A Cracking Christmas

I hope you all had a great Christmas weekend and enjoyed spending time with your families. It is a lovely time of the year but with horses to look after, things never really stop here at Harraton Stud and I'll be happy when the working world returns back to some normality! With jumps racing taking centre stage over the weekend, it was great to sit back and relax whilst watching some top-class jumps action. Cue Card's King George win has to go down as one of the classics whilst it was a joy to watch two greats like Sprinter Sacre and Sire De Grugy battle it out the following day.

It's back to business now though and we kick off with Art Beat at Southwell tomorrow. She has shown some promise in maidens and has been given a low rating by the handicapper but I suspect the six furlong trip might be a bit sharp for her against some more experienced rivals.

Then on Wednesday we head to Lingfield with a pair of raiders. Teputina ran a blinder to finish second on her debut at Chelmsford last time and the run has really woken her up at home. She should be a lot more street-wise this time and I hope she can grab a place in what isn't a too strong maiden race.

Teputina (Caitlin)

Also at Lingfield is Star Of The Stage. He hasn't had much luck since joining us but his last run was a step in the right direction and I feel he is now coming down to a rating he can be competitive off. We are still learning about him but I wouldn't be surprised if he ran well.

Star Of The Stage (Mark)

There's not a lot on then until Saturday when Dissertation goes to Southwell. She looked a much better proposition over a long trip last time and I think two miles at this kind of track will be ideal. She always works like a horse with plenty of ability at home and we just need to find a way of unlocking it!

Dissertation (Ross)

Dakota City continues to train exceptionally well ahead of his try over two miles next week. He will have one more gallop before then and that should put him spot on for the new assignment.

Dakota City (Mark) & Candesta (Sarah)

Veeraya (Sam)

I'm delighted to report that stable star Sabre Rock is now back in light exercise as he begins his recuperation from injury. He kept us all warm last winter by winning all five of his race for us and I still think he is a horse with plenty more improvement to come. We will take things slowly with him but the aim is to have him back by April. He has come back looking like a tank and was delighted to be out on the Heath again!

Kemsing...the perfect present!

A couple of weeks ago I said it would be great if we could nick one more winner before the year was out to beat last year's winner's tally so I'm even happier to have now gone two ahead thanks to Kemsing's great win at Southwell on Friday. Regular readers of the blog will know I've been banging on about him for a while now so it was fantastic to win with him on his first run for the yard after we bought him at the October Tattersalls sales. Personally, it is very satisfying to win with a horse fresh from another trainer's yard as it goes to show that we must be doing something right here at Harraton Stud.
As well as saying how well he goes, I've also been trying to sell shares in him as only 20% had been sold so I thought the best way to advertise his abilities would be to prove how fast he can run! This win is just the start of what could be a profitable winter for him and £1200 for a 10% share (with £200 per month all-inclusive training fees) could look very cheap by the spring. Thankfully there has already been immediate interest but if you would like to join the syndicate or want more details, please email me on juliafeilden@aol.com

Kemsing returns to the winner's enclosure

We seem to have hit a rich vein of form at Southwell with our last two runners there winning and I hope Dark Diamond can bring up the hat-trick on Tuesday. He looked for all the world like needing further when third at the track over a mile last time so the step up in trip should be ideal. He is still a maiden but certainly deserves to win a race and it should be this winter.

Dark Diamond

Racing takes a break for a few days before the Christmas period and, after enjoying some turkey on the 25th and watching some top-class jumps racing on Boxing Day, we'll be heading to Chelmsford on Sunday with Attain. He was unlucky not to win there last time after getting boxed in and showed that he is still fresh and well after a long season. He unfortunately bruised his foot at the weekend but he has recovered well from it and we will see over the course of the week what kind of shape he is in before deciding whether to run or not.

Attain winning earlier in the year

Four of our six yearlings are back at our yard from pre-training now and I'm very happy with them all. I bought Secret Ballerina with the hope that she would be a razor-sharp juvenile and the early signs are good as she goes about her steady work in a great manner. The two-year old races don't start until next April so we will take things slowly with her, building up her preparation along the way.

