As easy as 1-2...
Only 3 days since our 1-2-4 in the Land O'Burns Fillies' Stakes (Listed Race). We have had another dominant performance in listed company. We headed to Carlisle for the Eternal Stakes (listed) with Oscula & Honey Sweet.
Sam James got his filly out very quick and she was probably doing too much in front in the early stages which was great news for us as Ben was able to sit and be patient. When Ben did pull out Oscula she soon put daylight between herself and the field. Ben said he won with plenty in hand and that's how it looked watching it.
In the last 3 days that makes it 2 stakes winner & 5 black type placings!!!
A day to remember at Ayr! We sent 5 runners & over 20 NBR owners up for the action and it certainly did not disappoint...
We ran Guilded, Hellomydarlin & Sophie’s Star in the feature race of the day, the Land O'Burns Fillies' Stakes (Listed Race). Guilded getting up impressively to secure her first black type win. A 17,000gns purchase from Tattersalls Yearling Book 2 sale and now 97 rated with over £94,000 prize money secured. We didn’t stop there and the squad was out in form, as she was closely followed behind with Hellomydarlin in 3rd & Sophie’s Star in 4th.
So great to see so many of our 3yos out in form, an exciting few months ahead for our NBR owners!
The pinnacle of flat racing returned, and in unusual fashion graced us with particularly glorious weather!
This year we only had 1 runner go to the royal meeting, Al Qareem, lined up for the Queen's Vase (Gr.2). A competitive field with Eldar Eldarov leading the betting and ultimately justifying support after a dwelt start came through with a strong late surge to get up to win in the final strides.
Al Qareem ran a solid race at Ascot under Clifford Lee. Cliff found it quite easy to get to the front and set a good pace in the first half of the race. We had a good lead turning in but the Meader horse closed us down quickly. Al Qareem battled on to the line and finished a solid 4th position. At the time it looked like Cliff possibly went too quick but looking at the sectionals, Al Qareem was quickening himself up the straight but not at the same rate as the others in the field.
Big entries to come for this one!
WHAT A DAY!
We headed to York with 30 NBR owners and 2 from our 2yo cohort. With high hopes for Mersea after getting off the mark at Carlisle last time out she defied a 6lb penalty to get back-to-back wins! Another brilliant ride by Sam and a fantastic team effort from Grant and the team. In the same race we also ran Poppy Carrew who provided us with an encouraging run.
We then headed to Goodwood with True Jem who got back to winning ways with her first win on turf! A fantastic day all round and great to see so many runners getting in to form as we head to Royal Ascot next week. We should have around 6-8 runners and hopefully provide some more very memorable days for our owners!
In a week of racing steeped in history with the Epsom Derby going back 243 years and finishing with the Prix De Jockey Club(the French Derby). Although as we reflect on one of the oldest races established in the world we look back at previous renewals and a name keeps popping up. ..That of the great Lestor Piggot who we sadly lost a few days before the Derby was due to take place. A true great of the sport who won the Derby a record breaking 9 times.
During the week we had runners in UK,IRE & FR. We saw the return to form of Sophie's Star, who in her 1st run with Roger Fell managed to get up to win. Thanks to a brilliant ride by Jonny and and prep from Amy Collier has done all of the work with her at home and deserves the credit for today's performance. We also saw Oscula get back to form with a 2nd in the Surrey Stakes (Listed Race), Epsom. Our two French raiders Guilded & HMD fought nobably but ultimately was not their days at Chantilly. An action packed week with certainly a lot more to come as Royal Ascot fast approaches.
This week we have gone from elation to devastation. From the highs of seeing Mas Poder breaking her maiden after a long period of being injured. An absolute testament to the team at Glebe Farm who got her back in training & Kevin and his team for getting her back to strengths!
We headed the next day to Carlisle on the 26th May with 3 runners in CL4 5f 2yo only race. Which ultimately saw Mersea break her maiden on her 4th start, securing our 2nd 2yo winner of the season and Grant's 1st. The celebration were however shortlived as the immediate concern was for Sideways Shift who pulled up quite suddenly during the race.
The vets inspected her and diagnosed her with a fractured pelvic. She spent the night at the racecourse but when she was moved the next day the fracture must have slipped and we very sadly lost Sideways Shift.
A horribly sad and painful thing for all involved, our thoughts and prayers go out to all involved with this very much loved and promising member of the NBR team.
Nick headed to Ireland this week for the penultimate breeze up in the calendar and Ireland's only breeze up sale in the calendar.
The sale has historically always ben quite good value while also producing some serious talent, certainly one that Nick was not going to miss. Last year the sale gave us Stone Age, one of this years leading Derby favourites!
Nick managed to secure 3 exciting prospects:
LOT 52 - DARK ANGEL X PLAGIARISM
LOT 63 - THE LAST LION X SALLY IS THE BOSS
LOT 126 - GUTAIFAN X AMALLNA
Al Qareem wins at the final day of the Dante Festival at York. With over 80 owners in attendance made it a truly memorable day and certainly a memorable festival. 8 runners in total, costing less than £200,000, and the only syndiacte to win and place all week, including a 2nd in the Westow Stakes)(listed race) very much a happy bunch, I am sure a few sore heads this morning...
We discussed the potential pace battle infront with Cliff and gave him licence to lead but to ensure he wasn't going too hard in the early stages. As it worked out everyone looked at the race and felt that the pace would be strong and therefore took their time with their horses. This suited us it as it allowed Cliff to set his own fractions infront and control the race. Al Qareem didn't hit a flat spot in the race and won with plenty in hand. He took an age to pull up and is clearly a horse who is improving as we step him up in trip.
Nick picked up Al Qareem for only 17,000gns last year, the average cost of the runners in her race was over £130,000...
The Dante festival holds a special place in Nick's heart, often referred to as 'The Royal Ascotof the North'. Nick had a record of 30 placings and no winners before Al Qareem made light work of her opposition. Clearly no Friday 13th superstition hanging over us this festival :)
He will now go for the King George V Stakes at Royal Ascot on June 16th where we expect him to go there with a massive chance.
Guilded bolsters her page further with a 2nd in the Westow Stakes (Listed Race) at York! Adding to the considerable record of placings in big races at the meeting for Nick, taking it to around 30 placings without a winner! A streak we hopefully be putting to bed on Friday as we send a very strong cohort of 2yos and some of our more familiar faces to get involved in the action!
