Dentergem: Are we visiting the best Belgian fancier of today? If we look at the results from the last 15 or 20 years, then we have to say yes. This is certainly true when we talk about the races of distances between 500 and 700 kilometers. For years, our friend in the sport Gaby has concentrated his system on the provincial races, and here he was noted 66 times as Number One! Sixty-six provincial victories. It is all very quickly said but not so easy to achieve. Gaby was racing so hard that all the clubs in the neighborhood closed their doors to Dentergem so that Gaby had only the opportunity to win prizes in the provincial or national racing results, and then it is of course not so easy anymore to "control" a whole race

At Wontergemstraat 72 in Dentergem lives Gaby Vandenabeele. Dentergem is a little town between East and West Flanders and became famous accross the borders because of pigeonman Vandenabeele. Since 1988 Gaby won 5 firsts National and more than 62 firsts Provincial. Impressing!

Pigeonmen who visited Gaby Vandenabeele for the first time were always surprised not to find there huge lofts as is so often the case with champions like him. Also in his most succesful years Gaby did not behave  like a star but stayed who he was: Modest!  He and his wife Christine take care of about 50 widowhoodcocks, 30 breedincouples and 120 babies and a handful of so-called pumpers.  
Gaby Vandenabeele has always been succesful on all levels and in all categories.Yearlings, 2-years-old, Old birds, Youngsters, 100 kilometers or 800? For this champion it makes no difference! His stars just win one first after another and one championship after another. Though it must be said that Vandenabeele has a preference for Middle Distance and One Day races.
In Belgium people still race for money, very often for much money, and those people who know Gaby know he likes pooling. He puts in much money and often wins very much money. And this can only be achieved with birds that win topprizes. That's why Gaby is always searching birds that win, preferably with headwinds and a speed of 1.200 meters per minute. They must be birds that win in real tough weather and once Gaby has laid hands on such birds they are put in the stockloft immediately. That's what happened years ago to 'Wittenbuik'. Apart from 4 firsts it also won many more top prizes.