First multiple winner of Great British Bonus

Brazen Belle yesterday became the first multiple winner under the new Great British Bonus scheme when landing the 6f fillies' novice at Catterick, with the daughter of Brazen Beau having now netted two bonuses to earn an additional £40,000 for connections.

Bred and owned by Kevin Nicholson and trained by David O'Meara, Brazen Belle won her first bonus in early June when scoring at Beverley on debut. Connections targeted a second bonus on her next start at Ripon earlier this month, but the filly finished only third. In yesterday's contest she was always prominent and took the lead two furlongs from home to score by

a length and a quarter.

The filly has now earned £7,506 on the track and £40,000 in bonuses, an incredible result for Nicholson - a committed member of the TBA and ROA, who bred the filly when her former shuttle sire stood for an advertised fee of £10,000 at Dalham Hall Stud. Offered last year at the Goffs UK September Yearling Sale, she was bought back by Nicholson after failing to find a buyer in the ring at £5,000. She is out of the smart mare and Ripon specialist Pepper Lane (Exceed And Excel), who was jointly raced by Nicholson to win six times, including two renewals of the Great St Wilfrid Handicap, as well as earning her all-important black type when third in the Listed Guisborough Stakes on her final start.

Pepper Lane is the only mare owned by Nicholson, an electrician by trade, and boards at Richard Lingwood's Norton Grove Stud in North Yorkshire, where Nicholson visited every weekend prior to lockdown.

Nicholson's experiences with breeding from Pepper Lane highlight the highs and lows of the industry and underlines the importance of bonuses to breeders. The mare's first two foals did not enjoy any luck one broke a leg and had to be put down and the other did not make it to the racecourse. Her first foal to run was Infinite Grace (Sepoy), who scored twice last year for her owner-breeder and O'Meara, winning at Ripon and Beverley, and now Brazen Belle has emulated her older half-sister with two victories. The mare has a yearling full-sister to Brazen Belle waiting in the wings, but sadly slipped last year so has no foal at foot.

Nicholson summed up his double bonus victory with more than a touch of understatement, saying "that was certainly welcome!"