A dominant front running performance by Clifford. Picking up well, Guilded kept on well in to the final furlong. In the end just coming up short against Karl's other runner in the race Last Crusader.
What is becoming very evident recently is that Karl's yard is in top form ...2yo's or his more familiar faces, they are all flying! This bodes very well as we have 13 2yos with him this season with some big race entries looming...
Mersea ran a career best this afternoon at York under a brilliant ride from Sam. She broke well from the gates and tracked Danny who took them along down the stands rail. Our filly travelled strongly and was one of the last horses off the bridle. She battled hard to get infront of the Keatley horse but was then collared for 2nd late on by the Adrian Nicholls horse who was staying on from off the pace.
We purchased her for only €5,000 at the Osarus sales last year. She was the least expensive purchase in the race and another great example of how Nicks shrewd moneyball approach can find talent without having to break the bank!
Lucia Joy breaks her maiden on the 4th time of asking at Thirsk with a dominant front running performance!
She was given a brilliant ride from Sam and never looked in too much danger of losing. Sam set steady enough fractions in the middle of the race which ensured she had plenty of juice left in the tank inside the final furlong.
We also picked up a £20,000 GBB bonus, a bonus scheme given out to British bred fillies & mares in certain eligible races.
We now look towards what the handicapper will do as we plan her next immediate targets, with the medium target being the Sandringham Stakes at Royal Ascot!
Honey Sweet set a good pace and ran all the way to the line to retain her second placed position crossing the line. It was probably a career best today and certainly a run we can be proud of.
The winner was 2nd in the Jean Luc Lagadere Group 1 last year and returned to his best form today. To put things in context he was a 1.1million Euro yearling purchase.
Eldrickjones finished a creditable 4th amongst tough competition beating the well fancied Ribhi.
Honey Sweet & Eldrickjones over in lsited company today helped bring us over £110,000 in prize money for the year!
Nick came to Newmarket with the intention of coming back with a 'lorry load of fillies!'
Unfortunately, this was not to be the case, with prices quickly going up and parties all competing for the same lots raising the prices to levels that Nick deemed too far a stretch from his Moneyball approach!
Nick has loved being shadowed by a number of NBR owners this week. Very much taking him back to his classroom roots as he walked them through the smoke and mirrors landscape of the sales!
Last year Nick purchased Fast Response 88OR for only 13,000GNS which was the 9th highest rated horse to come out of the sale!
This year Nick has purchased two new recruits, both of which will be going to Roger Fell;
LOT 162 - BRAZEN BEAU X RIMRAAM
LOT 187 - COTAI GLORY X NOUVELLE NOVA
An eventful week that began with Nick having a car crash when arriving in Newmarket...Nick was hopeful of securing at least 4 today, at the end of the sales he returns with two quality types with real potential and importantly purchased at great prices which was difficult task to do with prices going sky high towards the end.
Overall very much a successful stop on the breeze up circuit & to add to the positive results Nick's daughter secured her first wicket in cricket today!
We head back to Newmarket this week for the Tattersalls Guineas Breeze Up Sale. This is Nick's favourite sale in the breeze up circuit and heads down with the intention of adding a number of fillies to our 2yo squad!
With 192 lots and 73 fillies Nick is confident on continuing his success at the sales...
Last year Nick purchased Fast Response 88OR for only 13,000GNS which was the 9th highest rated horse to come out of the sale!
This year we have ropened the doors in to the world of breeze up sales to NBR owners and Nick is excited to be joined on each of the days of the sale by owners.
To hear about our latest purchases first - SIGN UP HERE!
We got the important first 2yo winner on the board at Ripon on Saturday with a thrilling performance from The Twilight Lady
under an expertly timed ride by Ben Curtis.
Ben said our filly was wary of the starter again who was positioned next to her stall as he was at Musselburgh. Our filly broke better than she did at Musselburgh but was still a bit green and outpaced in the first couple of furlongs. Ben said she came back on the bridle around halfway and at that point he knew she was going to run a big race. He switched her to the outside and gave her a slap and she took off and circled the field to win nicely!
We will look to go for the Lily Agnes at Chester next on May 4th and then to the Listed Marygate on 13th May.
After three days of inspecting 180 lots going through Doncaster Nick highlighted 60 lots which had potential. With the sales proven track record of producing Royal Ascot winners and Nick's successful Cotai Glory colt purchase last year, Eldrickjones we were determined to to get involved in 2022!
We are excited to announce that we have secured 3 new purchases ...
LOT 9 - BATED BREATH X GRAND DEPART
LOT 121 - HARRY ANGEL X WHITE ROSA
LOT 159 - CAMACHO X DARK SEDUCTRESS
Next week we return to Newmarket for the Tattersalls Guineas Breeze Up Sale. Last year Nick purchased Fast Response for only 13,000gns
To hear about our latest purchases first - SIGN UP HERE!
Our 2nd stop on our 2022 breeze up circuit kicks off in Doncaster this week!
The sale has an excellent track record of producing Ascot winners, within the last 6 years it has produced the likes of;
Perfect Power
A'Ali
Quiet Reflection
My Dream Boat
Prince of Lir
Ardad
Last year Nick purchased ELDRICKJONES OR104 from the sales for only £26,000. Who finished 2nd in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot on his 2nd start!
Eldrickjones turned out to be the 5th highest rated to come out of the sale. The average cost of a 100+ rated horse from the sale last year was over 5x this at £146,000!
Nick heads down this week so if you want to hear about his latest Royal Ascot hopeful purchases first please sign up HERE
While we are waiting for our 2yos to get in to their groove our 3yos have been flying!
The flat season is well and truelly under way and we have had some very exciting black type performances this week...
Notable Performances Include:
HONEY SWEET - 4TH - bet365 European Free Handicap (LISTED RACE)
HELLOMYDARLIN - 2ND - Lansdown Stakes (LISTED RACE)
The Craven has produced some real talent in recent years. This week we saw Cachet winning the Nell Gwyn Gr.3 & Native Trail winning the Gr.3 Craven Stakes. With Nick's only bid in the ring last year on Cachet it is always good to see we are on the right tack in terms of what to look for!
Tally-Ho had a dominant sales with the two fastest breezers and probably the best cohort at the sales which gives confidence to our recent addition Bojink!
