You can always rely on Ducky!

I'm sure The Ducking Stool needs no introduction to any of you as she is firmly a yard favourite and she put a smile on all our faces on Friday by winning at Newbury. Going into the race, we were a bit down as she had been struggling with the handicapper all year and hadn't won this season but she made her final run of the year count the most as she dug deep and hit the front right on the line to win by a short head. She now goes on her annual winter holiday until the new year and she has now won at least one race every year over the past four seasons. She is a pleasure to train and a real gem in the N.E.T. Racing Club which you can join for just £200 per year.

The Ducking Stool just gets her head in front at Newbury

I'm delighted to report that shares in the Sakhee's Secret yearling filly I bought last week are selling like hot cakes with 65% of her already snapped up. She has now gone to pre-training to be started where they will ride her for the first time and set her on the way to being a racehorse before she returns to me in a month's time. She really does look a razor-sharp youngster who should be ready to roll when the new turf season begins. For more info, contact me on juliafeilden@aol.com

Sakhee's Secret filly at pre-training

It's going to be a hectic week with runners and also the horses in training sale at Tattersalls in town. This is the annual clearance for many of the big yards and is usually a great place for us to pick up some bargains. I know some of you are waiting for me to buy an older horse to syndicate and hopefully I'll be able to pick up a perfect type this week. Keep your eyes peeled for more details next week.
Back to our own horses, we have a raider at Redcar on Monday. Art Beat showed good promise at Windsor on her debut and it'd be nice if she could put in a respectable run again.
Three horses will be heading to Wolverhampton on Tuesday. Automotive seems to save his best for the all-weather nowadays and he has the perfect opportunity to win again now. He does need a lot of luck in running but there's nothing to say that he shouldn't be in the shake-up.
Silver Alliance couldn't make his appointment at Doncaster on Friday but at least it means he can go to Wolves a fresh horse on Tuesday. He is still quite high in the weights after an easy win at Brighton in the summer but he is more than capable on his day and in good order at home so hopefully he can run well.

Meddling (Mark) & Automotive (Ross)

Completing the trio is Moment To Dream. She will be having her third run so qualifies for handicap races next time and this experience will bring her along a bit more.

Moment To Dream (Adam), Little Orchid (Megan) & Art Beat (Shelley)

Little Orchid has needed a bit of time to strengthen up this season but is now ready to have an educational run at Newmarket on Saturday. She is likely to be up against some well-regarded and regally-bred horses so it's be nice if she could just enjoy the run and not disgrace herself.

Serendib's Glory (Adam) & Little Orchid (Caitlin)

As you may have noticed, Meddling and Serendib's Glory are now back in full exercise after their holidays and I'm very happy with both. Meddling has come to hand very quickly and she's being aimed at a race at Chelmsford early next month whilst Serendib's Glory will need a bit more education before she makes her debut.

Also learning fast our are two yearling colts who went away to pre-training last month. They are due to return this week but we went over to see how they're getting on the other day. Both are being ridden and look like they are enjoying themselves. The Mount Nelson colt who we bought as a foal looks splendid and really carries himself well. Our home-bred Mungo still looks very playful but seems to be getting the hang of things!

Mount Nelson yearling colt

Mungo

THREE TO FOLLOW UPDATE

There are just two weeks left to collect those points and The Ducking Stool's win helped a lot of people out but didn't alter the top 5 placings.

TOP 10:

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

Candesta a maiden no more!

After such a great Autumn for him, it was good of our jockey Adam Beschizza to rub a bit of his luck off on us this week as he gave Candesta a peach of a ride to win at Kempton on Wednesday night. I thought we had no chance after he started slowly but Adam bided his time, crept around the inside and got in front on the line to win a photo finish. I was delighted for the horse too as he is my hack at home and has deserved to win a race for some time now but has just not had the rub of the green. Credit must go to his owner George Bhatti as he has been very patient and his faith has now been rewarded.

Candesta gets the verdict at Kempton

With the yearling sales at Tattersalls last week, having a winner certainly gives you a spring in your step and I certainly needed it as a week of inspecting hundreds of yearlings is a tiring process! I came away from the week with four new faces in the yard and I'm delighted with all of them.
Carol Bushnell stuck to her 'grey horses only' policy and bought two lovely fillies, one by St Leger winner Sixties Icon and the other by Champion Stakes hero Literato. Carol likes to have slow-maturing stayers and these two certainly have the pedigree for it, being from a rich Aga Khan line.
The Bahamian Bounty filly I picked up was part-bred by a current owner and I am delighted to welcome him and his friend into the yard with their filly. The mare Sunset Kitty won plenty of races so I hope we can do the same with their pride and joy.

