Grade 1 race | |
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Kentucky Derby | |
![]() ![]() The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports |
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Location | Churchill Downs Louisville, Kentucky, USA |
Inaugurated | 1875 |
Race type | Thoroughbred |
Website | [1] |
Race information | |
Distance | 1¼ miles (10 furlongs) |
Track | Dirt, Left-handed |
Qualification | 3-year-old |
Weight | Colt/Gelding: 126 lbs (57.2 kg) Filly: 121 lbs. (54.9 kg) |
Purse | US$2 million 1st: $1,425,000 |
Bonuses | US$ 200 |
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter miles (2 km) at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds (57.2 kg) and fillies 121 pounds (54.9 kg).[1] The race is known in the United States as "The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports" or "The Fastest Two Minutes in Sports" for its approximate duration, and is also called "The Run for the Roses" for the blanket of roses draped over the winner. It is the first leg of the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing and is followed by the Preakness Stakes then the Belmont Stakes. The attendance at the Kentucky Derby ranks first in North America and usually surpasses the attendance of all other stakes races including the Preakness Stakes, Belmont Stakes and the Breeders' Cup. For more information, see American Thoroughbred Racing top Attended Events.
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The Kentucky Derby is one of the USA's oldest Thoroughbred horse races (the Phoenix Stakes being the oldest, first run in 1831). From the time the region was settled, the fields of the Bluegrass region were noted for producing superior racehorses. In 1872, Col. Meriwether Lewis Clark, Jr., grandson of William Clark of the Lewis and Clark expedition, traveled to England, visiting the Epsom Derby, a famous race that had been running annually since 1780. From there, Clark went on to Paris, France, where in 1863, a group of racing enthusiasts had formed the French Jockey Club and had organized the Grand Prix de Paris, which at the time was the greatest race in France.
Returning home to Kentucky, Clark organized the Louisville Jockey Club for the purpose of raising money to build quality racing facilities just outside of the city. The track would soon become known as Churchill Downs, named for Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr.'s relatives, John and Henry Churchill, who had provided the land for the racetrack. Officially, the racetrack was incorporated as Churchill Downs in 1937.
The Kentucky Derby was first run at 1½ miles (2.4 km), the same distance as the Epsom Derby and the Grand Prix de Paris. In 1896, the distance was changed to its current 1¼ miles (2 km). On May 17, 1875, in front of an estimated crowd of 10,000 people, a field of 15 three-year-old horses contested the first Derby. Under jockey Oliver Lewis, a colt named Aristides, who was trained by future Hall of Famer, Ansel Williamson, won the inaugural Derby. Later that year, Lewis rode Aristides to a second-place finish in the Belmont Stakes.
Although the first race meet proved a success, the track ran into financial difficulties and in 1894 the New Louisville Jockey Club was incorporated with new capitalization and improved facilities. Despite this, the business floundered until 1902 when Col. Matt Winn of Louisville put together a syndicate of businessmen to acquire the facility. Under Winn, Churchill Downs prospered and the Kentucky Derby then became the preeminent stakes race for three year old thoroughbred horses in the North America.
Between 1875 and 1902, African-American jockeys won 15 of the 28 runnings of the Kentucky Derby. On May 11, 1892, African-American jockey Alonzo "Lonnie" Clayton, age 15, became the youngest rider to win the Derby. The 1904 race was won by Elwood, the first Derby starter and winner owned by a woman, Laska Durnell. In 1915, Regret became the first filly to win the Kentucky Derby (of only three in the history of the race), and in 1917, the English bred colt "Omar Khayyam" became the first foreign-bred horse to win the race.
Derby participants are limited to three-year-old horses. No horse since Apollo in 1882 has won the Derby without racing at age two.
