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From the beginning……..
Growing up going to dog shows allowed me the opportunity to
see a lot of breeds. The one that really fascinated me was
the Saluki. As a teenager my parents decided to let me have
one so I contacted a large, well known breeder in the late
1960’s and purchased a charming young pup who stole my
heart. His name was Srinagar Anagha Faridun. Faridun was a
very naughty puppy and as he had to be alone during the day
while I was at school, he became quite destructive. I
contacted the breeder and she told me that Salukis do better
in pairs so I bought him a little friend Ranee. This solved
the problem and their daily runs together really helped use
up their excess energy.
I had entered Faridun at a show and, it was at this show,
that I saw a Saluki that totally took my breath away, Ch.
Jen Araby Mumtaz Mahal. She was a stunning black and rich
tan bitch who pranced around the ring as if she owned it and
easily won Best of Breed. I had put Faridun back in his
crate after the judging when a large man walked up to me.
He said ‘Srinagar, Krishna, do you want a good Saluki?’ I
was really taken back by these comments as, yes my pup was
from Srinagar and yes, his sire was Srinagar Jen Araby
Krishna but I had no idea who this gentleman was. He
introduced himself as Wayne Jensen and this was the start to
my long relationship with my mentors, Wayne and Marlys
Jensen of Jen Araby Salukis. Shortly after this show I
contacted Wayne about a visit to see his dogs. I ended up
coming home with a delightful 8 week old pup that ended up
one of my foundation bitches Am. Can. Mex. Ch. Jen Araby
Shezali of Baghdad ‘Sali’. After meeting Faridun, Ranee
and Sali, my parents were totally enamored of these three
charmers. They decided that, after a long period without a
show dog, they wanted to add another Saluki to their already
crowded sofa. They contacted Wayne and brought home our
second foundation bitch
Am. Ch. Jen Araby Rebecca of
Baghdad. Rebecca and Sali became fast friends and enjoyed a
close relationship for 16 years until Rebecca passed. Sali
grieved for a few months and then passed as well.
My mother and I agreed on the kennel prefix of ‘Baghdad’ for
our Saluki litters. So in the early 1970’s we bred Sali to
her cousin
BIS/BISS Am. Can Ch. Jen Araby Jurwadi
Bey, who was Rebecca’s brother, and bred
Rebecca to Sali’s uncle Jen Araby Huntsman Red Hawk. We
had planned these litters, as Rebecca and Jurwadi Bey were
from an outcross breeding, and Sali was from a line
breeding. My mother was very good at researching pedigrees
and with my father’s help from the NASA computer he laid
out the pedigree for the pups that took up our living room
floor. This was the real start for Baghdad Salukis.
I was doing a lot of showing and I was honored when Wayne
ask me to show Jurwadi Bey. I took him to Canada to finish
his Canadian championship and campaigned him in the US. Jurwadi
was bred to the stunning Mumtaz Mahal and Wayne gave me a
lovely black and tan dog, BISS Am. Can. Ch Jen Araby Mister
Jay. I also helped show Jay’s brothers Am.Can. Ch. Jen
Araby Karim Bey and Am. Can. Ch. Jen Araby Temujin to
their championships. Wayne gave me Ch. Jen Araby Delilah
of Baghdad, Ch. Jen Araby Alana of Baghdad. I showed BISS
Am Can Ch Jen Araby Assadd, Am Ch Jen Araby Aravnah and Ch Jen Araby Autumn Ra and my all time favorite Am. Can. Jen Araby
Zipparah.
In 1972 we bred Mister Jay to Rebecca producing Am.Can.Mex
Ch. Baghdad Gulliver. Gulliver was bred to Sali and
produced World, Int. Am. Can. Mex Ch. Baghdad Crimson
Gazelle ‘Redbird’ and her sister Am. Can. Ch. Baghdad Zelica.
In 1977 Gulliver was also bred to the Jurwadi Bey X Sali
daughter Ch. Baghdad’s Sweet Jasmine to produce Am & Can Ch
Baghdad Moriah of Kaches. In 1981 Moriah was bred to a dog
from my first smooth litter BISS Am. Can. Ch. Afking-Baghdad’s
Abou ( BIS/BISS Am, Can.Bda. Ch. Karimah’s Pluto of Afking X
Can. Ch. Chubasco Exotica) to produce the top winning
Smooth Saluki of all time in the world BIS/BISS Am. Can. Ch.
