A welcome streak of big-race success for smaller members of the breeding community continued into the summer as No Half Measures sprung a 66-1 surprise in the July Cup at Newmarket.

Richard Hughes’ sprinting filly, a £34,000 purchase by the trainer at the 2022 Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale in Doncaster, entitles honours to be shared by Bumble Mitchell and Sally Nicholls as July’s TBA Breeder of the Month.

The pair, who are near-neighbours in the Lincolnshire Wolds, partnered on a few mares including Fascinator, a daughter of Helmet from the family of the spring-heeled Kachy, who was a maiden from three starts.

No Half Measures, by Cable Bay, is her second foal and arrived after the prolific sprint handicapper Trilby. Mitchell, the long-standing and popular consignor, takes up the story.

“Some friends of mine raced the mare and they wanted a good home for her,” she says. “I’d already sold them a yearling previously that had won races and I’d bought back, so they rang me and asked if I’d like to buy her privately.

“I can’t honestly boast about a great skill in all of it but I thought she had every chance and I was always a huge fan of her sire. No Half Measures was a beautiful foal, absolutely lovely.”

Mitchell and Nicholls, who runs an organic egg business on her farm, are now operating independently. Along with No Half Measures, who won a Group 3 at Newbury last year, they had also combined to breed the unrelated Perdika, a daughter of Unfortunately who finished second to Highfield Princess in the 2023 Prix de l’Abbaye at Longchamp.

Both Perdika and Fascinator are part of an enterprise Nicholls, whose family have had a longstanding interest in the sport, has been developing for the last few years.

“It’s very exciting,” Nicholls says. “Once you get going, you’ve got the bug. It’s quite a lot to remember and organise with all the foals and the yearlings, plus the hens as well, but it keeps us out of mischief.

“I’ve got some nice mares now and we’ll see how they all go but it’s only this last year or so that we’ve got a few more.”

As No Half Measures began to rise through the ranks, landing the Listed Prix Moonlight Cloud at Deauville last August, Nicholls was rewarded with the £130,000 sale of her Showcasing half sister, named Mystic Veil, to Fawzi Nass and Oliver St Lawrence at Doncaster.

Now with a priceless Group 1 update on the page and Perdika also having given birth to her first foal by No Nay Never, Nicholls has an exciting few months to look forward to on and off the track.

“It’s all happened quite quickly but Fascinator has a yearling colt by Territories who has gone off to be prepped by Finn Kent before Tattersalls Book 2 and I’ve got another filly out of her by Expert Eye that we’re not racing and will hopefully breed from,” she explains. “We then gave Fascinator the year off but she’s now in foal to Mehmas.

“It’s something we’re enjoying. It’s been so nice to see the foals up at home and you just hope the family keeps going on.”

Mitchell, who has downsized a little, is not taking the success for granted either, adding: “I’m proud to have been involved with breeding a Group 1 horse here, it’s something I’ve been waiting many years for.

“It’s a very hard thing to do for a small breeder and it gives all of us small breeders a little encouragement, doesn’t it?

“With both Perdika and No Half Measures, the stud fees were not very big and it shows it can be done.

“We’ve seen it happen to other small breeders, such as Kelly Thomas with [Group 1 star-turned-stallion] Vandeek and [Coventry Stakes-winning half-brother] Gstaad. I think especially with sprinters, you’ve got more chance to do it with them.”

Mitchell is loathe to blow her own trumpet but with a little persuasion she elaborated on what has been a fine spell.

“We have smaller numbers these days but one of my offspring made 180,000gns at the breeze-ups and I’ve been waiting for her to come out and I was rather proud that I had five wins in under a month from four different horses, starting with No Half Measures.

“The others obviously weren’t Group horses, but it was a good July. I love going round the mares, and I’m selling foals rather than yearlings, but we’re still trying out there.”