Overall there were some very smart prospects and definitely some that will be taking some to Royal Ascot this year and potentially stallion prospects. After day 2 Nick had not purchased but had two offers on the table for a Bungle Inthejungle and Havana Grey filly that we didn't secure in the end. Compared to last year we saw an increase in the mean price of 35% to 115,917gns!
Nick's Moneyball methodology will head to Doncaster next week as we look to secure a few additions to the roster!
11 days after a slightly dissapointing performance Rhinoplasty got back to winning ways at Wolverhampton after a step back to 5f!
After a dramatic start which saw Ben Curtis lose his iron and dismount out of the stalls. Sam rode her prominently and when asked 1f out, took keen hold and won comfortably!
It was a selling stakes and albeit a nice performance from her the crowds at Wolverhampton were at a minimal and we have retained her. She heads back to Karl Burke's where Alisha will continue to rider her out each morning!
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Nick heads to Newmarket this week to Tattersalls...
In the 2020 Craven Breeze Up's Nick secured 100OR Mystery Angel for 22,000gns. We later sold her for 500,000gns the following year!
Last year Nick only bid on one horse in the ring and turned out to be 109 rated Cachet and also the highest rated filly to come from the sales!
If you want to find out about our latest purchases from the sales first, sign up here -
We have limited shares in a homebred Acclaim filly that is entered to run at Kempton on the 30th March in the opening 2yo fillies race.
The reports on our filly are very positive! She qualifies for the Great British Bonus and can run in all of the bands of the Restricted divisions.
This filly was named after the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and 20% of the upfront cost will be donated to the Ukrainian appeal.
To get involved in our first 2yo runner of the season please visit her page to reserve your share;
Over the coming months Nick will be going over industry issues and talking points as well as reviewing and previewing the racing as we enter the flat season this weekend at Doncaster!
What we would love to hear from you guys is any topics of conversation that would interest you hearing Nick explore. Just drop me a message and we will try and fit in to the upcoming series!
In our first ever podcast Nick cover's;
⭐ Our line up for the flat season ⭐
⭐ Talks tactics for the upcoming Season ⭐ ⭐ Industry Concerns ⭐
⭐ First Season Sire First Trials ⭐
⭐ Betting Tips ⭐
⭐ Cheltenham Review ⭐
We hope you enjoy!
Please click the link to listen -
4 days of incredible action and over 70 entries into our first Cheltenham tipping competition! With memories of last year of absolute Irish dominance, there was hope of a slightly more impressive display from the English challengers as Constitution Hill won impressively in the opener on Tuesday for Nicky Henderson.
Wednesday we saw an impressive win by Sir Gerhard putting to rest any doubt he would stay the distance. Adding to the drama we also saw the shock early exit by Shiskin which 58 of you had down as your selection!
The drama very much continued during day 3 of the festival! Starting off with the Turners' Novices Chase with the much-anticipated showdown between Bob Ollinger & Galopin Des Champs. With Galopin Des Champs going around the track like he was going to take off into the stratosphere and challenge Elon Musk & Richard Branson in the space race. We were alas brought back down to earth with a déjà vu of Goshen at the last fence which ultimately led to Rachael Blackmore on Bob Ollinger taking the opening Grade 1! We were then treated to the rather impressive Allaho, many people's banker of the festival who made swift work of the opposition making all. With a slight heart stopping mistake at the last he carried on to win comfortably.
Day 4 saw Rachel Blackmore continue her dominance in NH, winning the Grand National & Champion Hurdle in the previous year. Friday saw her become the first woman to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup! Ultimately leading to Gary Lacey winning the competition – securing a £100 NBR Voucher and a day out with Nick at the Guineas Breeze Ups in April!
First and foremost, the most important thing was that she came back from the Saudi Derby safe and sound. We were very optimistic about her chances this weekend, but ultimately, she just isn’t suited by the ground. Riding prominently typically sees better success in the Derby. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the opportunity to put this in to practise as Oscula came off the bridle fairly early on in the race and dropped back through the pack.
However, It was promising to see another Gailileo Gold filly compete in the Saudi Derby (The Wizard Of Eye). A stallion we are very bullish on and are confident that his progeny will continue to be a familiar face at the major stages for years to come!
Ultimately the race went to Pinehurst, the Bob Baffert trained favourite. The well-bred son of Twirling Candy’, raced prominently from the offset. Having raced exclusively on dirt leading up to the Saudi Derby. It clearly put him in great position to get up quickly and assert in the early stages of the race and then hold off a late surge from Sekifu in the final furlongs.
The season is only just beginning for Oscula, with an entry for Irish 1,000 Guineas in May. We can’t wait to see her return to familiar surfaces and getting back in the winner’s enclosure for our owners!
A brilliant start to the week for NBR owners as we sent Wooders Dream & Latenightmistake to Newcastle(22/2) against a very tough favourite and came back with a 1-2!
The race was slowly run with the two outsiders of the race setting a fairly serene early pace. The short priced favourite Native Angel and Wooders Dream both raced up the middle of the track. Sam James produced a brilliant ride delivering Latenightmistake late on the favoured stands rail. He reported that she took an age to pull up & that she was only hitting top gear as she hit the line.
A difficult decision on where we target next. We will have to wait on the handicapper’s verdict and then plan accordingly. The owners of the lightly raced favourite Native Angel believe she was a 80-90 rated filly.
Congratulations to all connections! Hopefully, we have found another filly that will feature prominently in the top 2yo rated fillies for 2022!
Oscula is no stranger to the jet setting lifestyle having been campaigned in France numerous times during her 2yo season. Highlights include winning the Prix Six Perfections (Group 3) in Deauville and a third place behind Zellie in the (Group 1) Prix Marcel Boussac at Longchamp.
She will be ridden by Luis Saez for the first time. He is in great form, currently at a 33% strike rate over the last 2 weeks. No stranger to the Middle East having won the world's richest race, the $20,000,000 Saudi Cup, in 2020 on Maximum security. The duo will be targeting a $1.5million purse and represent George Boughey’s first runner on dirt and first in Saudi Arabia. This is not completely foreign territory for Nick Bradley Racing as we had both Rajar & Melisina run in the UAE Oaks(Group 3) in Meydan back in 2017.
The Saudi Derby takes place on the 26th February over 1m. The distance will pose no issue for Oscula who has tackled the trip with merit already, albeit the ground still remains an unknown. Oscula’s sire Galileo Gold was himself a top-class miler and it looks as if he has well and truly stamped his stock with Oscula!