Afking-Baghdad Katulnas Khalif (5 All Breed BIS and 8
Specialty BIS).
In 1974 I bred Ch. Jen Araby Delilah of Baghdad to BISS
Am.Can. Ch. Jen Araby Mister Jay. This litter produced Ch.
Jen Araby Moti Mahal and Int.Urug.Parag. Ch. Jen Araby Mr.
Bey of Baghdad (Yvonne De Bourbon and behind Juan Carlos
Vasconcellos breeding) and Jen Araby Tiy Mahal of Baghdad.
In 1978 Tiy Mahal was bred to BISS Am & Can Ch. Jen Araby
Assadd to produced Am. Can. Ch. Jen Araby Zipparah.
Zipparah lived with me until she was 4 and I finished her
Am. and Can. titles and bred her to BIS/BISS Am.Can. Ch.
Afking-Baghdad Katulnas Khalif to produce one of the most
important bitches for Baghdad breeding, BIS/BISS Am, Can &
Aust Ch Afking-Baghdad’s
Crimson Gazelle ‘Wendy’. Wayne also gave me Zipparah’s
brother Am. Can. Ch.Jen Araby Barat of Baghdad who was
Winners Dog at the first SCOA National.
In 1980 I met Peggy Sheet’s (Brenlair Kennel) UK import, Ch.
Burydown Imperator. I also saw how beautifully he produced
crossed to her Jen Araby bitches. I decided that I wanted
to go in this direction as well and went to the UK in search
of a dog to bring back. Jeanna Jaques, of Classicus fame,
owned the magnificent UK Ch. Burydown Iphigenia, the sister
to Imperator. Iphigenia had been mated to Classicus
Serendipity Nijinsky, a son of the very successful Int. Dut.
Ger, Fr, World Ch. Samoems Sodom. Sodom was out of a
Burydown bitch and the mating of Iphigenia to Nijinsky
doubled up on the world famous UK Ch. Bedouin Caliph. I was
so excited about this breeding that I came back when the
pups were 3 months old and picked my dog Am. Can Ch.
Classicus Bacchus. Bacchus crossed beautifully to my Jen
Araby bred bitches and when I moved to Australia Bacchus
went to live with Wayne and Marlys Jensen. Bacchus went on
to produce top winners for Jen Araby. I bred Bacchus to
Ch. Afking-Baghdad’s Artist Proof (Khalif X Redbird) to
produce Can. Aust. Ch. Baghdad Safir and Can. Aust. Ch.
Baghdad Sirina. Sirina was never bred from but Safir
produced 2 litters for me. The first litter Safir sired was
to Wendy which produced two bitches that went on to make
their own contribution. First was
RUBISS Ch. Baghdad Azad
Halik who, when bred to BIS/BISS Ch. Elarbie Zikr, produced
BIS/BISS Ch. Windstorm Total Eclipse and BIS Ch. Windstorm
Golden Sun. The second bitch was
Aust. Swd. Ch. Baghdad
Azad Sahar who was the foundation bitch for the well known
Qirmizi Kennels in Sweden. The second litter Safir sired
was to Baghdad Bakari which produced Ch. Baghdad Farouk.
Farouk was also bred to Wendy to produce the two bitches
that are in almost every Baghdad pedigree today, BISS Ch.
Baghdad Intrigue and Ch. Baghdad Incognita.
In 1981 the late Joan Hoefer of Rafelda Salukis asked if she
could breed her stunning sabled red bitch Am.Can.Ch.
Rafelda’s Pairika to Am.Can.Ch. Baghdad Gulliver. I jumped
at the opportunity to get a stud fee pup as Pairika went
back to the old American Warm Valley and Hightower lines
which I had long admired. From this mating came
Am.Can.Aust. Ch. Rafelda’s Dhehebi of Baghdad ‘Goldie’. She
was a lovely petite sabled fawn bitch. Knowing I would be
moving to Australia in 1984, I bred Goldie to
MBIS MBISS Am,
Can, Mex, Int Ch & FCh
Bel Sm’bran Promise of Attallah ‘Twix’.