Thoroughbred owners began sending their successful Derby horses to compete a few weeks later in the Preakness Stakes at the Pimlico Race Course, in Baltimore, Maryland, followed by the Belmont Stakes in Elmont, New York. The three races offered the largest purse and in 1919 Sir Barton became the first horse to win all three races. However, the term Triple Crown didn't come into use for another eleven years. In 1930, when Gallant Fox became the second horse to win all three races, sportswriter Charles Hatton brought the phrase into American usage. Fueled by the media, public interest in the possibility of a "superhorse" that could win the Triple Crown began in the weeks leading up to the derby. Two years after the term was coined, the race, which had been run in mid-May since inception, was changed to the first Saturday in May to allow for a specific schedule for the Triple Crown races. Since 1931, the order of Triple Crown races has been the Kentucky Derby first, followed by the Preakness Stakes and then the Belmont Stakes. Prior to 1931, eleven times the Preakness was run before the Derby. On May 12, 1917 and again on May 13, 1922, the Preakness and the Derby were run on the same day. On eleven occasions the Belmont Stakes was run before the Preakness Stakes.
On May 3, 1952, the first national television coverage of the Kentucky Derby took place. In 1954, the purse exceeded $100,000 for the first time. In 1968 Dancer's Image became the first (and to this day the only) horse to win the race and then be disqualified after traces of phenylbutazone, an analgesic and anti-inflammatory drug, were found in the horse's urinalysis; unexpectedly, the regulations at Kentucky thoroughbred race tracks were changed some years later, allowing horses to run on phenylbutazone.
The fastest time ever run in the Derby (at its present distance) was set in 1973 at 1 minute 59 2/5 seconds when Secretariat broke the record set by Northern Dancer in 1964. Not only has Secretariat's record time stood for 38 years and counting, but in the race itself, he did something unique in Triple Crown races: each successive quarter, his times were faster. The second sub-two minute time was recorded by Sham, two-fifths of a second behind Secretariat in the same race. Another sub-two minute finish, only the third, was set by in 2001 by Monarchos at 1:59.97.
The 2004 Derby marked the first time that jockeys, as a result of a court order, were allowed to wear corporate advertising logos on their clothing.
In 2005, the purse distribution for the Derby was changed, so that horses finishing fifth would henceforth receive a share of the purse; previously only the first four finishers did so.
Norman Adams has been the designer of the Kentucky Derby Logo since 2002. On February 1, 2006, the Louisville-based fast-food company Yum! Brands, Inc. announced a corporate sponsorship deal to call the race "The Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands." [2]
In 2007, HM Queen Elizabeth II, on a visit to the United States, joined the racegoers at Churchill Downs.
In 2010 Calvin Borel sets a new record, being the first jockey to win 3 out of 4 consecutive Kentucky Derbys.[3]
In addition to the race itself, a number of traditions play a large role in the Derby atmosphere. The Mint Julep, an iced drink consisting of bourbon, mint and a sugar syrup is the traditional beverage of the race. The historic drink can be served in an ice-frosted silver julep cup but most Churchill Downs patrons sip theirs from a souvenir glass printed with all previous Derby winners. Also, burgoo, a thick stew of beef, chicken, pork and vegetables, is a popular Kentucky dish served at the Derby.
The infield, a spectator area inside the track, offers general admission prices but little chance of seeing much of the race. Instead, revelers show up in the infield to party with abandon. By contrast, "Millionaire's Row" refers to the expensive box seats that attract the rich, the famous and the well-connected. Women appear in fine outfits lavishly accessorized with large, elaborate hats. As the horses are paraded before the grandstands, the University of Louisville marching band plays Stephen Foster's "My Old Kentucky Home."
The Derby is frequently referred to as "The Run for the Roses," because a lush blanket of 554 red roses is awarded to the Kentucky Derby winner each year. The tradition originated in 1883 when New York socialite E. Berry Wall presented roses to ladies at a post-Derby party that was attended by Churchill Downs founder and president, Col. M. Lewis Clark. This gesture is believed to have eventually led Clark to the idea of making the rose the race's official flower. However, it was not until 1896 that any recorded account referred to roses being draped on the Derby winner. The Governor of Kentucky awards the garland and the trophy. The late pop vocalist Dan Fogelberg composed the song "Run for the Roses" for the 1980 running of the race.