Last but by no means least, I picked up an absolutely stunning chestnut filly by July Cup winning speedster Sakhee's Secret. She is already extremely well-developed and could almost pass as a colt, such is her strong stature. All the markers point to her being an early and precocious type as her mother won as a two-year old and her only sibling also won as a juvenile this year. To add to that, her grand-dam won at two years as well and bred a horse who finished third in the Group 2 Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot. She really should be a prolific youngster and an ideal type for the £150,000 Tattersalls Sales Race run at Newmarket next year.
There has already been plenty of interest in her and 10% shares are available for just £600 plus £200 per month all-inclusive training fees. Email me on juliafeilden@aol.com for more details.

Stunning Sakhee's Secret yearling filly

In the more immediate future, we have a handful of runners hitting the track this week.
Starting tomorrow, owner Dick Creese has a busy day as both his horses, Dark Diamond and Dissertation, run at Windsor.
Dark Diamond has run some good races this year but went a bit flat on us last time. He has had a few weeks off to freshen up and we've also popped him over a few hurdles, just to give him something to thing about. He seemed to enjoy the experience and hopefully it will show in a good run.
Dissertation was a bit disappointing last time but I don't think she stayed the 1m6f and Adam said she just idled a bit when hitting the front. She wears a visor this time and drops down in trip so I hope she can show the ability I know she has.

Dark Diamond (Adam) & Silver Alliance (Ross)

Dark Diamond and Adam go jumping

The next day we are at two meetings, starting with Dakota City at Lingfield. He too didn't stay last time so a drop back to 1m2f is ideal and he showed last time that he is a much better horse on the all-weather. He is a course and distance winner, is in good heart and not too badly handicapped so hopefully he can go well.
At Wolverhampton will be Vastly. He has been slowly coming to hand after a return from injury but his last two runs were much better. He likes it around Wolverhampton so I hope a return there can see him pull out a bit more improvement.

Then on Friday we have another double-header.
The Ducking Stool has really missed her favourite track Yarmouth whilst it has been closed but has put up some good efforts in defeat at Haydock recently. She has run well at Newbury in the past too and goes there for an apprentice race over two miles, a trip I think she will really appreciate. It is only a 'hands and heels' race but we have a good jockey in Georgia Cox who works for William Haggas and has made a bright start to her career this year.
At Doncaster will be Silver Alliance. He has struggled in the weights since bolting up at Brighton in the summer but is slowly coming back down to an easier handicap mark. He is a bit unpredictable as he just does what he likes but a big field will suit him and he should get the strong pace he loves to chase.

As well as Dark Diamond schooling, we also gave sprinter Limerick Lord a pop and surprisingly he was a natural! He is usually quite hot-headed and keen but he was really relaxed over the jumps and seemed to love it. He better be careful though because if he doesn't start winning on the flat he might find himself facing eight hurdles at Fakenham! It was typical of horses though that he jumped a dozen hurdles accident-free but then slipped off the horsebox ramp when at home and grazed his leg. It was nothing too serious and he will be back in full exercise later in the week.

Limerick Lord and Ross wing a hurdle

THREE TO FOLLOW UPDATE
The competition ends on Saturday November 7th so there are just a few weeks left to collect some points and win the £100 first prize. It is still tight at the top and could be anyone's victory.

Mark Rimmer	25
Adam Beschizza	24
Jim Stevens	24
Shelley Birkett	21
Ros Cousens	19
Steve Moore	17
Julia Feilden	17
Dominic Lisle	17
Sarah Macdonald	16
Tessa Stone	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
Kel Mansfield	13
Harry Hurst	13
Ged Turley	13
Bill Aspland	13
Megan Digby Baker	12
John Birkett	12
Julie Feilden	12
Linda Wright	11
Stephen Broadley	11
Nick Feilden	11
Liz Moore	11
Jason Coote	11
Sophie Collington	11
Chris Shirran	11
Dave Barnett	11
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
Sam Feilden	8
Bill Burgess	8
Tony Birkett	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
Lewis Richards	6
Chris Shelley	5
Sophie Feilden	5
Maureen Case	5
James Collington	5
Jane Shirran	5
Anthea Telford	5
Zoe Fuller	2
John Wardle	2
Malcolm Roper	2
Ross Birkett	2
Tony Piller	2
Carol Bushnell	1
Kevin Case	0

Biscuit at the double!

