He gave him some fowl none as his sweater left nose greys.

Harold said in the early 40s and early 30s they were greys and bred back to the brother and sister mating they became red, being 1/2 hatch blood 1/4 Claret blood and 1/4 grey the law birds was a dark legged grey blood to start with. I know for a fact I seen some in the early 70s that threw a grey every now and then. Harold also said he gave some of this blood to Mr. Walter Kelso for the Orlando tournament and to meet some persons in a derby at the Augusta tournament.

They where the Sweaters blood. In turn they won both tournaments. Mr. Gilbert Coutua was the feeder from Louisiana, a friend of Harold and Marvin. Marvin was breeding the yellow legged birds from Sanford and Harold kept the ones that was crossed on the Kearny blood and where green legged he got from Theodore McLean, the green legged fowl has more plumage and that’s the ones Harold could sell. Marvin and Harold decided to keep the yellow legged fowl in Alabama, only letting them out to just the local’s -runt camp Scott house-Barnett’s.

In the 60s Harold brown was beating a young cocker from Texas named Joe Goode and his brother. Then became acquainted with a young cocker named Johnny Jumper, he was fascinated with the fowl. Harold talked to Walter and told him to let this young man have some of them birds because he knew he was pretty much a up and coming cocker and Harold and Curtis liked him. They beat him a lot but he had a good show of birds and always took care of the ones that were fought.

Through the years breeding of this cross fowl they all became the color of red roosters light red in color with white in the tails, being a breeder and selecting fowl Harold sold some of these fowl, Carol Nesmith later obtained some of the yellow leg blood from his buddy Bruce Barnett’s older brother. Dink fair got some from Johnny Jumper, and some from Carol Nesmith.

Marvin Anderson told me the make up of those Sweaters were and I believe until this day are mostly the 1/2 yellow legged hatch, 1/4 Madigin Claret, 1/4 E.W. Law Dark Leg Grey. Bred back to the yellow side which would be dominant line and inbreeding like all the old timers done to keep their birds. Most sweaters being a battle cross are all mean unless handled at early stages of their life.

Johnny Jumper, Radio, Kelso

Johnny Jumper, owner of Pee Jay Farm in Ripley Mississippi, is a Living Legend in the Sports of Cockfighting Hall of Fame.

Before he become known in the world of cockfighting, Johnny worked at a shoe factory. Johnny raised chickens and into cockfighting but not dominant to be known.

Johnny is very close friend of Cecil Davis. Cecil Davis had a lot of country walks for gamefowls. Cecil had 100 stag walks from Walter Kelso and 50 stag walks from Bill Japhet almost every year. Walter and Bill got their main breeds from John Madigin and Thomas Murphy when these two gentlemen decided to quit the sports. Both Walter and Thomas are known for breed named after them. Cecil also got all stocks of Walter and Bill and become known for Cecil Davis Kelso gamebreed. Johnny got some good Cecil Davis Kelso from Cecil particularly the Out & Out Kelso families.

Bill sent a stag to Cecil for country walk. Cecil then sent this same stag when he was a cock to Johnny for training. When the time come to fight him, Cecil told Johnny not to use him because they do not know where he come – the pedigree that is. But at a later time, they showed this cock twice. The first against Curtis Blackwell green legged Hatch in Alabama cockfight event. The second in Arkansas cockfight event where the owner and breed of the opponent was forgotten by years past. On both occasion, american gaff was used.

This cock, now a two-time winner, is a yellow legged straight comb medium red cock. Johnny become fond of this cock as this cock will sing, as Johnny puts it, all day long like a radio. Johnny called this cock Radio. Johnny asked Cecil to ask Bill the pedigree of this cock. They were told by Bill that it was from a Whitehackle cock and Murphy hen breeding.

Johnny bred this cock to a Grey hen which was a half Blueface half Bumblefoot Grey in breeding. The offsprings were too fast and has terrible performance.