Secret Ballerina (Adam)

Mungo Madness (Ross)

I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who has very kindly brought presents to the yard over the last few weeks. Myself and John will certainly be kept merry over the Christmas period with all the wine and even the dogs are well catered for with all the biscuits that have been brought in.
There's no chance of getting fat at ours with the horses all still needing to be looked after over the weekend, although they will be having easy days on Friday and Saturday before getting back into the routine.
I wish you all a Merry Christmas and I hope you enjoy spending time with your families and, if you complain that the weather is too mild to be Christmas, remember it won't be long before we're back to scenes like this!

Emma's Gift winning in the snow at Wolverhampton

Limerick edges us ahead

I said last week that I hoped we could grab another winner before the year was out to better last year's tally and we did it sooner than I though after Limerick Lord got things right and won at Southwell. He had been struggling over sprint distances so he looked worth a try over a bit further. The course is ideal for horses who have early speed so his sprinting experience meant he could get a good early position and it was just a case of whether he would stay the mile trip. Luckily he did and won with a bit in hand. He is unexposed at this kind of distance so you'd hope he could have more success this winter.

Limerick Lord (Shelley Birkett) win at Southwell

Hopefully we can get another winner on the board before 2015 draws to a close and this week sees some good chances, starting Monday at Wolverhampton with Automotive. Nothing went right for him last time but he won over course and distance the time before so a reproduction of that effort should see him go close, if getting the luck in running he needs.

Automotive winning last month

The following day we are at Kempton as Vastly tries to make a winning mark after an encouraging return to action. He hasn't had the rub of the green recently but has still ran well and it will only require a change in fortune to see him get his head in front.

Vastly (Adam)

The end of the week sees our recent purchases hit the track for the first time for us.
At Chelmsford on Thursday, Teputina sees a racecourse for the first time. She was bought very cheaply from Clive Brittain's dispersal sale in October and she has done nothing wrong since joining us. Her homework has been to a good standard and she is very well behaved in the stalls so I hope she can run a respectable race and show something to build on for the future.
Also at Chelmsford that night is Star Of The Stage. He has had no luck since joining us, being draw in the widest stall on all three runs for the yard. He needs to make the running so a good draw is crucial. He is well at home so it's just a case of keeping our fingers crossed that he gets a good draw!

Kemsing (Ross), Teputina (Caitlin) & Star Of The Stage (Nick)

Rounding off a busy week is new boy Kemsing on Friday. It's hard to believe he is only a two-year old as he is so well-grown and mentally mature you would think he is an older horse. He is going well at home and I think a track like Southwell will be ideal for him as he is a strong traveller. He didn't show much form in four runs for his last trainer but that means he is very well handicapped now and I hope he can make a quick impact.

Dakota City is fit and well and, after having a good chat with his jockey Adam, we feel it is worth trying him over two miles as his rapid acceleration could be lethal over that kind of trip and he settles so well in his races that he should save his energy over the longer distance. There isn't an ideal race until the new year so he will be kept for that assignment.

Dakota City (Mark)

The jumps season is now in full swing and, with that in mind, Ross is planning an owners' day trip to the Cheltenham Festival. The date pencilled in is Thursday 17th March - St Patrick's Day of The Festival which hosts the World Hurdle and Ryanair Chase. The cost of the trip will include racecourse tickets and bus transfers from Newmarket and back. At this stage Ross just wants an idea of numbers so please can you register your interest by emailing rbirkett1989@hotmail.co.uk
This trip is open to anyone so feel free to invite your friends if you think they would be interested.

Time ticking away

It is a bit of a shock how quickly the year has flown by as we enter December. The yard is still full to the brim and, after taking into account the horses who are on a break, we have around a dozen to campaign over the winter. Winners-wise, we are on the same number as last year so it would be great to nick another one before the year is out to just edge ahead.

The quest goes to Chelmsford on Monday with Attain. He has had a great year with three wins on the board but has been a bit high in the weights since. However, he is now back down to a rating of 60 which means he can race in the grade he is usually competitive in. The favourite was a winner last time and might be hard to beat but Attain maintains his form and is always surprising us.