Year | Winner | Jockey | Trainer | Owner | Time | Grade |
2010 | Super Saver | Calvin Borel | Todd Pletcher | WinStar Farm | 2:04.45 | I |
2009 | Mine That Bird | Calvin Borel | Bennie L. Woolley, Jr. | Double Eagle Ranch et al. | 2:02.66 | I |
2008 | Big Brown | Kent Desormeaux | Rick Dutrow | IEAH Stables / P. Pompa | 2:01.82 | I |
2007 | Street Sense | Calvin Borel | Carl Nafzger | James B. Tafel | 2:02.17 | I |
2006 | Barbaro | Edgar Prado | Michael R. Matz | Lael Stables | 2:01.36 | I |
2005 | Giacomo | Mike E. Smith | John Shirreffs | Jerry & Ann Moss | 2:02.75 | I |
2004 | Smarty Jones | Stewart Elliott | John Servis | Someday Farm | 2:04.06 | I |
2003 | Funny Cide | Jose Santos | Barclay Tagg | Sackatoga Stable | 2:01.19 | I |
2002 | War Emblem | Victor Espinoza | Bob Baffert | Thoroughbred Corp. | 2:01.13 | I |
2001 | Monarchos | Jorge F. Chavez | John T. Ward, Jr. | John C. Oxley | 1:59.97 | I |
2000 | Fusaichi Pegasus | Kent Desormeaux | Neil Drysdale | Fusao Sekiguchi | 2:01.00 | I |
1999 | Charismatic | Chris Antley | D. Wayne Lukas | Bob & Beverly Lewis | 2:03.20 | I |
1998 | Real Quiet | Kent Desormeaux | Bob Baffert | Michael E. Pegram | 2:02.20 | I |
1997 | Silver Charm | Gary Stevens | Bob Baffert | Bob & Beverly Lewis | 2:02.40 | I |
1996 | Grindstone | Jerry Bailey | D. Wayne Lukas | Overbrook Farm | 2:01.00 | I |
1995 | Thunder Gulch | Gary Stevens | D. Wayne Lukas† | Michael Tabor | 2:01.20 | I |
1994 | Go for Gin | Chris McCarron | Nick Zito | Condren & Cornacchia | 2:03.60 | I |
1993 | Sea Hero | Jerry Bailey | MacKenzie Miller | Rokeby Stables | 2:02.40 | I |
1992 | Lil E. Tee | Pat Day | Lynn S. Whiting | W. Cal Partee | 2:03.00 | I |
1991 | Strike the Gold | Chris Antley | Nick Zito | BCC Stable | 2:03.00 | I |
1990 | Unbridled | Craig Perret | Carl Nafzger | Frances A. Genter | 2:02.00 | I |
1989 | Sunday Silence | Pat Valenzuela | Charlie Whittingham | H-G-W Partners | 2:05.00 | I |
1988 | Winning Colors ‡ | Gary Stevens | D. Wayne Lukas | Eugene V. Klein | 2:02.20 | I |
1987 | Alysheba | Chris McCarron | Jack Van Berg | D. & P. Scharbauer | 2:03.40 | I |
1986 | Ferdinand | Bill Shoemaker | Charlie Whittingham | Elizabeth A. Keck | 2:02.80 | I |
1985 | Spend A Buck | Angel Cordero, Jr. | Cam Gambolati | Dennis Diaz | 2:00.20 | I |
1984 | Swale | Laffit Pincay, Jr. | Woody Stephens | Claiborne Farm | 2:02.40 | I |
1983 | Sunny's Halo | Ed Delahoussaye | David C. Cross, Jr. | D. J. Foster Stable | 2:02.20 | I |
1982 | Gato Del Sol | Ed Delahoussaye | Edwin J. Gregson | Hancock & Peters | 2:02.40 | I |
1981 | Pleasant Colony | Jorge Velasquez | John P. Campo | Buckland Farm | 2:02.00 | I |
1980 | Genuine Risk ‡ | Jacinto Vasquez | LeRoy Jolley | Diana Firestone | 2:02.00 | I |
1979 | Spectacular Bid | Ronnie Franklin | Bud Delp | Hawksworth Farm | 2:02.40 | I |
1978 | Affirmed † | Steve Cauthen | Laz Barrera | Harbor View Farm | 2:01.20 | I |
