This cast-iron trophy was never inscribed; was it for a homing pigeon that never came home? It does rather resemble a Racing Homer, the breed specifically developed by the Belgians during the nineteenth century. These birds were wonderfully fast, flying on average at 60mph for hours at a time. Plus they had an enhanced homing instinct, which makes it all the sadder to think of our blank pigeon trophy, unawarded, to a bird that never made it back. For now we can say, “congratulations on just being a pigeon”.