If everything goes well, she also has an entry in the UAE Derby Stakes (Group 2 ) next month in Meydan and then later on in the year she has an entry for the Irish 1,000 Guineas (Group 1) in May. We can’t wait for her 3yo campaign to unfold!
2021 was a tough year for many reasons. We saw a fairly significant reduction in prize money compared to pre-pandemic levels. For example at the Jockey Club Racecourses in 2021, we saw a total prize money pool of £46.1 million distributed compared to £53.4 million in 2019.
However, we were confident in our ability to find value and bring a return for our owners and doubled our investments from the previous year with over £930,000 spent on new purchases. We were rewarded with successes at some of the biggest racing stages, gaining over £530,000 in prize money from our 2yos alone, giving our owners some fantastic memories in the process! A highlight was certainly making a 3000% return for our owners on the sale of Dandalla, Fev Rover & Mystery Angel at the December Mare Sales in Newmarket.
In 2022 Jockey Club Racecourses are injecting over £12million into prize money taking it to over £58.2 million. We are hoping for record returns for our owners as we look to break £1,000,000 in prize money overall for 2022!
Nick has had a lot of success previously at Tattersalls. Securing a number of a big stars, such as Raising Sand.
Of course, more recently we have seen great success in selling, as we saw Fev Rover, Mystery Angel & Dandalla bring in nearly £2million from an initial £60,000 investment. However, finding superstars like the latter is not an easy task and sometimes the results are lesser than one would hope.
Overall the sales were a success with 8 out of the 9 lots we entered in to the sales finding new homes. Generally, we got the prices we expected for them, with The Ceiling Job being our top lot of the two-day sales going for 24,000gns on day 1.
Nick will now look towards the breeze up consignors in the coming weeks as we look to find our next flag bearers for Nick Bradley Racing! We can’t wait!
Nick heads down to Newmarket for the February Sales at Tattersalls.
We have 9 lots entered over the two-day sale with a lot of really exciting individuals. We start with two homebred colts by Land Force (Lot 100) & Inns Of Court (Lot 101) who look really well built and promising individuals and very much a rarity in terms of gender as we welcomed our 4th filly of the year yesterday evening.
Later during Thursday, we shall see some very familiar faces pass by the ring starting with Shurut (Lot 199), Lightening Gesture (Lot 203), Maggie’s Joy (Lot 205), The Ceiling Job (Lot 237), Robbie Roger (Lot 280), Lucy Lulu (Lot 281) & Black Echo (Lot 485)
We can’t wait to see where they all end up next, best of luck to all connections!
Sue has won our first ever Nick Bradley Racing monthly photography competition! She now has £100 Nick Bradley Racing voucher to spend on her next purchase!
She got this brilliant shot at Lingfield Park racecourse on January 28th watching Hollie Doyle on Shurut. Sue is pictured here with Hollie and her friends, albeit not the result we wanted on the day, there is nothing that can beat a day out at the races!
The next monthly competition is up and running, please find the details here, look forward to seeing all your great shots!
Kaboo completed his hattrick at Kempton (24/01/22) and remains unbeaten on the all-weather. The step up to 6f proved no issue, he raced prominently tracking the leader until around 2f out when Clifford asked and Kaboo delivered, soon going clear. Kaboo won comfortably, keeping on well inside the final furlong. Looking at the time data for the track, Kaboo provided the best performance of the day.
The race was a fast track qualifier for the All-Weather Championships, which guarantees Kaboo a place in Finals day at Newcastle on April 15th. We will aim to run again before heading to Newcastle in April in preparation for Finals day, preferably giving him some more experience of the course at Newcastle.
Cliff and Karl are extremely happy and think Kaboo has the making of a group horse! Certainly, a lot more is to be seen as he rises up the all-weather ladder!
Our maiden Furlong Factor gave birth to our first foal of the season on the 20th January 2021.
Furlong factor won 1 race at 2 years, 2020 and £10,264 and placed 3 times including second in Marygate Stakes, York,
She was covered by Ribchester the two time European Champion Miler and still holder of the Ascot straight mile record!
We cant wait to see what awaits for this gorgeous filly and the other 37 foals we have left to foal!
True Jem gets off the mark on her 5th start at Southwell tonight(18th Jan). She hasn't had the best of luck in her previous starts but today she was finally fit enough to do herself justice. A brilliant ride as always from Clifford Lee and expertly prepared by Karl Burke!
Nick purchased her at the Arqana Select Sale in September 2020. She was outstanding physically and in Nick's opinion this filly was the best daughter of Dabirsim he had seen since Different League.
We can't wait to see what holds for True Jem over the season and what lies in store for our other Dabirsim filly who will be making her debut later in the year.
The first of many for 2022!
The competition this year was incredibly competitive with 42 of you getting involved.
There has been a lot of moving in the top positions, but in the end Tom Haigh stayed strong and has continued to lead since our last update in September.
We can't wait to see all of you get involved next year and who you will all pick from our new recruits!
AL QAREEM got his first career win on Tuesday afternoon at Newcastle, where he stayed on impressively to win over 7f.
In his three starts so far he has showed some impressive form with a 2nd to Sound Angela in his first start who went on to win again at Lingfield on 15/12/21.
Sam James has been booked to ride on all three starts and we look forward to what holds for them in the future!
This year we have had had some incredibly talented 2yo's at our disposal. With 25 winners so far this year we have shown that it is very possible to make a return on your investment in racehorse ownership in the UK.
Notable performances include:
OSCULA winning the Prix Six Perfections (Group 3) in Deauville
ELDRICKJONES coming 2nd in the (Group 2) Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot
HONEY SWEET winning the Prix Zeddaan with our HELLOMYDARLIN coming 2nd in Deauville.
CORAZON winning the (Group 3) Prix d'Arenberg at Longchamp
Its been great to share the successes with our very loyal owners and also with our newer members who are experiencing racehorse ownership for the 1st time!
They have been competing at the very top level throughout the year!
Notable performances include:
MYSTERY ANGEL winning the Listed Pretty Polly Stakes in Newmarket and also coming 2nd to SNOWFALL in the (Group 1) Oaks
DANDALLA winning the Arran Scottish Sprint EBF Fillies' Stakes in Ayr
FEV ROVER coming 3rd in the 1,000 Guineas and 2nd in the (Group 2) Boomerang Mile at Leopardstown.