Then the nick of the Radio. Johnny bred this cock to a yellow legged peacomb Kelso hen. The offsprings were of good performance. Johnny chose the best daughter of straight comb type every breeding season until he got 31/32 of the original cock linebred offsprings. These are the Radio gamebreed we have known and desired until now.

The late former Philippine Congressman James Chiongbian of Sarangani entry at World Slasher Cup was very successful using Radio and Kelso from Johnny. Johnny and James were very good business friends. Philip Chiongbian, son of James, is continuing the devotion to Johnny Jumper gamefowls and uses Johnny’s fowl for his King Cobra entry. Most of the big name in Philippine cockfighting already imported their Radio and Kelso stocks from Johnny. These two breeds from Johnny will remain on top of the performance decades from now.

Johnny characterized his Radio as very aggressive non-stop fighting, body puncher, medium station, round body, straight comb, yellow legged, medium red and whitehackle hackle. Johnny characterized his Kelso as very aggressive high flying fighting, yellow and white legged, straight and pea comb, dark and light red. Johnny mentioned that both his Radio and Kelso are not smart but has very quick reflexes and a deliberate strong blows.

Johnny Jumper Tribute cockfighting events were held at Sunset Recreational Club and Bayou Club years ago when it is legal to fight birds in Louisiana cockfight events. In these two very prestigious cockpit, Radios and Kelsos were performing well in all weapons – short knife, long knife, and gaff.

Johnny also breeds Grey, Roundhead, Hatch, and Aseel breed.

Johnny got a musical family background and played the guitar in band named Johnny Jumper and the Rhythm Drifters. The Pee in his farm stands for the last name of his business partner Ray Price, the musician.

Johnny is always a gentleman and very good conversationalist. He does not guess what other person might say or think about a subject or why the other person did something. He say he does not know the answer. He just say what he thinks or what he knows about the subject. Johnny is love by his wife Doris, son Randy and his grandson Nathan. Johnny is a cancer survivor. He is doing well and healthy during my visits.

I will leave you with Johnny’s word about the Radio.

“Cecil brought me a rooster to train one time…and this rooster was very noisy. He was happy, happy all the time. So, I trained him and uh I’d exercise him and he was just so noisy. He had a great mental attitude. So, I named him Radio. I gave him the name Radio cause he talked all the time. And that…that name has stuck with those chickens since 1962. And course people call “you the man that invented uh come up with the radios?” and I say well I come up with this one rooster you know and so I bred him to 1 kelso hen then I bred him back to 15/16 of him and that’s how the…and I still have that family to this day. We call them Radios but they are red chickens with yellow legs. Their basic bloodline was 1/2 whitehackle I was telling you about and 1/2 murphy. They come from Mr. Murphy up in New York. That’s what the rooster was made up out of, but we still have them today and they have such a great mental attitude. That’s so important…the mental attitude.”

– Gameness (til the End)

Sabong: A Sport and Industry Filipinos Can Be Proud Of

Repost

– Gameness (til the End)

Philippine Daily Inquirer

Jan 19, 2009

Even before the Spaniards landed in our shores, our forefathers were already fighting roosters. According to Magellan’s chronicler Pigafetta when they landed in the island of Palawan, “We found the natives fighting huge, but very tamed roosters”.

In a case study by American Scott Guggenheim, who stayed in Cagayan Valley for almost two years, it was mentioned that the Filipino’s fondness for the cockfighting was employed by the Spaniards to make governing the natives easier. “People were living so far apart from each other, so the rulers built cockpits and the natives transferred around these establishments”.

It was also thru cockfighting that the first acts of taxation were implemented. History tells us that the first semblance of upheaval by the Filipinos was when Spanish government raised the fees and taxes on cockfighting. Though it may be true that cockfighting was employed against us, we did turn the tables on the Spaniards in the same manner, due to the fact that the cockpits became the ideal recruitment grounds for the prospective members of the Katipunan that paved the way for us to win back our freedom.

