Mitra 56

During the 80′s, a Filipino breeder named Ramon Mitra had a dream to create a kind of gamecock that didn’t fight like the normal aggressive breeds at that time (hatches, butchers, etc). He then began experimenting with a lot of oriental breeds. It was rumored that he used Japanese shamos, Brazilian Aseel, Pakistani Aseel, Indian Aseel, Philippine Parawakan Aseel, Philippine Igon Aseel, Sumatras, Vietnamese Ga Noi, Spanish fowl and other breeds from all over the world.

Through his experimental breedings, he was able to create the Mitra gamecock or Mitra 56. There were a lot of theories about why this line was called Mitra 56. Some say that he used 56 breeds, others say that it took him 56 tries, maybe only his family can shed light on the Mitra 56 etymology.

The Mitra 56 gamecocks were fantastic and won in a lot of fights. The Mitra 56 looked very oriental, fought like orientals, very off-beat with all their dodging and dancing around the ring. The main problem with orientals at that time was that they lacked gameness, just a small wound would make them quit. But the Mitra 56 was very game, that set it apart from other orientals and imported cocks. It was said that Mitra bred a little of cowardness into his gamecocks, the purpose is to have a fighting style which does not mixed it up (a blow for a blow infighting) but is one with timing and deadly as a sniper. Very clever ring generals that side steps, backs up, waves, ducks intelligently, and the powerful blow (one stroke or multiple strokes).

Personally, this bloodline hits close to home as some of the very first cockfights I witnessed was my father using the Mitra56 fowl. My father was friends with one of Ramon Mitra’s children and he gifted my dad with a pure Mitra 56 grey hen. According to him, they don’t normally let the pure hens go to other breeders as Mitra believed that the hen holds the key to successful breeding. My father was so happy with his hen and she was his prized possession. My father then bred this hen to an imported Kelso rooster that he acquired. The offspring was very ugly, big headed like an oriental, and the feathers were sticking to the body. In all aspects, very ugly roosters. But they were magnificent fighting cocks. They never lost in their first few fights. If they would lose, it was on their 3rd or 4th fights. This combination worked extremely well for us. Unfortunately, as time passed, we lost this bloodline.

Currently, very few breeders still have the Mitra bloodline. Those who do, just have around 1/8 or 1/16 Mitra blood in their fowl. Ramon Mitra has 2 sons who are trying to revive this great bloodline, Dado and Baham. The exact make up of the original Mitra gamecocks may have been only known to the late Ramon Mitra, according to his eldest son Dado, he remembers the original Mitra56 to have 1/4 – 1/8 parawakan fowl and some bobby bowls blood both red and black.

Probably the last pure Mitra56. This magnificent rooster resides in Dado Mitra’s farm.