KABOO was incredibly impressive last night at Newcastle Racecourse. He ran prominently throughout by Clifford Lee and when asked 2 furlongs out, he comfortably went on from Olivia’s Choice.
Last night’s win makes it consecutive wins on the all-weather from this promising youngster, trained by Karl Burke. What made it even more memorable is that Kaboo makes up our 24th winner for our 2-year olds and our 30th overall winner for 2021…bringing us over the £900,000 mark in prize money for the year!
With more entries next week, we are far from closing the curtain on what has been a momentous year!
We recently saw some great results at the December Mares sale at Newmarket. Three fillies that have brought us great fun over the last few years went on to bring in nearly 2,000,000gns between them. With an average costing of £20,000 each, its been great to see some brilliant returns for our members. DANDALLA (pictured above) who won the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot in 2020 was sold to Japanese interests for 750,000gns, she will go travel to Katsumi Yoshida’s Northern Farm. FEV ROVER was sold for 695,000gns scoring in the Group 2 Prix du Calvados and 3rd in the 1,000 Guineas, her career is far from over and will remain in training in the US. MYSTERY ANGEL who won the Listed Pretty Polly Stakes and runner-up to Snowfall in the Oaks was sold for 500,000gns.
Nick has been busy trying to again find great value from the yearling sales throughout this year and has bought some really exciting prospects. Please go to our available shares to get involved!
Nick continues as always to scour the sales to find value and the recent Horses In Training sale in Newmarket has been no different. Three new exciting prospects have joined the Nick Bradley Racing team; AL QAREEM, SHURUT and UNIQUE CUT. All three of these purchases have finished 2nd on their sole run since the sales back in October. All three have entries in the following week, with 6 figure offers already in discussion…
Don’t miss another opportunity, go to our available shares to get involved before it’s too late!
SHOULDAVBEENMORE was running in Black Type company in the height of the Summer and she returned to winning ways at Chelmsford on Monday night. We found a suitable opportunity to gain her first win. Returning from a break at this time of year suggests she could be one for Meydan, where they have enhanced the 3yo programme for the 2022 carnival.
She will head to the sales next week in Newmarket.
HONEY SWEET got her head in front for the first time since May at Nottingham when she made all to win the Prix Zeddaan from fellow NBR rival HELLOMYDARLIN.
It was a brilliant day for Nick Bradley Racing owners securing a 1-2 in another stakes race. The 1-2 today we have gone past £500,000 in prize money for our 2yo's in 2021. 36 2yo's have run in our colours this year, 15 have won at 42% wins/runners. 13 of our 2yo's have run in Black Type races with 7 of the 2yo's earning Black Type meaning 20% of our 2yo's have earned Black Type.
Both our horses went to the front on the rain softened ground at Deauville on Tuesday afternoon and perhaps the stand side rail aided Honey Sweet a touch more than Hellomydarlin which meant that Honey Sweet was able to repel the challenge in the dying stages to pull away by a length.
OSCULA’s incredible run in the Marcel-Boussac meant that the journey for our 20 owners to Paris was very worth it. Oscula swerved the Jean-Luc Lugadere for an equally competitive affair in the Boussac. Oscula travelled very well under Ryan Moore on the rail in midfield and stayed on to come 3rd!
Another huge weekend for Nick Bradley Racing owners when Mystery Angel, Oscula, Guilded and Corazon all took centre stage at Newmarket on the Rowley Mile. Mystery Angel ran in the Group 3 Princess Royal and under Ben Curtis attempted to make all. Ben led the whole way and kicked at the 3f pole. As the pace lifted, Forebearance and Sea la Rossa from off the pace took over the running and came past. Despite, Mystery Angel’s extensive campaign she stayed on towards the line to be beaten into 4th by 6 lengths.
Oscula followed 35 minutes later and ran an even more impressive race in ground conditions which were probably faster than ideal. Exercising similar tactics to Mystery Angel, Oscula attempted to make all and seemed to be travelling incredibly well into the dip and as she came back up the hill Hello You swung past. She stayed onto the line to just be headed into 3rd and the Marcel-Boussac is still a strong possibility with hopefully softer ground conditions to suit.
Saturday meant the Cheveley Park Stakes and what a cracker it was for Guilded who ran an incredible race, up the stand side rail to totally out run her 80/1 SP odds. Beaten just 4 lengths Guilded is another filly which has paid her way this year in her total prize money and should give her owners a huge thrill in 2022.
Eldrickjones dropped back to novice company on Thursday afternoon and he got the job done at odds of 2/13.
Mark Crehan kept his cool on Eldrick despite the large bump he recieved from one of the Kevin Ryan horses. Nick was delighted to see him go past the horse who bumped him in the run-in to level the score and win by 2 lengths.
Roger is adamant that the victory will do alot for Eldrick's confidence. We will now aim to win again with him in a Novice over 6 furlongs again at either Nottingham 6th October or Ayr on October 7th.
Guilded finally got off the mark at odds of 1/4 dropping back to Novice company on Tuesday. Both Nick and Karl were confident that had she not got caught behind a wall of horses in the Prix D’Arenberg she would of finished very close to Corazon so it wasn’t surprising to see her win very easily. Clifford was able to get a lead from ….. and when he hit the 2f pole he eased out Guilded who did everything very smartly to win by 6 lengths.
She has been left in the Cheveley Park and should she come out of her race well she will be declared on Thursday.
Dandalla lit up Ayr Racecourse on Friday Afternoon when she bolted up in the Listed 5f Sprint Stakes and returned to her high level of form as a 2yo.
Nick and Karl never lost the faith and it was great to see her bolt up on Friday. Ben gave her a cool ride and did everything right to score with ease.
We will now head to the Group 1 Prix L’Abbaye in Longchamp on Arc day.
Nick was busy at the Osarus Sale this week adding four new Yearlings for the 2022 roster. Fillies’ by Kheleyf, Born To Sea and Pedro The Great. Shares are available in all four yearlings which can be found under our Available Shares p
Lady Raeburn got her first Career win on Wednesday afternoon at Beverley where she stayed on stoutly to win over 5 furlongs.
Lady Raeburn had smart pieces of form throughout her starts including a second on debut behind Group horse Mister Ayr.