What an unbelievable couple of weekends it has been for our jockey Adam Beschizza. After a memorable win in the Cambridgeshire Handicap at Newmarket a fortnight ago, he only went and won the equally-prestigious Cesarewitch Handicap at the same course, completing the famous 'Autumn Double'. As I said before, Adam is an extremely talented jockey (that's why we use him!) who has just gone a bit out of fashion with some owners and trainers but hopefully these two big successes can put him back in the limelight. His plan is to stay in the UK this winter, rather than go to America like he has done before, and to make the most of his time in the spotlight. He rides out for us every morning and is a real asset to the team.

Adam after his historic Autumn Double

Working with horses is fraught with danger so it was no surprise to see our farrier mark with a bandaged head and I presumed he had got a bash from some young horse. However, it transpires that he trip over the rubber matting in Jeremy Noseda's yard and split his head open, requiring 18 stitches! Never a wimp, Mark was back shoeing the following day but he did look as though he had a bit of a headache!

Farrier Mark in the wars

As we head into winter, there have been some dramatic skies about the Heath as the temperature drops. The mornings can be pretty misty but it does make for some good photos, like this one I took on my phone the other morning.

The mists also make for some good photos at the races and thanks to Richard Fuller for this one of Duke Of Diamonds at Chelmsford on Thursday night. It was the gelding's third run so he now gets a handicap mark but, with a lack of opportunities for stayers on the flat over the remainder of the turf season, his owners have decided to give him a break over which I'm sure he will improve and strengthen up.

Duke Of Diamonds at Chelmsford

With 1700 horses catalogued for the Autumn horses in training sale at Tattersalls this month, you find that races are extremely competitive at the minute as connections try to win with their horses before the sales. Most races have full fields so I'm happy to bide my time with the horses as the races will be a lot less competitive in a couple of weeks time.

Dakota City ran a lot better at Kempton in the week and proved to us that he is a true all-weather performer. He didn't get home over the 1m4f so I think a drop back in trip will see him back among the winners.
This week we will just have a trio of runners, starting with Star Of The Stage on Tuesday. He hasn't run yet for us through no fault of his own and I've been delighted with him ever since he arrived in July. We don't know for sure what kind of trip he wants but he has done plenty of work and it'd be nice if he could show us some promise at Wolverhampton.
Candesta made a great comeback to finish third last time and he goes to Kempton on Wednesday in top form. He is certain to win a race sooner or later and I just hope he gets the splits and can put his head in front sometime soon.

Candesta (Caitlin) & Automotive (Ross)

Finishing the week will be Attain at Wolverhampton on Saturday. He has done well this season with three wins to his name but the handicapper has had his say since then. He is in good order and will come back to form pretty soon.

Vastly (Adam) & Attain (Luke)

The Ducking Stool (Tess) & Dissertation (Mark)

Dark Diamond (Sarah)

Allez Feilden!

If last week's blog qualified as being international because it came from Scotland then this week's most definitely is as it comes to you via Paris. John and I have been meaning to go to the Arc at Longchamp ever since having a great time there in 2005 and we finally got ourselves organised to do it again. It was a fantastic day and it was just a pleasure to enjoy such top-class racing as a spectator rather than stressing about your own horse. It was a shame Treve couldn't win it for a historic third year but Golden Horn was a worthy winner and just goes to show that bad horses don't win the Derby!

A victorious Golden Horn returns to the winner's enclosure

Meeting up with owners Kevin and Maureen Case

Treve: beaten but unbowed

On the home front, Dakota City blew his chance last time with a really slow start so we've tried to get him a bit more on the ball with a fair bit of stalls practice and he seems to be quick enough out of the gates now. That's not to say he will be the same on raceday but hopefully it means he can break better. Also in his favour at Kempton on Tuesday night is the return to an all-weather surface. He won at Lingfield and then ran a blinder at the same track before two poor runs on turf. Maybe he is just an all-weather horse so I expect a bounce back to form for him.

