Full to the brim!

For the first time in a good few months, I'm pleased to report the yard is back to full capacity of 25 horses after an influx of new faces in the last few weeks.

The last seven days have seen record-breaking prices reached at the Tattersalls yearling auctions and although most were going for inflated prices, I think I might have found some value with the two I purchased.

As they only came in on Friday, I haven't had a chance to take any photos yet but they are a fine looking pair.

The colt is by Lawman who was a French Classic winner and hasn't been at stud very long. His best horse to date would probably be this year's St James' Palace winner Most Improved. What made him stand out however, was the fact he is Spirit of Sharjah's 'nephew'. The yearling's dam is Spirit's sister so it is a bloodline we are pretty familiar with and one that usually produces decent two-year olds.

The other horse I bought is a filly by Bushranger, who has been making a real impact at the sales with his first crop of youngsters. She looks likely to be a proper two-year old as she isn't the biggest but looks very mature already. She was bought for my long-standing owner Dick Creese and he has been lucky in the past, so hopefully this will be another star for him.

These will be sent away to be broken in and it will be exciting to see what they've got.

As well as yearlings, we've also received a couple of older horses. One is a fine, big unraced filly by Nayef. Despite being three-years old, she has only just been broken in and as you can see from the photo below, she is enjoying her new career. It wouldn't have done her too much harm to start later in life as it has given her plenty of time to fill her big frame. She is well bred and could be anything.

Another new face is Amelia George. Owned and bred by John Ford, she comes from a family of winners. She was ready to arrive in the spring but broke her jaw in a paddock accident and had to have three months recovery. She is pretty big as well and is another to look forward to.

I mentioned last week that our batch of Araafa yearlings have been broken in and they ventured out into the big wide world this week via Newmarket Heath. The two below have proven to be very managable and Automotive showed them how it is done as they meandered around the gallops.

All these new names won't be running for a fair while yet so we are still kept very busy with the older brigade. Emma's Gift (below, grey) thrives during the winter and she is coming back to herself now. As she is rated quite high, there aren't many races for her until the all-weather season gets serious but hopefully she can win a couple more again this winter.
Accompanying her was another all-weather specialist, Khajaaly. Saying that, I think he can win a race on turf but conditions never seem to be right for him. He's in at Leicester in two weeks time and can hopefully get the decent ground he likes.

Following these two up was Generous Genella. She is working her way back to fitness and is ready to run when a suitable race arises.

Fresh from her decent fourth at Kempton a few weeks ago, Believe In Me (below left) seems to have improved her attitude and is going a lot better in her homework. It is a case of finding out how to handle this temperamental filly and I think we are gradually working her out. She will be kept busy over the winter and definitely has a win in her.

At the back of the pack is Sheila's Heart who is gradually getting the idea of being a racehorse but will come into his own when given a bit of time to fill his big frame.

It's that time of year when we receive our two Korean work-riders for a placement and they arrived this week. They broke the yearlings in at the British Racing School last month and have adapted to the Harraton Stud way of doing things very well. Both are very chatty and certainly liven the place up!

Mr Joo (above) has only been riding racehorses for six months but knows what he is doing. His compatriot, Mr Moon, is far more experienced and rides very well. Both work hard and always come with a friendly smile!

Wiggo finally makes his debut on Tuesday after missing a few entries. His home work has been improving all the time and the race will be a great education for him.
Accompanying him to Lingfield will be Entrance. She is extremely well handicapped now and a lot looks to be in her favour. It's an apprentice race but I've managed to book Shirley Teasdale who has ridden a winner for me and is good value for her claim.
On the same day is The Ducking Stool at Yarmouth. With the rain we've had, it wouldn't surprise me if the meeting was abandoned but the heavy ground won't be a problem for her and she should run her usual genuine race.