With this outcross Baghdad Salukis started in a new
direction. From this litter I brought to Australia BIS/BISS
Ch. Baghdad Promise of Gold ‘Twyx’ and Baghdad Austral
Aliyah, both were to play a significant role in my breeding
program.
I did another breeding in 1982, knowing I would be moving to
Australia, this was an inbreeding of Am. Can. Ch. Baghdad
Moriah of Kaches to her son BIS/BISS Am. Can. Ch. Afking-Baghdad
Katulnas Khalif. I brought over Can.Ch. Baghdad Akiva Ben
Khalif but was devastated when he was killed by a red
bellied black snake the first year in Australia and before
he could sire a litter. This left me with no link to the
smooth gene which I so loved. To get the smooth gene back I
leased a smooth bitch, Nishapur Sahil Zahra from Marilyn
Scott, sired by BIS Ch. Sedeki Faal (a son of UK Ch. Jen
Araby Mahal Bey of Sedeki who was a brother to Mister Jay,
Karim Bey and Timujin) and out of her UK import Aji Baida
who was sired by a Saudi Arabian import. In 1988 Zahra was
bred to the Khalif X Am.Can. Ch. Baghdad Ebony Enchantress
(sister to Moriah) son Am. Can. Aust. Ch. Afking-Baghdad
Charaj Raja. This litter produced BIS, RUBISS Ch. Baghdad
Desert Dreamer and Swd Ch. Baghdad Desert Descendant. Also
in this litter was Ch. Baghdad Desert Dazzler who was the
first Saluki for Padtheway Kennels. Dreamer went on to
produce another top winning smooth BIS/BISS Swd. Nor. Aust
Ch. Baghdad Phantom sired by BISS Ch. Baghdad
Nebuchadnezzar.
In 1983 I started the long task of bringing 8 Salukis to
Australia. In those days, to bring dogs into Australia from
North America it took 9 months. I sent 6 dogs first to
Honolulu as the two Goldie pups I kept were too young to
travel and had to come 6 months later. The dogs did 4
months in quarantine in Honolulu and 1 month in residency in
a boarding kennel there. Then they flew to Sydney where
they were taken immediately to quarantine for another 4
months. I was able to visit them once a week while in
quarantine here in Australia and it was a very long 4
months. While in Hawaii I visited them 4 times on my 2
trips back and forth from Australia to the States for
business. The laws have changed and now dogs are only
required to do 1 month in quarantine from most countries.
All 8 dogs came through with no problems but I feel this was
very lucky as other imports were not so fortunate.
In 1987 I leased a daughter of Aust Ch. Bedouin El Zahran
(Imp. UK) and bred her to Aust. Ch. Amena Quest (Imp. UK).
When I was in the UK in 1980 I visited the late Mary Long of
Amena fame and was very impressed with her dogs. I
especially liked UK Ch. Amena Lucifer, UK Ch. Amena Joy and
their daughter UK Ch. Amena Morning Glory. Quest was
sired by Lucifer out of Joy. Joy was sired by UK Ch.
Bedouin Sheik Zendi. This mating produced Baghdad Bakari
‘Pinky’ who, due to her total disdain for the show ring,
never finished her title. Pinky made a tremendous
contribution in the 4 litters she produced. Pinky’s first
litter was to Safir which produced Farouk. Then Pinky was
bred back to her son to produce our chocolate girls, Ch.
Baghdad Hot Chocolate and Ch. Baghdad Hot Cocoa. Pinky was
bred to Twyx to produce
BIS/BISS Ch. Baghdad Jeremiah.
Pinky’s last litter was to the Bashir son Baghdad
Renaissance. This litter produced Ch. Baghdad Whipped Crème
who went on to be a top producer and her brother BISS Ch.
Baghdad Wham Bam.
In 1990 I bred Wendy to an Amena Quest son Ch. Elarbie
Thunderbolt. This litter produced the world famous
BIS/BISS
World Int Nord Am Ch. Baghdad Globetrotter ‘Trotter’.
Trotter went on to sire some beautiful Salukis in
Scandinavia and the United States. Generations of Trotter’s
offspring can be seen all over the world. One of his
grandsons was sent to Australia and was Top Saluki and Top
Hound in Australia for 2008 (Dogzonline) BIS Grand Ch.