Dakota City (Mark) & Star Of The Stage (Adam)

Attain has been a credit to us all year with three wins on the board and hopefully he can get a fourth before the year is out. He has been in the handicapper's grip for a while but is slowly dropping back down to a good mark and he returns to Nottingham on Wednesday - a track he won at earlier in the year. He is a bit wooly in his coat now but is still galloping well at home.
At the opposite end of the experience scale, Little Orchid is yet to hit the racecourse but will hopefully make her debut at Wolverhampton on Friday. She hasn't done much wrong since coming into work but has needed some time grow and then got a few niggling problems which held her progress up. She is more than ready for a run now and it will do her the world of good.

Duke of Diamonds (Caitlin), Little Orchid (Luke) & Attain (Ross)

The previous day Duke Of Diamonds gains a bit of experience too with a trip to Chelmsford. His planned third run was called off when Yarmouth got flooded but the extra couple off weeks did him good and he's ready now to qualify for a handicap mark.

On Saturday I'm looking forward to seeing what Star Of The Stage can do. I bought him in July and gave him some time to put a bit of weight on as he looked quite light. He has done really well for the break and his homework has been very pleasing so he's more than ready to make his debut for us. I expect him to improve for the run but it'd be nice if he could show us some promise for the winter season ahead.


THREE TO FOLLOW
Top of the leaderboard:

Mark Rimmer	25
Adam Beschizza	24
Jim Stevens	24
Shelley Birkett	21
Ros Cousens	19
Steve Moore	17
Julia Feilden	17
Dominic Lisle	17
Sarah Macdonald	16
Tessa Stone	16
Malc Shields	14
Poppy Feilden	14
Eddie Partridge	14
Rita Aspland	14
Paula Smith	14
Steve Clarke	14
Martyn Clark	14

Well done Adam!

As we had no runners on Saturday, I could (after all the morning yard work, office jobs and owner entertaining had been done!) enjoy an afternoon in my arm chair enjoying a good day's racing and I'm glad I could because it gave me full opportunity to catch our stable jockey Adam Beschizza's biggest win of his career when he landed the Cambridgeshire Handicap on Third Time Lucky for Richard Fahey at Newmarket. Adam made a flying start to his career as an apprentice but things have been a bit tough since he rode out his claim in recent years. However, me and my owners have always believed in him and have always supported him when we could because he is a very talented rider and a hell of a jockey. He knows how to graft too and is in riding out for us every morning. Jockeys go in and out of fashion despite them still riding perfectly well - hopefully this big race success can get Adam back in vogue again...as long as I can use him when I want to!

Adam all smiles after winning the Cambridgeshire

I'm getting this week's blog done just before hitting the road for the next six hours as I take two runners up to Hamilton for tomorrow's racing. I would normally avoid long trips like this as it isn't usually economically viable but the races we are in were just tailor made for us so it was an opportunity not to be missed.

Our main hope is Veeraya who looks to be well in for the claimer. We are gradually getting round to his way of thinking and the handicapper is giving him a chance too by dropping him in the weights. Providing the ground doesn't go soft, he will hopefully earn us the diesel money.

Accompanying him will be Silver Alliance. I was only taking him originally to keep Veeraya company but his race looks winnable too and he is the sort of horse who pops up when you least expect it. He is in good order and, although I usually give him a few weeks between runs, he seems fresh at home.

Veeraya (Mark) & Art Beat (Adam)

Whilst Poppy and I will be having a sisters' road trip to Scotland, also on Monday we have Harry Bosch at Bath. He is looking very well handicapped now and won at the track earlier in the year. It has been a bit disappointing that he hasn't followed up that success but he feels well at home and there's no reason why he shouldn't run well.

Harry Bosch (Luke) & Sheila's Heart (Ross)

Candesta has had a good break over the summer to freshen up after a long winter campaign but now he is back to full fitness and I'm looking forward to running him again at Chelmsford on Thursday. His homework has been great and he certainly looks better than what he is rated at the moment. He used to race in blinkers but his attitude at home has been faultless so I'll leave them off and hope he is back to full enthusiasm.
With him will be going Honeymoon Express. She has fallen right in the weights and has to have a good chance now off her low handicap mark. Her last run showed us she isn't quick enough for five furlongs so the step up to six furlongs is called for and I would hope she can be in the mix.