Kevin Stott was able to hold her up during the race before asking her to pick up as they turned in. When the field began to come back to her she was able to power clear in the final 100 yards. Kevin felt after the race that she wants 6 furlongs next time and may be a 7 furlong filly which bodes well for the future.
A small 4 runner affair at Musselburgh on Sunday was Nick Bradley Racing's sole representation on the day with both Fast Response and Sophie’s Star lining up.
Sophie’s star took them along for the first 300 yards before getting tired after 8 weeks off having placed in the Marwell stakes at Naas. Fast Response took the race up full of running and pulled away to win very nicely.
That is Fast Response 3rd win of the year and she has now more than doubled her price tag in Prize Money!
Corazon and Fev Rover made the St Ledger weekend memorable for their owners. Corazon was reappearing after just 9 days from her success in the Prix D’Arenberg.
She ran a huge race from a low draw at Doncaster to only be pegged back in the final 50 yards by Cattura and Armor. Corazon came 3rd in the Group 2 Flying Childers which leaves races like the Cheveley Park, L’Abbaye and Breeders Cup Sprint all under consideration.
Meanwhile, Fev Rover ran a massive race in the Group 2 Boomerang Stakes at the Curragh to come 2nd and prove again that she has stepped forward since her 3rd in the 1000 Guineas. The Sun Chariot Stakes at Newmarket and the Prix L’Opera are all under consideration.
Everything went according to plan for Kaboo on Thursdy at Wolverhampton. It probably helped him learn plenty by having to go through horses to put the race to bed. He also will have learned plenty from having to run around a bend for what is probably the first time in his career. The Listed Rockingham Stakes at York on October 9th over 6 furlongs but in all likelihood he will go to Kempton for a 6 furlong Novice on October 13th next.
Rhinoplasty got off the mark on Wednesday night. A very cheap purchase by Nick for just £9,000. She looked much the best horse throughout and won comfortably giving her owners a great thrill repaying their patience with her.
We expect to see her out next at Leicester on September 20th over 6 furlongs in a 0-75 nursery.
We bought three Yearlings on Tuesday at the Somerville Sale. This is a sale that is renowned for finding value as Group 3 winner Eve Lodge and Chipotle, winner of the Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot, were both sourced here in 2020. We bought fillies' by Territories, Showcasing (pictured above) and Gregorian. They were all sold out within 24 hours.We wish all their owners the very best and thank them for their continues support,
We will be buying plenty of Yearlings on Tuesday 7th September to go into training with Georg Boughey.
Corazon brought huge smiles to her owners faces yesterday when she won the Group 3 Prix D'Arenberg at Paris Longchamp.
Both Corazon and Guilded were drawn in the plumb Stalls of 2 and 3. Longchamp's unique 5f course which takes place on the far side of the racecourse anti-clockwise from the usual round course starting points favours horses drawn in the low stalls.
Corazon broke smartly from the stalls and travelled on the front end throughout, one position off the rail from the joint favourite Dizzy Bizzu. From 2 furlongs out it looked as though Corazon could fade back through the field after she came under pressure however, she picked up and battled gamely seeing off any challengers.
Corazon won snuggly by 1/2 Length, she was purchased for just £11,000 from Tattersalls Ireland September Sale which means that she will have a fantastic return on investment for her owners
Corazon ran a cracking race on Tuesday evening to land the spoils at Lingfield. It was a great effort and a big step up on her debut run when she was too green to show her level of ability.
Corazon was able to break from the stalls and track the early pace, she got slightly outpaced due to experience round the bend. Gift Horse was able to get first kick in the straight but it wasn't enough as Corazon put the race to bed quickly to win well.
Fast Response ran an outstanding race on Friday afternoon dropping back to 6 furlongs. Fast Company progeny do well running with cut in the ground and it was very clear that Fast Response relished the rain softened ground at Musselburgh.
She travelled very well throughout the race and put the race to bed at the furlong pole. She won snugly at the line from the Dagleish trained filly by 3/4 of a length to secure another big win for NBR.
Hopefully, Fast Response will have greater honours in the not too distance future.
Nick Bradley Racing has organised it's end of season celebration and August Yearling Parade for the 29th AUGUST.
All current and prospective Owners are welcome to visit Glebe Farm.
Address:
Glebe Farm,
Horsegate Field Lane,
Goxhill,
North Lincs,
DN19 7NN
You are able to book into our open day via the link below: https://nickbradleyracing.co.uk/open-days
Tuesday was a fantastic day for Nick Bradley Racing as Oscula made all to win her first Group race. The ground conditions were perfect for Oscula and Ryan Moore reported that the ground was riding Soft before the race.
We were drawn well in stall 2 so it was a relatively easy job to get to the front. Oscula jumped very well from the stalls and Ryan got across the horse in stall 1 who was the only potential competition for the lead.
Hellomydarlin was a help for Oscula today as she got across Zellie and relegated her to further back in the field than her rider was probably hoping to be. Ryan kicked from the front and put distance between himself and the main market protagonists.
Oscula tried her heart out all the way to the line and hit the line hard to score by a length. We are going to aim her towards the Group 2 Calvados Stakes now on August 21st but she could head to Ireland for the Debutante Group 2 Stakes on the same day again over 7 furlongs.
Clodovea found herself in the worst part of the track on Wednesday at Beverley. David Allan did an excellent job to switch her off and allow her to travel comfortably unlike the rest of the field who raced keenly. From where she was on the track David gave her a great ride to put her head infront in the final 50 yards.
Visually it looked as though she will be suited by a better gallop and she should only get put up a couple of pounds for that performance. We should therefore be able to keep her in a 0-60 grade for her next start.
Nurseclaire was very keen in the early stages of the race and early on it looked as though that she had done too much and wouldn't finish off her race.
Billy Garrity had to switch her to the outside and she stayed on nicely to go away and win with plenty of improvement to come.
We will see how she comes out of the race but she could be a candidate for the STAR Stakes at Sandown on 24th July over 7 furlongs.
A fantastic ride from Clifford Lee meant that Fast Response broke his maiden tag at the second time of asking on Monday night.
Fast Response broke smartly from the unfavourable draw in 2 and raced separately away from her 7 rivals. The decision of Clifford to run his race on the stand side rail allowed him to race in a straight line when tacking across to the far side rail whereas his rivals plotted a longer, more indirect route. Clifford was able to get her to the front and when he asked her to go and win the race she put it to bed before being eased down towards the line. There are a couple of listed races coming up which could be options for her at Newbury and Ascot.