When the Americans came, they implemented things to make the Filipinos turn their backs from and forget cockfighting, but they failed. Under the American regime, textbooks were printed in the hope of putting the sports in a bad light, thus the phrase that “if a cocker’s house catches fire, the will save his rooster first, then his wife” was spread. The Americans also introduced baseball to the hilt, hoping the youth would adopt the said sport and completely veer away from cockfighting, but to no avail, Cockfighting continuously became popular.

SABONG IN THE ’80s

In 1981 the Philippine Gamefowl Commission was created by the virtue of Presidential Decree 1802. The ’80’s was the decade when Philippine cockfighting saw a strong resurgence. The success of what were considered as truly Filipino breeds such as Lemon 84, the Mitra Blues, and the Zamboanga Whites gave new colors and a foundation of hope to the sport. It was during this time that a number of cocking stars rose to fame.

New cockpits were built while existing ones were refurbished and improved such as San Juan Coliseum, Cavite Coliseum, and Roligon Mega Cockpit that presented record-breaking events that brightly augmented the glitter of Araneta Coliseum’s revered contribution to Philippine cockfighting, the World Slasher Cup.

SABONG IN THE ’90s

The passing into law of the Omnibus Local Government Code of 1991 that ordered the devolution of the Philippine Gamefowl Commission and gave the local government units blanket authority and power over cockfighting, paved the way in the easing up of restrictions on cockfighting that blew open doors for the long overdue expansion of the sports. More cockpits were established. More derbies were held. It was also during this period that several periodicals on cockfighting were put in circulation such as Pinoy Sabungero Magasin, Sabong Magasin, Birds & Steel, and Philippine Cockfights Newsmag. Tukaan, the first tele-magazine program on cockfighting and gamefowl breeding went on air in 1999.

It was in the 90’s when specialty feeds, vitamins and medicine for the gamefowls were produced by such companies as Thunderbird with its “winning formula”. The huge increase in the number of cockpits resulted in stiff competition to the benefit of the cockfighters. Rich and attractive derby promotions were staged outdoing each other in the amount of prizes and gimmicks. They offered large guarantee prizes with easily affordable entry feee like the Hatawan sa Tag-ulan and Largahan of Roligon. This paved the way for mass-based cockers to try derby fighting for the first time.

2000 TO THE PRESENT

It cannot be denied that at the onset of the new millennium, one of the biggest thngs that ever happened to Philippine cockfighting, particularly in the field of gamefowl breeding, become a reality. It was the creation of the National Federation of Gamefowl Breeders that bound the already existing breeders’ associations under one umbrella and also provided the inspiration for gamefowl breeders in every region and provinces to put up their respective associations.

The next big development was the easing up on the importation of fighting cocks and breeding stocks from America. While before that time, only participants in an international derby can bring gamebirds into the country, the Bureau of Animal Industry, to the delight of the local rooster-raisers allowed anyone to import, as long as his farm is registered with the said agency.

Nowadays, Philippine cockfighting is at am all time high. There are now two federations after the United Gamecock Breeders Association was formed by groups that decided to break away from the NFGB. Today, NFGB is stronger with about 30 member breeder’s associations boosted by the formations of new provincial and regional groups.

Before, it was only the World Slasher Cup, but today there are five to six international derbies being held each year. However, the Slasher, which is held twice a year at the historic Araneta Coliseum for more than 30 years now, is undoubtedly the most prestigious and regarded internationally as the “Olympics of Cockfighting” joined by the best cockfighters from here and abroad bringing along their finest winged-warriors. Legends like Duke Hulsey, Joe Goode, Billy Ruble, Jimmy East, Dee Cox, Ray Alexander, Carol Nesmith, and Johnny Jumper have graced the Slasher which Jorge “Nene” Araneta’s flaming commitment to Philippine cockfighting.