Candesta (Luke) & Duke Of Diamonds (Caitlin)

John and I will be hopping on the Eurostar on Friday afternoon to head over to Longchamp, Paris, to watch this year's Arc De Triomphe. That leaves Ross to run the show over the weekend and hopefully he can get a result for us to cheer at Wolverhampton on Friday night.
Star of the Stage makes his debut for us and I hope he can fare well. I gave him time to strengthen up after buying him in July and he has done really well physically and has been galloping great too. He isn't fully wound up so I expect more improvement to come but hopefully he can run respectably.
Also at Dunstall Park will be Limerick Lord. He is a sprinter who takes his races well and is gradually coming down to a handicap mark he can win off. As always, he will be thereabouts and might win with the rub of the green.

Star of the Stage (Adam) & Dakota City (Mark)

Horses return from exercise on Saturday morning

We have a group of fillies who have had a summer break and are now back cantering in preparation for the all-weather season.
Meddling is a reliable yard stick on the all-weather and wins a race every winter as well as getting placed plenty of times. She is in the mares' sale in December so it would be good if she could win before then and go to the auction with some form to her name. She is about a month away from running again.

Meddling (Ross)

Likewise, Serendib's Glory and Go On Gal will be aimed at a winter campaign. Both have strengthened right up for their break and look fantastic now. Go On Gal is already handicapped and looks a sure winner off her current mark. Serendib is unraced as she was a bit weak earlier in the year but looks more than ready to run very soon.

Serendib's Glory (Caitlin) & Go On Gal (Luke)

THREE TO FOLLOW UPDATE

Placings from It's A Sheila Thing and Automotive have been a welcome boost to some people's points but it still doesn't make things any clearer at the top with just a point separating the leaders.

Mark Rimmer	25
Adam Beschizza	24
Jim Stevens	24
Shelley Birkett	21
Ros Cousens	19
Steve Moore	17
Julia Feilden	17
Dominic Lisle	17
Sarah Macdonald	15
Tessa Stone	15
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
Megan Digby Baker	12
John Birkett	12
Kel Mansfield	12
Harry Hurst	12
Ged Turley	12
Bill Aspland	12
Julie Feilden	12
Linda Wright	11
Stephen Broadley	11
Nick Feilden	11
Liz Moore	11
Jason Coote	10
Sophie Collington	10
Chris Shirran	10
Dave Barnett	10
Lee Cousens	9
Tina	9
Ryan Moore	9
Dave Morris	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
Sam Feilden	8
Bill Burgess	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
Tony Birkett	6
Lewis Richards	6
Chris Shelley	4
Sophie Feilden	4
Maureen Case	4
James Collington	4
Jane Shirran	4
Anthea Telford	4
Allan Forster	3
Zoe Fuller	2
John Wardle	2
Malcolm Roper	2
Ross Birkett	2
Tony Piller	2
Carol Bushnell	1
Kevin Case	0

Open all hours!

Thank you to everyone who came to our yard this morning as part of the Newmarket Open Day. We never expect a great number of people as we are open to the public all year round and a bit off the beaten track in Exning but this year certainly saw more people than ever before making the trip out of town to see what we offer. By far the most heard comment is how great it is that our horses get to chill out in the fields on a Sunday and get back to what they really are - horses. There were also plenty of people asking about syndicate opportunities and, although we are currently sold out of available shares, sales season is just around the corner and I will be looking to buy a couple of nice horses at the Autumn horses in training sale in October so don't spend that money on a holiday!

Open day guests enjoy some refreshments

The three-day September festival at Yarmouth is usually a great time for us with success on the track and plenty of fun off it. However, this year's meeting ended on a very damp whim as racing was abandoned halfway through day two with the final day being called off. It is very frustrating, not just because I had three runners lined up for the third day, but because all this wouldn't have happened had the course management not taken what I think was the unnecessary step of relaying the home straight to flatten it out. The old course would have handled the rain fine and there would never have been this problem. I can't see any point in racing at the track again this year, they might as well let it settle down properly to ensure it is at least raceable for the 2016 season and this embarrassment won't happen anytime soon.

