A Guide to Practical Breeding Philippine Lemons, 2012 | Page 14

slasher cup I. Salud and Orillaza showed cocks coming from bloodlines of another Negros stalwart, Danilo Hinlo.
In year 2000, Bob Cuenca, a member of the La Carlota, Negros lemon group, likewise in
tandem with Patrick Antonio, won a share of that year’s January edition of the world slasher.
That same year, Peping Ricafort scored a grand slam. He emerged co-champion in both
the January and June editions of the world slasher cup. Ricafort later divulged in a magazine
interview that he always made it a point that all cocks he bred have drops of the lemon 84
blood which he got directly from the originator Paeng Araneta.
In January 2001, Tony Trebol, another member of the La Carlota lemon group won another WSC title.
These series of major achievements by the lemons were no easy feats considering they
came in the wake of perennial challenges from the sweaters of Carol Nesmith, Bruce Barnette,
and Dink Fair, the Roger Roberts hatchets; and the birds of Johnny Jumper, Ray Alexander,
and those of many other American and local breeders.
Brainy and quick
The lemons are medium to low station. They fight smart, cut well and have excellent
timing. They come in plumage from red with lemon hackles to downright lemon like color.
They come either in straight or pea combs, but mostly straight combs, except for the 84s which
are basically pea combs. More than ninety percent of the lemons come in yellow legs. A few
are green legged. Fewer still are white legged. They are not as beautiful as, say, the sweaters,
but the lemons have a bearing of the royalty and confidence of a champion. The lemons exude
an aura, so to say.
In the pit, they keep their cool under extreme pressure. Under attack, the lemon extricate
itself by either gracefully side stepping or topping the opponent. When attacking, the lemon
does not resort to fancy shuffles and multiple cutting. It simply hits with fatal single strokes.
The lemon may not look so fast in its movements but, in reality, it is quick to the draw
and extremely accurate. There is rhythm to its blows that draws the opponent to its beat, and
poetry in its motions that baffles the opponent into lowering its guards.
The lemons are patient and brainy. They are what is called ―abang‖ in Tagalog and
―kumpas‖ in Bisaya. They wait for the opponent to make the first move. They seem to know
that, more often than not, the first move is a mistake.
Then the lemons are vertical flyers. When the other cock strikes the lemon goes up vertically to top the opponent, and not diagonally as most cocks do.
This is geometry and physics in action. When two birds go up together in the air vertically, the point of contact is prolonged and gravity more centered that when one of the birds
breaks diagonally forward. Thus, breaking vertically, the bird on top will have more time to inflict damage; whereas, in a diagonal flight the inertia of the forward blow will likely prevent
the blade from going deeper into the flesh.
On the ground, when evading blows, the lemon side steps or back pedals instead of
ducking. And, it counters accurately. According to Mayor Juancho Aguirre, to him the ultimate
maneuver of a cock is back pedaling at the same time ―nagiiwan ng paa‖ or counter striking