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Nutella Fella and Junior Alvarado win the 2023 Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga Race Course.
GRADED STAKES WINNING OWNERS 48 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 70
NICK & DELORA BEAVER – BELL GABLE STABLE NUTELLA FELLA
W
hen Nick Beaver married Delora, he told her, “One of these days, I’d like to have a horse or two or three.” She replied, “You better make enough money to pay for it.” He did exactly that – with her help. “When I came out of the [U.S.] Navy, I worked with a labor contractor,” Nick said. “I worked for them for about 10 years. Delora said, ‘Move out on your own.’ We haven’t looked back since. Now we have five companies.” And horses. Since 2017. “I claimed a horse for $5,000 on a Thursday or a Friday,” Nick said. “By Sunday, we had three more.” Nick Beaver grew up in racing, literally. His mother was a waitress in the clubhouse at Waterford Park, which is now Mountaineer Park in West Virginia. “I never had a dad,” Beaver said. “My mom raised four boys on her own. I was the youngest.” In 2019, the Beavers decided to buy a pricey yearling at the FasigTipton Mid-Atlantic Sale. “We looked at 10 or 12 yearlings,” Beaver said. “We focused on Maryland Brando, a colt by Flatter out of the More Than Ready mare Apple Cider. “The reserve was going to be $100,000,” Beaver said. “We bought him for $250,000.”