Qirmizi Global Challenger ‘Sven’ who has several Baghdad
Salukis in his pedigree. Trotter’s frozen semen was used
recently in the United States so we will see Trotter’s
legacy for many years to come.
Also in 1990 RUBIS Ch. Baghdad Azad Halik was bred to BIS/BISS
Ch. Elarbie Zikr (BIS/BISS Ch. Baghdad Promise of Gold X
Ch. Elarbie Thunder Cloud a sister to Thunderbolt). This
mating produced BIS/BISS Ch. Windstorm Total Eclispe
‘Clipper’. Clipper was an extremely sound, beautifully
tempered dog who was bred to Wendy to produce BIS/BISS Ch.
Baghdad Nemesis, BISS Ch. Baghdad Nebuchadnezzar and BIS Ch.
Baghdad Nimrod. Nemesis was bred to Baghdad Austral Aliyah
to produce the famous T litter. BIS/BISS Am. Aust. Ch.
Baghdad Talk of the Town ‘Talk’ won the 2nd
Saluki National in Australia and was a Royal Best in Show
winner. Talk sired several litters before going to the
United States and 3 litters in the United States. Many of
Talks offspring have excelled in the show ring and in Open
Field Coursing including his daughter BISS Am. Ch. Baghdad
Almost An Angel.
BIS Ch. Baghdad Trendsetter sired a
litter to BISS Ch. Baghdad Intrigue ‘Indy’ and this litter
produced
BIS/BISS World, Int. Am. Can. Mex. Amers. Aust.
Grand Ch. Baghdad Crème de la Crème ‘Jordan’, the top
winning Saluki of all time in the world. Another important
Saluki from this litter was
BISS Ch. Baghdad Charisma who
has produced many BIS and Specialty winners and the
foundation bitch for Pazada Kennel,
Ch. Baghdad Quirk of
Fate ‘Shari’, whose Ch. Pazada Tristar and Ch. Pazada Astra
Viva (sired by
RUBISS Grand Ch. Baghdad Sunsation, a Jordan
son) are #1 and #2 Salukis in Australia for 2009 (Dogzonline).
Aust Ch Baghdad Temptress ‘Tali’ also produced a litter
sired by Jordan and a son, Ch. Baghdad Kamal went to Shasei
Kennels in the United States and has produced many
champions.
In 1991 I imported semen from the top winner and producer
BIS/BISS
Am. Can. Ch. Clarinda’s Sunna Sarea Bashir. This litter
produced 5 pups but only two went on to produce.
BISS Swd
Ch. Baghdad Ruebens went to Sweden to Qirmizi Kennels and is
the grandsire of BIS/BISS Multi Ch. World Ch. Amiyat Anakin
and his lovely sister also BOB World winner 2008 Int. Nord
Ch. Amiyat Ants In The Pants. Baghdad Renaissance sired
Ch. Baghdad Whipped Cream who was bred to
BIS/BISS World,
Int. Am. Can. Mex. Amers, Aust. Grand Ch. Baghdad Crème de
la Crème (BIS Ch. Baghdad Trendsetter X Intrique) twice to
produce 6 champions. From the first mating came
BIS/BISS UK
Ch. Baghdad Foreign Affair at Locklander ‘JJ’. JJ went on
to sire
BIS/BISS UK Ch. Mabrooka Jayid ‘Jason’ the top
winning Saluki in the UK in recent times and Crufts Group
winner. Also from the first litter was
Ch. Baghdad Flight
of Fantasy. From the second mating came
BISS Italian Ch.
Baghdad Let’s Dance who has produced BIS winners for Roberto
Forsoni’s Kan Ya Ma Kan Kennels in Italy. Also from this
litter came
RUBIS Ch. Baghdad Living Legend ‘Leo’,
Ch Baghdad Latin Lover,
Am Ch Baghdad League Above and
BISS/BIS
Ch. Baghdad Last Impression ‘Karim’.
At the end of 1991 I bred Baghdad Austral Aliyah to BIS/BISS
Ch. Elarbie Zikr, her nephew. This mating produced one of
my favorite bitches
BIS/BISS Ch. Baghdad Kiss Me Quick
‘Kissy’. Kissy was a bubbly outgoing puppy almost from
birth. She started her show career at 3 months and won
dozens of Class in Show awards. At 6 months on the day she
was Challenge Bitch and RUBISS to her half brother Clipper
at the Victorian Saluki Club Show under well known judge
Richard Beauchamp. She repeated this win award many times
but the most memorable was her RUBISS again at the Victorian
Saluki Club Show under George Bell of Bel S’bran Kennels.