Attain

The horsebox gets a breather until Saturday  then when Limerick Lord has his first run back after a short break. He was banging his head against a brick wall over sprint distances during the summer so we're taking the decision to step him right up in trip and try him over a mile. He is a keen horse at home which gives you the impression he is a sprinter but he just cannot find a turn of foot over this short trip. Mark Rimmer has done a great job to get him settled and relaxed at home so hopefully now he won't pull hard in his race and can stay the extra trip. The surface at Southwell will be an unknown too but he does look the type who would be able to handle it.

Teputina (Caitlin) & Limerick Lord (Mark)

New boy Kemsing continues to please me as he builds up to his run on the 18th December. I worked him with a good yard stick in Automotive over seven furlongs to get a good gauge of his ability and it seems that there is plenty there. You'd have to think that he would be able to win off a rating of just 50. A handful of 10% shares are still available in him for just £1200 each. Contact me on juliafeilden@aol.com  for more details.

Automotive (Ross) & Kemsing (Nick)

Our six yearlings are all doing great as they begin their careers as racehorses. The two boys are both in regular cantering exercise on the Heath whilst the Sakhee's Secret and Bahamian Bounty fillies both returned to the yard on Saturday after a spell in pre-training. They will have their first sight of the Heath tomorrow and I can't wait to train them!

Big Bang (Sam)

Full throttle for Kemsing

It is often said that 'horses aren't machines' and this is no truer than when buying a new horse. Unlike a car, you can't take it on a test drive to see if is any good as you have to wait and get the horse to a high level of fitness after you've bought him before letting him loose and seeing how good he really is. This has been the case with our two latest recruits, Kemsing and Teputina, who I bought last month. Kemsing had been showing good signs during his slower paces and I'm delighted to say there seems to be a big engine underneath the bonnet. He hasn't shown much form for his previous trainer in a few runs but he has blossomed since coming to ours and I can see him doing well this winter on the all weather. There are still a few shares left in him at £1200 per 10% plus £200 per month training fees. He is set to run early next month so get in before he is in high demand! Email me on juliafeilden@aol.com for more info.

Kemsing (front)

Before Kemsing runs though, we have a few runners this week who will be looking to show off their maximum horsepower.
Vastly has been running into some form lately and is definitely a better horse on the all-weather. I'm desperate to run him at Wolverhampton, the track he won at, but there just is never an ideal race so he goes to Kempton on Monday and I hope he can run well again there, like he has done before.

Vastly

Accompanying him to Sunbury Park will be Serendib's Glory. She is only two-year old and had some time off in the summer to strengthen up. She has come back from the break very well and is now ready to make her debut. She is likely to need the experience and it looks a competitive race so I'll be happy is she can just enjoy her first taste of racing.

Serendib's Glory

After the horrendous weather we had last Saturday, it was a delight to be greeted with sunshine and clear blue skies this time around and the good weather brought out a great bunch of owners. As I always say, our yard is open to owners any day of the week and you are more than welcome to pop in. Saturday is a popular day to come as we usually have a good few horses galloping and it obviously suits most people's working hours.

Team Feilden out in force on the gallops

The crowds were out to see Star of the Stage go through his final workout before heading to Lingfield on Wednesday. He has been drawn widest of all on his two runs for us so hopefully it'll be third time lucky and we won't be starting from the car park! He ideally needs to make the running so a good draw will help this and it will see him to better effect.

Star of the Stage (Adam), Maison Brillet, Teputina (Caitlin)

Then on Friday Dissertation goes to Wolverhampton in a bid to show us the ability we know she has. She has been disappointing the last twice but I think she needs to make the running too as she doesn't enjoy being amongst horses. I'm toying with the idea of putting some headgear on her again but whatever happens, she should be winning in this low grade if putting her mind to it.

Dissertation (Mark; front)

Limerick Lord was given a month or so off just to freshen up a bit and he has come out of the break in great form. He won't take much to get ready again so I expect him to be back on track in the next fortnight.