1977 | Seattle Slew † | Jean Cruguet | William H. Turner, Jr. | Karen L. Taylor | 2:02.20 | I |
1976 | Bold Forbes | Angel Cordero, Jr. | Laz Barrera | E. Rodriguez Tizol | 2:01.60 | I |
1975 | Foolish Pleasure | Jacinto Vasquez | LeRoy Jolley | John L. Greer | 2:02.00 | I |
1974 | Cannonade | Angel Cordero, Jr. | Woody Stephens | John M. Olin | 2:04.00 | I |
1973 | Secretariat † | Ron Turcotte | Lucien Laurin | Meadow Stable | 1:59.40 | I |
1972 | Riva Ridge | Ron Turcotte | Lucien Laurin | Meadow Stud | 2:01.80 | |
1971 | Canonero II | Gustavo Avila | Juan Arias | Edgar Caibett | 2:03.20 | |
1970 | Dust Commander | Mike Manganello | Don Combs | Robert E. Lehmann | 2:03.40 | |
1969 | Majestic Prince | Bill Hartack | Johnny Longden | Frank M. McMahon | 2:01.80 | |
1968* | Forward Pass | Ismael Valenzuela | Henry Forrest | Calumet Farm | 2:02.20 | |
1967 | Proud Clarion | Bobby Ussery | Loyd Gentry, Jr. | Darby Dan Farm | 2:00.60 | |
1966 | Kauai King | Don Brumfield | Henry Forrest | Ford Stable | 2:02.00 | |
1965 | Lucky Debonair | Bill Shoemaker | Frank Catrone | Ada L. Rice | 2:01.20 | |
1964 | Northern Dancer | Bill Hartack | Horatio Luro | Windfields Farm | 2:00.00 | |
1963 | Chateaugay | Braulio Baeza | James P. Conway | Darby Dan Farm | 2:01.80 | |
1962 | Decidedly | Bill Hartack | Horatio Luro | El Peco Ranch | 2:00.40 | |
1961 | Carry Back | Johnny Sellers | Jack A. Price | Katherine Price | 2:04.00 | |
1960 | Venetian Way | Bill Hartack | Victor J. Sovinski | Sunny Blue Farm | 2:02.40 | |
1959 | Tomy Lee | Bill Shoemaker | Frank E. Childs | Fred & Juliette Turner | 2:02.20 | |
1958 | Tim Tam | Ismael Valenzuela | Jimmy Jones | Calumet Farm | 2:05.00 | |
1957 | Iron Liege | Bill Hartack | Jimmy Jones | Calumet Farm | 2:02.20 | |
1956 | Needles | David Erb | Hugh L. Fontaine | D & H Stable | 2:03.40 | |
1955 | Swaps | Bill Shoemaker | Mesh Tenney | Rex C. Ellsworth | 2:01.80 | |
1954 | Determine | Raymond York | William Molter | Andrew J. Crevolin | 2:03.00 | |
1953 | Dark Star | Hank Moreno | Eddie Hayward | Cain Hoy Stable | 2:02.00 | |
1952 | Hill Gail | Eddie Arcaro | Ben A. Jones | Calumet Farm | 2:01.60 | |
1951 | Count Turf | Conn McCreary | Sol Rutchick | Jack J. Amiel | 2:02.60 | |
1950 | Middleground | William Boland | Max Hirsch | King Ranch | 2:01.60 | |
1949 | Ponder | Steve Brooks | Ben A. Jones | Calumet Farm | 2:04.20 | |
1948 | Citation † | Eddie Arcaro | Ben A. Jones | Calumet Farm | 2:05.40 | |
1947 | Jet Pilot | Eric Guerin | Tom Smith | Maine Chance Farm | 2:06.80 | |
1946 | Assault † | Warren Mehrtens | Max Hirsch | King Ranch | 2:06.60 | |
1945 | Hoop Jr. | Eddie Arcaro | Ivan H. Parke | Fred W. Hooper | 2:07.00 | |
1944 | Pensive | Conn McCreary | Ben A. Jones | Calumet Farm | 2:04.20 | |
1943 | Count Fleet † | Johnny Longden | Don Cameron | Fannie Hertz | 2:04.00 | |
1942 | Shut Out | Wayne D. Wright | John M. Gaver, Sr. | Greentree Stable | 2:04.40 | |
1941 | Whirlaway † | Eddie Arcaro | Ben A. Jones | Calumet Farm | 2:01.40 | |