Sophie's Star landed her second career win on Friday night in emphatic style landing another £10,000 GBB Bonus for her owners. She showed plenty of speed and hit the line hard. We look forward to seeing her running in black type races moving forwards.
Hellomydarlin ran a fantastic race on Friday night to win on debut at Goodwood.
Mark Crehan got our filly out well enough and we had the experienced market leaders behind us on the middle of the track in the early stages of the race.
Nick is of the opinion that we did most of our racing on the worst of the track and that is why the three horses I was concerned with all fell out of the back of the telly at the 2 furlong post. This massively upgrades the performance of Hellomydarlin.
Mark said our filly has such a great attitude and she dug in to get her head in front.
I think we will go straight for the Listed, Empress Stakes next at Newmarket but we may be tempted to give her an entry in the Albany in the morning if she is sound and the race lacks depth.
Mystery Angel ran a brilliant race at Epsom on Friday to finish 2nd.
Ben Curtis got our filly out well and she had the perfect early position, things couldn't have gone better for our filly in the early stages and Ben got Mystery Angel into a lovely rhythm and was able to give her a breather as they went down Tattenham corner which was always his plan. Ben got our filly over to the stands rail in front of the field which was the plan and he executed it perfectly.
We had the field off the bridle before us bar the winner and our tactics allowed us to keep the field at bay who on the whole had to come up the middle of the track which wasn't as good ground as what we had on the rail. Snowfall pulled away to record the biggest ever winning distance in the Oaks however, Mystery Angel received a huge welcome back to the enclosure!
OSCULA, who showed herself to be a handy type at Brighton, was well drawn, fast away and, having taken over in front in the straight, kept finding and saw it out well. Everything went according to plan as we wanted to grab the rail. Nick had this to say about Oscula after the race “OSCULA is a good filly and I'm delighted for the owners. I don't know whether Ascot would suit her as much as here, so whether we'd go there I don't know. I wouldn't worry about how quickly the races have come as she's as tough as nails and talented.”
Oscula continued a fantastic May for Nick Bradley Racing. We were hopeful of a big run from Oscula on Monday afternoon at Brighton having debuted very well at Kempton five days before. She took the preliminaries very well and went down to post under Mark Crehan nicely. She broke alertly from the stalls and took an uncontested lead as she free-wheeled down the Brighton hill. She travelled down the hill smoothly giving the impression she really handled the track. Once she met the rising ground Mark kept her up to her work and she hit the line to win comfortably by 3 lengths. Mark was delighted with the performance and we are hopeful of seeing her in 10 days time in the Woodcote at Epsom on Derby weekend. This continues the excellent form of George and we are excited to see what the future holds for our filly.
Mystery Angel spent her Monday morning having a spin around Tattenham Corner to see whether or not she enjoyed Epsom Downs undulations.
"She worked very well under Ben Curtis. George was delighted with her and we will be monitoring the race in the next seven days or so with the potential view to supplementing her for the Cazoo Oaks. At the moment all options are open." NIck Bradley
Honey Sweet pulled away in great style on Sunday afternoon at Nottingham. The reports from Karl have been positive over the past few weeks but we were fully expecting our filly to come on for her debut. Breaking from stall 1 on the outside the original plan was to get cover however, when the field tacked over to the rail Clifford had to scupper our original plan of getting some cover and as a result we were green as we were racing on our own. Honey Sweet learned as the race went on and when Clifford gave her a slap inside the final two furlongs she put her head down to some degree and moved clear of the field. She will be targeted at Royal Ascot.
We had plenty of confidence in our filly ahead of her debut run and whilst that was a bit disappointing, there were excuses and today's run has confirmed those excuses to be exactly that. Our filly broke well but ran green in the early stages of the race by ducking to her right. She showed plenty of early speed and took them along in the early stages of the race. She got a bit lonely in the closing stages of the race and Harrison said she was idling infront but we were fortunate to have our nose down on the line where it counted.
Brand new private purchase has been announced this evening. By Galileo Gold out of the mare Speed Freak.
The gelded home bred son of Wooton Basset got off the mark on Saturday afternoon under Paul Hanagan. Bred by Nick at Glebe Farm Seasett has always been held in high regard and he has now been given a new mark of 81. He has always showed talent and on Saturday the further they went the more accomplished he looked. He will now be aimed at Haydock in a handicap over 10f and hopefully we can continue to see him progress.
An amazing day topped off by Fev Rover coming third in the Group 1 1000 Guineas. A truly brilliant performance from Fev Rover who attempted to make all under Paul Hanagan in first time cheekpieces. She very nearly duplicated the performance of Mystery Angel earlier on in the card. She came incredibly close to glory and plenty of Group 1 targets await her this Summer.
Mystery Angel landed the Pretty Polly Stakes on 1000 Guineas day in spectacular fashion. She has run well without winning a pattern race on several occasions in the past, but she got into a nice rhythm up front on this quicker ground and just kept rolling. She's only had two runs on ground good or faster, winning both, and Nick and connections are talking about the Saint-Alary and Musidora next.
We got our first 2yo winner on the board on Friday evening at Doncaster with a very good performance from Lucy Lulu under a confident ride by Mark Crehan. Our filly took the preliminaries very well and went down to the start without a problem whilst one or two of the colts played up a little. Our filly broke smartly and travelled within herself for the first half of the race. She showed enough speed to put away many of her rivals and then when Tyson came to her inside the final two furlongs she picked up again to win with plenty in hand.
Mark said after the race that our filly was idling at the 2 pole and he kidded her along to keep her up to her work. He said after the race that we could step her up in trip if we wanted and that he could have pulled well clear of his rivals had he asked her to.
Zihaam rounded off the weekend to secure a Nick Bradley Racing Guineas weekend 1350/1 treble. He was hugely outpaced in the early stages due to the two front runners taking each other on. This was perfect for Zihaam as the strong pace made it a stamina test rather than a speed test over the 8.5 furlongs.
Danny rode Zihaam well and kept him on the outside so he didn't get intimidated by the other horses. The rain that has fallen this week has made the track perfect for Zihaam as he was able to travel up the outside and rocket up the hill to score with ease. ZIhaam will go back to Beverley next week on 11th May where we expect him to win again.