Looking ahead

We didn't get the winner we were hoping for last week with Dakota City going closest at Kempton. It was a shame Meddling couldn't make her comeback from a break a winning one but I'm keen to get her out again before she heads to the sales in a fortnight's time as she is in great form at home.

It's fair to say winter has made itself known this week as Saturday was a bleak and miserable morning but a few of us hardy souls made it up to the gallops!

Leading the way was one of this week's two runners in Attain on Wednesday. He has had a great year with three wins already but still doesn't seem to be showing any signs of needing a break. He is galloping great at home and is back down to a good handicap mark so hopefully he can get himself back in the prize money for the N.E.T. Racing Club.
Vastly was due to run the same day but I'll probably wait with him until the following Monday as there is a more suitable race.

Vastly (Mark) & Attain (Ross)

The other runner this week will be Dark Diamond at Southwell on Thursday. He has good form at the track so that should hold no fears and he is galloping as well as ever at home. He never seems to run two races the same so hopefully last time's poor effort can be improved upon.
Serendib's Glory is coming along nicely now and is ready to run. The problem is finding a suitable race! She will probably start off at a mile and then we can decide for certain what her ideal trip is.

Serendib's Glory (Adam) & Dark Diamond (Nick)

As mentioned a few weeks ago, Teputina is the latest recruit to the N.E.T. Racing Club's quartet of horses. For just £200 a year you can become a member and receive news updates, free badges to the races and stable visits. Teputina has been a pleasure to train and goes from strength to strength every week. There's an ideal starting point for her in a couple of weeks and I shall be getting her in top form for that run.

Teputina (Caitlin)

Likewise, Big Bang is improving at a rate of knots and won't be far from making his debut for the N.E.T. Club. His attitude has come along way from when he was slightly mulish a few months back and now he is very keen to do his work and enjoys it too.

Big Bang

Star of the Stage came out of his Kempton run in fine fettle. He ideally needs to make the running but a wide draw the last twice has made that impossible. He is coming down the weights though as a result and will be back in form when getting the rub of the green.

Star of the Stage

Presents from owners always go down very well in the yard, particularly wine (me) and chocolate (staff)! Owners Jane and Chris Shirran are always extremely generous and left another load of goodies this weekend. Your generosity is always much appreciated and even the dogs and cats appreciate their gifts!

RIP Pat

It filled me with great sadness this week to learn of the death of Pat Eddery. On a professional level, he was an exceptional jockey, as all his success testifies. His career was winding down by the time I took out a trainer's licence but I grew up admiring his talents. On a personal note, I have been friends with the family for years and was lucky to be a witness at his and Carolyn's wedding many years ago. I know Pat had made a go at training after riding but I feel he could never really replace the buzz of big race success once he retired. I am just thankful that we got to witness his talents and I was lucky enough to know him whilst he was with us.

Looking ahead to this week's runners, we have quite a busy few days in store.
Starting on Tuesday, Candesta looks to win again after his narrow success at Kempton last time. He was entered for a race last Saturday but I've saved him for this one as I think it will be a better opportunity for him. He came out of the win in great form and only went up 2lbs in the handicap so hopefully he can go close again.

Candesta (Shelley)

Wednesday sees Dakota City back in action again. He definitely seems to be a better horse on the all-weather and was a bit unlucky at Lingfield last time. The 1m2f around Kempton should be ideal for him and there's definitely another win in the pipeline for him.
Then on Thursday we have a double header. Automotive goes to Lingfield in good order after his win at Wolverhampton last time. He too only went up a little in the handicap and the 1m4f around Lingfield seems just about within his compass. He's a hard one to predict and never runs two races the same but I hope he can be in the mix..
Completing the double on Thursday is Meddling. She has come out of her summer break in great health and has been working very impressively. A mile might just stretch her a bit but she couldn't be in any better form and I hope she can get a win before heading to the sales in three weeks' time.

Meddling (Ross), Automotive (Nick) & Dakota City (Mark)

Serendib's Glory and Big Bang are two juveniles who have both needed a bit of time to strengthen up but they are now both galloping and just need a bit more education before hitting the course. They are going the right way now and I think they will be out before Christmas, all being well.