1940 | Gallahadion | Carroll Bierman | Roy Waldron | Milky Way Farm | 2:05.00 | |
1939 | Johnstown | James Stout | Jim Fitzsimmons | Belair Stud | 2:03.40 | |
1938 | Lawrin | Eddie Arcaro | Ben A. Jones | Herbert M. Woolf | 2:04.80 | |
1937 | War Admiral † | Charley Kurtsinger | George Conway | Glen Riddle Farm | 2:03.20 | |
1936 | Bold Venture | Ira Hanford | Max Hirsch | Morton L. Schwartz | 2:03.60 | |
1935 | Omaha † | Willie Saunders | Jim Fitzsimmons | Belair Stud | 2:05.00 | |
1934 | Cavalcade | Mack Garner | Bob Smith | Brookmeade Stable | 2:04.00 | |
1933 | Brokers Tip | Don Meade | Herbert J. Thompson | Edward R. Bradley | 2:06.80 | |
1932 | Burgoo King | Eugene James | Herbert J. Thompson | Edward R. Bradley | 2:05.20 | |
1931 | Twenty Grand | Charley Kurtsinger | James G. Rowe, Jr. | Greentree Stable | 2:01.80 | |
1930 | Gallant Fox † | Earl Sande | Jim Fitzsimmons | Belair Stud | 2:07.60 | |
1929 | Clyde Van Dusen | Linus McAtee | Clyde Van Dusen | Herbert P. Gardner | 2:10.80 | |
1928 | Reigh Count | Chick Lang | Bert S. Michell | Fannie Hertz | 2:10.40 | |
1927 | Whiskery | Linus McAtee | Fred Hopkins | Harry P. Whitney | 2:06.00 | |
1926 | Bubbling Over | Albert Johnson | Herbert J. Thompson | Edward R. Bradley | 2:03.80 | |
1925 | Flying Ebony | Earl Sande | William B. Duke | Gifford A. Cochran | 2:07.60 | |
1924 | Black Gold | John D. Mooney | Hanley Webb | Rosa M. Hoots | 2:05.20 | |
1923 | Zev | Earl Sande | David J. Leary | Rancocas Stable | 2:05.40 | |
1922 | Morvich | Albert Johnson | Fred Burlew | Benjamin Block | 2:04.60 | |
1921 | Behave Yourself | Charles Thompson | Herbert J. Thompson | Edward R. Bradley | 2:04.20 | |
1920 | Paul Jones | Ted Rice | Billy Garth | Ral Parr | 2:09.00 | |
1919 | Sir Barton † | Johnny Loftus | H. Guy Bedwell | J. K. L. Ross | 2:09.80 | |
1918 | Exterminator | William Knapp | Henry McDaniel | Willis Sharpe Kilmer | 2:10.80 | |
1917 | Omar Khayyam | Charles Borel | Charles T. Patterson | Billings & Johnson | 2:04.60 | |
1916 | George Smith | Johnny Loftus | Hollie Hughes | John Sanford | 2:04.00 | |
1915 | Regret ‡ | Joe Notter | James G. Rowe, Sr. | Harry P. Whitney | 2:05.40 | |
1914 | Old Rosebud | John McCabe | Frank D. Weir | Hamilton C. Applegate | 2:03.40 | |
1913 | Donerail | Roscoe Goose | Thomas P. Hayes | Thomas P. Hayes | 2:04.80 | |
1912 | Worth | Carroll H. Shilling | Frank M. Taylor | Henry C. Hallenbeck | 2:09.40 | |
1911 | Meridian | George Archibald | Albert Ewing | Richard F. Carman | 2:05.00 | |
1910 | Donau | Frederick Herbert | George Ham | William Gerst | 2:06.40 | |
1909 | Wintergreen | Vincent Powers | Charles Mack | Jerome B. Respess | 2:08.20 | |
1908 | Stone Street | Arthur Pickens | J. W. Hall | C. E. & J. W. Hamilton | 2:15.20 | |
1907 | Pink Star | Andy Minder | W. H. Fizer | J. Hal Woodford | 2:12.60 | |
1906 | Sir Huon | Roscoe Troxler | Pete Coyne | Bashford Manor Stable | 2:08.80 | |