For the first time, World Slasher Cup’s 3-day format had to be spread as a five-day event with the number of participants finally breaking the 200-mark. The healthy competition and interaction between local and visiting cockfighters has contributed so much to the high pedigree of “warbirds” that we have in the Philippines today. Moreover, this semi-annual cockfighting spectacle through the years, has also become the homecoming occasion for thousands of Pinoy sabungeros working abroad or have acquired foreign citizenship, but have remained Filipinos in their passion for sabong.

Philippine cockfighting is alive and kicking and hundreds of thousand of families now owe their livelihood to cockfighting and the gamefowl industry. There are those who are directly employed, the gamefowl breeders, handlers, gaffers, cockpit owners, cockpit operators, derby promoters, bet-takers, vendors, etc.

Thousand more are benefited by way of employment in allied industries that provide products and services to cockfighting and gamefowl breeding such as that work in gamefowl feeds and vetmed companies, just to name a few.

Today, the sport of cockfighting and the gamefowl breeding industry is estimated to be at P50 billion.

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On World Slasher Cup One Winning Formula

For more than 30 years, the World Slasher Cup has been continuously held at the Araneta Coliseum as a burning commitment of Jorge “Nene” Araneta to the Filipino cockers.

More than the world-class battle between prized roosters bred and raised locally or brought in from America and other countries, the World Slasher Cup has provided the glitter and glamour that has raised the bar of competition and pushed the level of acceptance and popularity of the Sport to greater heights.

The undisputed “Olympics of Cockfighting” has lured the most promiment rooster-raisers and cockfighters from the United States bringing along their finest winged-warriors. Legends like Duke Hulsey, Joe Goode, Billy Ruble, Jimmy East, Dee Cox, Ray Alexander, Carol Nesmith, and Johnny Jumper among others have graced the World Slasher Cup.

The healthy competition and interaction has contributed so much to the high pedigree of “warbirds” that we have in the Philippines today.

Moreover, this semi-annual cockfighting spectacle, through the years, have also become the homecoming event for thousands of Pinoy sabungero working abroad or have acquired foreign citizenship, but have remained Filipinos in their passion for sabong.

The prestige of winning a World Slasher Cup has served as the inspiration for cockers everywhere to race against each other in acquiring the dominant bloodlines available and breed then in the hope of coming out with the elusive nick that will produce the offspring battlecocks fit to enter the World Slasher Cup.

together with this quest is the determination to provide the best health and nutrition for their fightingcocks. The right feeds, vitamins, and medication – the winning formula.

Thunderbird – the gamefowl industry leader, since the launching of its first product – Thunderbird Hi-Protein Power Pellets, has provided “The Winning Formula” for the Filipino cocker.

Since 1991, when Thunderbird started on its path to pursue its vision of a promising gamefowl industry, Thunderbird’s Winning Formula has produced 8 “Champion of the World” that have won a total of 12 World Slasher Cup titles.

These are Bicol’s Cito Albert (2008 & 1991), Honey Yu of Quezon City (2008 & 2004), Dicky Lim (2006 & 2002) of the Winslet fame, Bulalayaw Game Farm owner Boy Marzo (2005), Laguna’s pride Pol Estrellado (2004), newspaper executive Rey Briones (2003), Aling Lydia’s better-half Boy “Lechon” de Roca (1995), and Zamboanga Black breeder Manny Dalipe (1991 & 1990).

The Filipino cockers have been awed, inspired and united by the World Slasher Cup staged year after year at the historic Araneta Coliseum – the acknowledged mecca of entertainment and sports in Philippines. Thru time, the celebrated event has maintained the cocker’s unwritten code of fairness, honor, friendship, honesty, and sportsmanship.

And ever since the Filipino gamefowl breeders and cockers began providing their fighters with the health and nutrition products that Thunderbird has developed to match their will and determination to win, the Pinoy sabungero has put their faith and have continued to trust Thunderbird – the winning formula.