George put
BIS/BISS Ch. Baghdad Jeremiah BIS that day. BISS
Ch. Baghdad Intrigue was Res. Challenge to Kissy. Kissy was
the top winning Saluki in 1994. She was also RUBISS at the
Saluki Club of NSW to BISS Ch. Baghdad Wham Bam under Carole
Tipler of Al Yaman Salukis. As well as her many BIS’s and
RUBIS;s her career included a Runner Up in Group at the
Sydney Royal Show. Everyone that met Kissy, left with a
kiss and a smile. She was named Kissy for her ability to
kiss you no matter how much you resisted.
In 1992 Ch. Baghdad Incognita ‘Anita’ was bred to Clipper.
This litter produced four bitches, Fin.Ch. Baghdad Luscious
Lola, who has produced many champions, Aust Ch. Baghdad Lucky Lady,
Aust. Ch. Baghdad Love Me Tender and Ch. Baghdad Leading Lady
‘Lady’. Lady was bred to her uncle Nemesis to produce the
stunning self red bitch Ch. Baghdad Show Stopper and Ch.
Baghdad Shadow Catcher. Shadow Catcher was bred to
Wham Bam
and produced the lovely Finish Ch. Baghdad Black Orchid and
Am. Ch. Baghdad Black Tie Affair.
In 1995 I sent
Phantom to Sweden but before going he sired a
litter out of Aliyah. This produced Baghdad Vintage Red
‘Beau’. Beau was bred to Indy to produce
Ch Baghdad Heavenly
Body ‘Elle’. In 2005 Elle was bred to
RUBIS Ch.
Baghdad Excelsior to produce
Jap. Aust. Ch. Baghdad Utopia. In 2006 Elle was bred to
RUBIS Ch. Baghdad Living Legend to produce Baghdad’s last smooth litter,
Baghdad Naked Lady (who was sent to
Juan Carlos Vasconsellos
in Paraguay) &
Baghdad Smooth Operator
(who was sent to Steve Ham in the UK). I still have
semen from Phantom and am hoping to be able to use it in the
future.
In 1995 Kissy was bred to Jeremiah and produced a beautiful
litter which included BIS Ch. Baghdad Ultimatum and
Ch.
Baghdad Unmistakable’ Missy’. Missy was bred to
RUBIS Ch.
Baghdad Excelsior and produced several champions including
German Ch. Baghdad MS Congeniality who has produced many
champions for Barbara Weber of Yalameh Salukis in Germany.
In 1997 Lady was bred to Talk and produced
BISS Am Ch.
Baghdad Almost ‘Angel’, Aust. Ch. Baghdad As You Like It and
Aust. Ch. Baghdad Aphrodite and Baghdad Ambassador (who went
to Roberto Forsoni of Kan Ya Ma Kan Kennels in Italy where
he sired Roberto's first litter). In 2000 Aphrodite was bred to
Jeremiah and produced the lovely
Am.Can. Ch. Baghdad Jewel of
Redelika.
In 2001 a friend of mine asked me to come evaluate her Saluki
litter which was 8 weeks old. The sire was Aust. Ch. Qirmizi Emerald (Imp Swd), a Globetrotter grandson, and the
dam was a lovely red bitch, Ch. Kiabe Shahira, bred by
Margaret Giles of Kiabe Kennels. This mating was a total
outcross out of crosses so I didn’t know what to expect. I
stacked the pups and after examining the 4 dogs and 4
bitches I picked a smart little black and tan bitch and said
in a tongue in cheek way ‘I’ll have this one’. My friend
said ok and
BIS/BISS Ch. Taejaan Erin Brockovitch became a
member of the Baghdad family.
In 2004 Missy was bred to Jordan and produced two pups.
RUBIS Grand Ch. Baghdad Sunsation ‘Twix’ and
BIS Jap. Aust
Ch. Baghdad Seductress ‘Tess’. Tess went to Japan and I
leased her back for a litter.
In 2005 Charisma was bred to Excelsior and produced three
pups. Baghdad Thrill A Minute injured himself in a fall and
was not able to be shown.