Big Bang & Serendib's Glory (Caitlin)

Every year we take on a couple of Korean riders for a month as they bid to improve their riding and learn some English by coming over on a working holiday. Our pair this year are a good couple of lads and have fitted in well to the team. They have been getting plenty of riding in and they seemed to have improved as jockeys significantly.

Dark Diamond

As mentioned last week, the three to follow competition is now over for the season and the winner Mark Rimmer received his cash prize this week. Here he is pictured with one of his selections Dakota City.

Girls on top!

I've always been a big believer in the ability of female jockeys and have always been keen to give the girls a chance when the situation allows, so it was great to see Michelle Payne prove she is more than capable of doing a great job at the highest level when winning the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday. It still baffles me why some people in British racing see women as inferior riders to men when, on the vast majority of horses, it would not matter if the person on board was male, female or even an alien!
Sadly British racing will be one girl short as of this weekend with the retirement of Hayley Turner. She has done herself proud and has, in my eyes, been the first woman to really prove to the establishment that her sex should be given a fair chance. I know for one that she inspired my daughter Shelley to give it a go as a jockey and hopefully she will do so to many more future generations.

Michelle Payne with the Melbourne Cup

Shelley gets her chance to shine for us later in the week but on Monday it is Adam's turn in the saddle. He rides Star of the Stage at Kempton and the pair look to have been scuppered by a wide draw. He ran OK last time and this will probably be another learning experience for us both as he is only new to the yard.

We're back at Kempton on Wednesday with a pair of runners for owner Dick Creese. Little Orchid made a promising debut at Newmarket last week and she came out of the race in such great form that I'm not afraid to run her again so soon. It will be another step on the career ladder for her and she probably will hit full stride in handicaps but it will be great to get another run under her belt.
The best chance would come from Dissertation. She is a filly with a lot of ability but she hasn't quite shown it yet. We felt last time that she wasn't too keen to go past horses so we will ride her from the front on this occasion and use her long stride to full effect.

Dakota City (Mark) & Dissertation (Nick)

Friday nights in the wintertime only mean one thing and that's Wolverhampton so we'll be up there on Friday with Silver Alliance. He has won at the track before and is still in good order with himself but he will just need the strong pace to chase that he normally requires. It is hard to predict what he will do but I feel there is another win in him sometime soon.

Silver Alliance (Tehu) & Meddling (Ross)

Candesta has been full of confidence since his win last time and I hope he can strike again at Lingfield on Saturday. He only went up a couple of pounds for that win so there should still be a chance at the weights. He is working well at home and should have a good chance.

Serendib's Glory (Adam) & Candesta (Caitlin)

Yearlings are a yard's future so it's great to say we have a lot more than normal with six on the books. Four of them are still away at pre-training but we got the two boys back this week and I'm very happy with how they've taken the first step on the way to becoming racehorses. The Mount Nelson colt continues to impress me, he is a lovely looking lad now and moves beautifully. Mungo has a bit of a mind of his own but he is starting to get the hang of things now and does his work easily too.

Mount Nelson colt

Mungo Madness

THREE TO FOLLOW RESULTS

Thank you to everyone who entered this year's competition, we had a record number of entries and we will definitely be doing it again next spring.
Bethan and Attain were the two horses you needed on your side as they both manged to win and collect a handful of placings.
Mark Rimmer took an early lead and was not for catching so he takes home the £100 first prize. It's the first time a member of staff has won the competition so it must mean I have more knowledgeable staff than ever! I'm just glad I got a score this year after the zero I got last time.