1905 | Agile | Jack Martin | Robert Tucker | Samuel S. Brown | 2:10.75 | |
1904 | Elwood | Shorty Prior | Charles E. Durnell | Mrs. C. E. Durnell | 2:08.50 | |
1903 | Judge Himes | Hal Booker | John P. Mayberry | Charles R. Ellison | 2:09.00 | |
1902 | Alan-a-Dale | Jimmy Winkfield | Thomas C. McDowell | Thomas C. McDowell | 2:08.75 | |
1901 | His Eminence | Jimmy Winkfield | Frank B. Van Meter | Frank B. Van Meter | 2:07.75 | |
1900 | Lieut. Gibson | Jimmy Boland | Charles Hughes | Charles H. Smith | 2:06.25 | |
1899 | Manuel | Fred Taral | Robert J. Walden | A. H. & D. H. Morris | 2:12.00 | |
1898 | Plaudit | Willie Simms | John E. Madden | John E. Madden | 2:09.00 | |
1897 | Typhoon II | Buttons Garner | J. C. Cahn | J. C. Cahn | 2:12.50 | |
1896 | Ben Brush | Willie Simms | Hardy Campbell, Jr. | Mike F. Dwyer | 2:07.75 | |
1895 | Halma | Soup Perkins | Byron McClelland | Byron McClelland | 2:37.50 | |
1894 | Chant | Frank Goodale | H. Eugene Leigh | Leigh & Rose | 2:41.00 | |
1893 | Lookout | Eddie Kunze | William McDaniel | Cushing & Orth | 2:39.25 | |
1892 | Azra | Alonzo Clayton | John H. Morris | Bashford Manor Stable | 2:41.50 | |
1891 | Kingman | Isaac Murphy | Dud Allen | Jacobin Stable | 2:52.25 | |
1890 | Riley | Isaac Murphy | Edward Corrigan | Edward Corrigan | 2:45.00 | |
1889 | Spokane | Thomas Kiley | John Rodegap | Noah Armstrong | 2:34.50 | |
1888 | Macbeth II | George Covington | John Campbell | Chicago Stable | 2:38.00 | |
1887 | Montrose | Isaac Lewis | John McGinty | Labold Brothers | 2:39.25 | |
1886 | Ben Ali | Paul Duffy | Jim Murphy | J. B. A. Haggin | 2:36.50 | |
1885 | Joe Cotton | Erskine Henderson | Abe Perry | James T. Williams | 2:37.25 | |
1884 | Buchanan | Isaac Murphy | William Bird | William Cottrill | 2:40.25 | |
1883 | Leonatus | Billy Donohue | Raleigh Colston | Chinn & Morgan | 2:43.00 | |
1882 | Apollo | Babe Hurd | Green B. Morris | Morris & Patton | 2:40.00 | |
1881 | Hindoo | Jim McLaughlin | James G. Rowe, Sr. | Dwyer Bros. Stable | 2:40.00 | |
1880 | Fonso | George Lewis | Tice Hutsell | J. Snell Shawhan | 2:37.50 | |
1879 | Lord Murphy | Charlie Shauer | George Rice | Darden & Co | 2:37.00 | |
1878 | Day Star | Jimmy Carter | Lee Paul | T. J. Nichols | 2:37.25 | |
1877 | Baden-Baden | Billy Walker | Edward D. Brown | Daniel Swigert | 2:38.00 | |
1876 | Vagrant | Bobby Swim | James Williams | William Astor, Jr. | 2:38.25 | |
1875 | Aristides | Oliver Lewis | Ansel Williamson | Hal P. McGrath | 2:37.75 |
See also: Highest combined Triple Crown finish
A † designates a Triple Crown Winner.
A ‡ designates a filly.
*In 1968, Dancer's Image, ridden by Bobby Ussery, trained by Lou Cavalaris, Jr., and owned by Peter Fuller, finished first, but was disqualified after a post-race urine sample revealed traces of a banned drug in the horse. The drug in question - phenylbutazone - is now legal for use on racehorses in many states, including Kentucky.
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