RUBIS Ch. Baghdad Tempestuous
Tart ’Tarsha’ and
Italian Ch. Baghdad True Charisma ‘Emy’
(owned by Roberto Forsoni of Kan Ya Ma Kan Kennels in Italy)
both produced lovely pups.
In 2006 Julia was bred to Twix to produce a litter of 9
pups. One bitch was a pet and went to a lovely pet home, 8
of the remaining 6 have all become champions. These are
Ch.
Baghdad At the Oasis,
Ch. Baghdad Charlottes Web,
Ch.
Baghdad The Power O Me, Ch. Baghdad Now That’s Cool,
Jap.
Ch. Baghdad Golden Sun
and Am. Ch. Baghdad Shena at Shasei.
Baghdad Rose of Redelika is in Canada and is honing her expertise in agility
and may return to the show ring.
In 2007 Julia was bred to Jordan to produce 8 pups. Many of
these are very close to their championships. Those actively
being shown here in Australia are
Baghdad Angel Eyes,
Baghdad Phoenix Rising,
Baghdad Bronzed Aussie (who will be
off to Lynda Dunn in Ireland as soon as he finishes his
championship),
Baghdad Ebony Eyes,
Baghdad Prestige Affair (Res Ch.
at the last Victorian Saluki Specialty).
Baghdad Karim and
Baghdad Bamjoeh Diva have gone to the UK and are already
making their presence known in the show ring.
Baghdad
Northern Lights ‘Jerry’ has been stirring up the snow in
Sweden.
In August 2007 I went to the Festival of the Saluki in the
UK and at the Northern Saluki Club Show I saw a dog that
really interested me. I rushed over to ask the young boy
holding this dog who he was and his pedigree. The boy
replied that he didn’t know but that I should ask his
grandmother. I spoke to his grandmother and when she told
me that he was a Jason son aka
BIS/BISS UK Ch. Mabrooka
Jayid, I was not surprised that I liked him so much. The
dog was
Ch Hadiyyah Samir of Gorewater
(UK) ‘Kaspar’. After
watching this dog being shown I decided I’d like to get
semen from this dog or perhaps even bring him to Australia.
I spoke to his owner at lengths and in the end we agreed the
Kaspar would come to Australia for a year. Kaspar arrived
in Australia in December and finished his championship in 10
weekends of showing.
In June 2008 Kaspar’s first litter was born out of Tess.
There were two outstanding pups,
Baghdad Tyghar Bey and
Baghdad Spirit of the Desert. In October 2008 Kaspar’s
second litter out of Julia was born. These pups are just
making their presence known in the show ring here in
Australia, Baghdad Whose the Man, Baghdad Song of Arabia,
Baghdad Arabian Princess, Baghdad Golden Reign. Two of
these went to the United States, Baghdad Be Still My Heart
and
Baghdad Thief of Hearts. In November 2008 Kaspar’s last
litter to Tarsha was born. One of these will go to Kaspar’s
owner,
Baghdad Rose of Gorewater.
Baghdad Ibn Ben Caliph
will go to New Caledonia. In show homes in Australia are
Baghdad A Star in Stripes,
Baghdad
Arabian Night and
Baghdad Totally Bewitching. Kaspar left
to go back to the UK in October 2008 and although his owners
are very happy to have him back home, he is sadly missed
here.
In 2009 there are two litters planned out of the Twix X
Julia daughters,
Ch. Baghdad At The Oasis ‘Julie’ and
Ch.
Baghdad Charlotte’s Web ‘Charlotte’.
I want to acknowledge all the people who helped to make
Baghdad Kennels one of the top Saluki breeding kennels in
the world. I especially want to thank the late Wayne Jensen
and Marlys Jensen for all their support and generosity in
the early years of my breeding and showing Salukis. I’d
like to thank Julian & Liz Guthrie for her constant support and
friendship over the past 20 plus years. I would also like
to thank all the owners of Baghdad Salukis world wide for
helping to make it as successful as it is today. I can try
and breed good Salukis but without the owners being part of
the team by cherishing these dogs and giving them the
opportunity to reach their potential, Baghdad wouldn’t have
achieved the success it has had in the past, has today and
will hopefully have in the future. Thank you to all the
people that have been and are presently owned by Baghdad
Salukis
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