Mystery Angel ran a very good race at Saint Cloud on Thursday.
Christophe got our filly out well but there was early competition for the lead and she sat 3rd in the early stages. There was a lack of pace down the farside which did not suit our filly and as a result it turned into a sprint up the home straight. Christophe brought our filly to the outside and started to nudge her forward when he should have been getting after her and waking her up to get to the front.
Christophe eventually got after her with 150metres to go and like at Wolverhampton she quickened to go down by half a length.
Silent Queen burst through the field on Saturday night to win her second race of 2021. Silent Queen behaved in the stalls on Saturday night unlike some points this season. She missed the break and Kevin very quickly dropped employed Plan B and dropped her in at the rail.
We discussed beforehand that a lot of the winners had come up the middle recently as pointed out to me by Hugh Taylor and Kevin switched her to the outside going around the bend. Silent Queen took off in the straight and won the race very easily.
Like Dramatista, last week Lion's Vigil got off the mark on Tuesday afternoon. Under a great ride from Ben Curtis Lion's Vigil ground it out down the home straight to propel the challenge from Straight Ash.
He ended up winning snuggly by 3/4 of a length. It looks as though there is plenty more to come from Lion's Vigil up in trip as the season progresses.
Silent Queen blazed a trail on New Years Day when she made all to win under Ben Curtis at Southwell. It was a smart bit of placing by George to select the race, but everything went according to plan in the race and our filly showed that she was a class apart to score by such a margin. George said that her work at home had been very good so we were confident that the surface wasn't going to be an issue for her. She broke well from the stalls and Ben made all to win very comfortably from her rivals. It was a very good performance and earned a Timeform rating of 86. She will now be targeted at Newcastle on the 21st January.
The Roger Fell trained POCKLEY won his second race from three starts at Newcastle last night, having been beaten just a head on his other run. Under a fine ride from Ben Curtis, the son of SHALAA hit the front 2 furlongs out and stayed on too strongly for the well backed William Haggas trained favourite in second place.
POCKLEY, who cost £35,000 at the Goffs Breeze-UP sale in July, is our third Roger Fell trained 2yo winner of 2020 from just 2 horses to run. With MAX OCLOCK scoring at Ayr at 10/1 in August.
MYSTERY ANGEL became Nick Bradley Racing’s fifth 2yo filly to earn valuable black type this season with her third place in Saturday’s Group 3 Zetland Stakes at Newmarket.
The George Boughey trained daughter of Kodi Bear, who cost just 22,000 Guineas at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up sale, followed up her win a fortnight earlier on the Rowley Mile with a battling performance to take her season’s earnings to £34,163.
She joins our distinguished list of other 2yo fillies to earn black type this year:
Collectively the 5 fillies cost just over £100,000!!
2020 has been a great year for our 2yos with a total of 13 victories and 18 places to date. Indeed, 8 of our 16 horses to run have won at least 1 race.
We have shares available in yearlings recently purchased by Nick Bradley at the sales. Click below to join team NBR for the 2021 season.
POCKLEY broke his maiden last night for Roger Fell under a fine ride by Jason Hart at Newcastle.
Travelling strongly at the front of the field having broken well, POCKLEY led 2 furlongs out and looked like he was going to be headed inside the final furlong, before rallying late on to win gamely by a short-head at the line.
The son of Shalaa, who cost £35,000 at the Goffs UK Breeze-Up sale, was Nick Bradley Racing’s 13th 2YO winner this season and 22nd in total. He is also our 8th 2YO to win a race this season out of a total of 16 runners to date.
We have shares available in yearlings recently purchased by Nick Bradley at the sales. Click below to join team NBR for the 2021 season.
Nick Bradley plans to attend the following Yearling Sales as he continues his search to identify more great value purchases for our growing team of owners.
Click on the link next to each sale to view the view the sale catalogue.
Arqana Oct 19th - Oct 23rd @ Deauville - Catalogue
Tatts Dec Yearling Sale Nov 23rd @ Newmarket - Catalogue
If you would like to meet Nick at the sales to discuss yearlings that you would like to buy shares in please contact us below.
MYSTERY ANGEL broke her maiden in fine style at Wolverhampton on Wednesday with an easy win under David Probert. The daughter of Kodi Bear, who cost 22,000 Guineas at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up Sale, was Nick Bradley Racing’s 10th 2YO filly winner of 2020.
Mystery Angel was smartly away and raced prominently before powering away from her rivals off the bend to win by a comfortable 3 lengths. She gave trainer George Boughey his 4th winner from 9 runs at a strike rate of 44%
FEV ROVER secured her second black type win of the season with a battling victory at Deauville under a strong Christophe Soumillon drive.
The Richard Fahey trained daughter of Gutaifan, who cost just £20,000 at the Goffs Premier Yearling sale, has now won over £65,000 in prize-money for her owners.
Multiple French champion jockey Soumillon had FEV ROVER placed in behind the pace-setting Plainchant, who had won a Listed race at Bordeaux comfortably on her last run, and delivered his challenge perfectly to win by a neck on the line.
FEV ROVER has only been beaten by 2 horses in her career to date, Martyn Meade's recent impressive Listed winner METHOD and our very own Royal Ascot winner DANDALLA.
It will be Group 1 races from now onward for FEV ROVER, with either the Prix Marcel Bousac at Longchamp on the 4th of October (the same day as the Arc), or the Fillies Mile at Newmarket on Friday the 9th of October.
Fev Rover's victory in France was Nick Bradley Racing's sixth 2YO black type performance this season, all of them from fillies.
FEV ROVER
1st - Group 2 Calvados & Listed Star Stakes
2nd - Group 2 Duchess of Cambridge
DANDALLA
1st - Group 2 Duchess of Cambridge & Group 3 Albany
FURLONG FACTOR
2nd - Listed Marygate
MAX OCLOCK made it nine 2YO filly winners for NBR this season with victory at Ayr on Monday under a perfectly timed ride from the in-form Ben Curtis. The Roger Fell trained daughter of Camacho was having her first run in handicap company and returned at the very rewarding odds of 10/1 for her supporters.
The Roger Fell trained daughter of Camacho was having her first run in handicap company and returned at the very rewarding odds of 10/1 for her supporters.
Held up off the pace in the early stages of the race by Curtis, MAX OCLOCK passed the entire field to win going away at the line and looks the type to follow up next time out.
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