Mark Rimmer	25
Adam Beschizza	24
Jim Stevens	24
Shelley Birkett	21
Sarah Macdonald	21
Tessa Stone	21
Ros Cousens	19
Kel Mansfield	18
Harry Hurst	18
Ged Turley	18
Bill Aspland	18
Steve Moore	17
Julia Feilden	17
Dominic Lisle	17
Tony Birkett	17
Lewis Richards	17
Jason Coote	16
Sophie Collington	16
Chris Shirran	16
Dave Barnett	16
Liz Moore	16
Malc Shields	14
Poppy Feilden	14
Eddie Partridge	14
Rita Aspland	14
Paula Smith	14
Steve Clarke	14
Martyn Clark	14
Geoff Roberts	13
Barbara Walton	13
Gordon Hill	13
Bill Burgess	13
Sam Feilden	13
Megan Digby Baker	12
John Birkett	12
Julie Feilden	12
Linda Wright	11
Stephen Broadley	11
Nick Feilden	11
Chris Shelley	10
Sophie Feilden	10
Maureen Case	10
James Collington	10
Jane Shirran	10
Anthea Telford	10
Lee Cousens	9
Tina	9
Ryan Moore	9
Dave Morris	9
Allan Forster	9
Geoffrey Walton	8
Martin Godfrey	8
Wayne Moore	8
Michael Buckley	8
Sheila Collington	8
Matt Bisgono	8
Robert Wright	8
Adi Tuddenham	8
Zoe Fuller	7
John Wardle	7
Malcolm Roper	7
Ross Birkett	7
Tony Piller	7
Brian Reilly	6
Jonathan Kinge	6
Steve Springford	6
Phil Collington	6
Rachael Shucksmith	6
Rob Weston	6
Trevor Fuller	6
Barry Hine	6
Carol Bushnell	1
Kevin Case	0

Motoring on with some new recruits

The bandwagon kept rolling on this week as Automotive made it a third winning week in a row with a cosy success at Wolverhampton. He seems to be a lot happier on the all-weather nowadays as the ground is more to his liking and he was in the mood on the day to get his head in front. He is very happy with himself at the minute and I think he could pick up another before the year is out.

A happy team at Wolves (Photo: Les Hurley - contact me to order)

Our trip to Wolverhampton was in between a long week of horse sales at Tattersalls in Newmarket. As ever, the market was very competitive with the ones worth buying going for a lot of money. It is the first time in a while I haven't come away with a purchase from Juddmonte's dispersal but the value just was not there and they were selling for over the odds in my opinion.
However, I did come home with two lovely horses who I think will give us a lot of fun over the winter. The first up is a two-year old gelding from Qatar Racing called Kemsing. He has shown promise in a few runs to date but a source from the yard where he came from said he would improve with a move to our yard and the recent castration he had. He is a fine looker and only ran last month so should be good to run again very soon. There has been a lot of interest in him already but shares are still available at £1200 per 10% share plus £200 per month all-inclusive training fees. Contact me on juliafeilden@aol.com for more details or a yard visit.

Kemsing: available for syndication

The other purchase I made was for the very popular N.E.T. Racing Club we run. For just £200 per year you can be a part of the club which owns four horses. You get email updates, badges and free meals at the races when they run, unlimited yard visits and invites to owners' events throughout the year.
The new addition to the club is a three-year old filly called Teputina. She is by the champion juvenile Teofilo whose progeny sell for hundreds of thousands of pounds and hails from the family of Derby winner Lammtarra. She is yet to run and was kind of forgotten about at her last stable as she was with retired trainer Clive Brittain. She is a blank canvas for us to work on and a great addition to the Club.

New N.E.T. member Teputina

After a good few weeks of winners, we only have one shot to fire this time as Dark Diamond at Nottingham on Wednesday is our sole runner of the week.. He ran a blinder to be beaten a short-head at Windsor last time and seems to have bounced back to form. The very soft ground will be an unknown but he is a big horse with large feet which usually means they can handle some cut in the ground.

Dark Diamond (Ross) & Serendib's Glory (Mark)

Chelmsford City still haven't got their seven furlong starting shoot built yet so all the scheduled races over that tripped are constantly being scrapped and replaced by other distances. Annoyingly, the race I had mapped out for Meddling's return is now a six furlong contest, a trip far too sharp for her. The filly is flying at the minute and I'm keen to get her to the track before she goes to the sales next month as a win by her name will really boost her value.

Meddling (Shelley) & Star Of The Stage (Nick)

Candesta (Caitlin)

Big Bang (Sam)