Harraton Stud welcomes Vokera!

The big news this week is that the yard has taken on its first ever sponsor! Being sponsored has never been too important to us but with more horses than ever this year with a wide variety of syndicates, it makes sense to now take on board a sponsor. Not only does it give the sponsor nationwide exposure but it also enables owners to be able to claim back any VAT they pay through racehorse ownership. The deal does not effect any existing sponsorship deals that some owners have in place as a horse can be sponsored by two companies. Owners' sponsors will be worn by the jockey on the silks whilst my staff will be wearing our sponsored jackets.
Now, more about the sponsor. Vokera (http://www.vokera.co.uk/) is one the the country's biggest boiler suppliers and we are lucky to have an association with the company through Eddie Partridge who has an interest in a number of our horses and managed to persuade his boss to sponsor us! Luckily the company's colour is green, just like ours, so it was a perfect match. The team look fantastic in all the new gear and we shall look like a professional outfit at the races now.

Julia Feilden Racing...sponsored by VOKERA

The deal doesn't officially start until February 5th so our trio of runners this week won't be in all the new gear but that shouldn't slow them down.
Kicking off on Wednesday, Tight Lipped becomes our first runner at the newly opened Chelmsford City racecourse. After watching the track's first two opening meetings, it looks as though you need a horse who races close to the pace or leads to have any chance as the kick back there is quite severe. With this in mind, I'll be selective of what I run there and Tight Lipped should fit the bill. He makes the running and doesn't mind a deep surface so he should handle the track. He has had two runs for us and, despite not shining, has had excuses both times and he has now dropped a few pounds in the weights to a good handicap mark. If he handles the course, I hope he can bounce back to form.

Tight Lipped (Shelley)

Having had to wait six years to run at Chelmsford City again after it shut down, we're there twice in one week! Attain heads there on Sunday and seems in great form after his recent holiday. He has been freshened right up and is going pretty well at home. It is an apprentice race so anything could happen but he is an easy horse to ride and usually likes to be up there with the pace. It's his first run as part of the Newmarket Equine Tours racing club so hopefully he can get off to a successful start.

Attain (Mark) & Automotive (Ross)

Automotive is the other runner this week as he is in at Lingfield on Friday. He was unlucky last time and never got a clear run through so he seems to be holding his form well. The distance is a bit of an unknown as he didn't look like he stayed 1m4f when he last ran over it well over a year ago but it is quite an easy course at Lingfield so maybe he could just stretch his stamina.

Moment To Dream is a filly who I bought upon fellow trainer William Haggas' recommendation in December and I couldn't be happier with what I have seen so far. She wasn''t very fit when coming to us but she has been gradually upping the ante and this weekend she did her first easy gallop. Everything seems to come very easily to her and, despite having never raced, she is not too green at all. All being well, she should hit the track early next month and I'm pretty excited to see what she has got. Incidentally, if you're getting excited by her too, there are some shares still left in her syndicate.

Moment To Dream (Niall) & Bushy Glade (Ryan)

The blog has been pretty easy to write over the last four weeks as stable star Sabre Rock has won on every one of them! However, despite yet again winning easily last time, Shelley said he felt a bit tired during the race and it was only his class that saw him through so we decided to give him an easy week. He has been turned out in the field with our two young yearling colts and has been having great fun. Hopefully he has also been teaching the two young guns how to win lots of races!

Sabre Rock chilling with his two boys