Thankfully waterlogging shouldn't be too much of a problem this week as all bar one of our runners are racing on the all-weather.
Starting on Tuesday, Automotive heads to his happy hunting ground of Lingfield. He has been a bit disappointing this year but has had his excuses and is now fully fit and well handicapped. The course suits his style of racing and he usually runs well there so I hope he can return to some kind of form.

Candesta (Adam) & Automotive (Ross)

Also on Tuesday is It's A Sheila Thing at Kempton. I expected better from her on handicap debut last time but she could never get involved after a slow start. She drops into selling company this time and she looks to have a good chance at the weights, although there is a Richard Fahey horse which looks very hard to beat. She is certainly capable of winning and I hope it will be soon.

It's A Sheila Thing (Mark) & Little Orchid (Adam)

We're back to Kempton the following day as Moment To Dream makes her second visit to a racecourse. She will come into her own when qualified for handicap races after three runs so this will be another step on the education ladder for her and she will come on a bit more for the experience.

Star of the Stage (Nick) & Moment To Dream (Caitlin)

Another filly who is improving all the time is Dissertation. She is a big, rangy Juddmonte cast-off and she has really impressed me with her work. She is in a handicap for the first time at Chelmsford on Thursday and I certainly think the handicapper has given us a real chance off her new mark. She may still be a bit green and we are always learning more about her but I hope she can get her career off to a good start now.
Accompanying her will be Vastly. He has needed all of his comeback runs to get into top shape but last time showed us that he is nearly 100% again. He is still lightly raced and won't be long waiting to get in the winner's enclosure again.

Dissertation (Adam), Vastly (Mark) & The Ducking Stool (Ross)

Completing the week is good old The Ducking Stool. Her Yarmouth engagement was rained off last week so we've had to reroute her to Haydock on Friday but it is over the course and distance which she ran a gallant second over last time. She is in good order and another great run should be on the cards.

Big Bang (Sam)

Open doors on Sunday

Firstly I mustn't forget to remind you all that this Sunday is the annual Newmarket Open Day. As you all know, anyone is welcome to visit our yard anytime of the year but if you've been meaning to come and see us or would like to show a friend what you've been raving about, feel free to come down. The yard will be open from 9am - 12.30pm with a wide range of refreshments on offer.

You can make a full day of it as open to visitors in the afternoon are the equine hospital, the Jockey Club Rooms, the National Horseracing Museum plus the National Stud. As well as this, from 1.30pm onwards there is a whole host of fun and games taking place on the Rowley Mile racecourse.

If you would like more info, please visit: http://www.newmarketopenweekend.co.uk/

Before then, we have the more important matter of this week's runners. There was some promising runs last week with Vastly showing signs of coming back into top form as well as Veeraya proving that he has just found his grade again after some tough assignments.

Kicking off on Monday, Attain heads down to Brighton. He has been busy lately but takes his racing well and bounced back from a poor run to finish third at Yarmouth. He has won three times already this year so the handicapper knows all about him but I hope he can earn his dinner again with some prize money.

On Tuesday Yarmouth hosts it's highlight of the season with the three-day festival. We're not there until the following day when Silver Alliance heads to the coast. He is high in the weights after a successful year so is probably racing in a grade too high but the only way to get him lower again is by running so he will be lining up to take his chance. He tries hard every time but this will probably be a bit tough.

We're back again 24 hours later for ladies' day and it looks set to be a busy one. 

I'm delighted to be able to take the legendary Ducking Stool back to her beloved Yarmouth after it has been closed for so long. All her six career wins have come at the track and she just doesn't seem to be able to get lucky anywhere else, as demonstrated when narrowly denied at Haydock last time. She is in terrific form and, although the class of race is probably a bit too high, I hope she runs with credit and does her local fans proud.

On the other end of the scale, Little Orchid will be making her racecourse debut. She has needed time to fill her frame but has been working well enough at home now to hit the track. She will get better with experience but I'm sure her owner/breeder Dick Creese will be proud to see his filly in full flight.

Likewise, Duke of Diamonds is just starting out his career and after this third run he will qualify for handicap races and that will see him to better effect.

Rounding off a busy day will be Limerick Lord at Chelmsford. He was a bit one paced at Bath on Sunday but I think he is a few pounds better on the all-weather so, providing he recovers well from his run, he will take his chance again.

Finally, on Saturday we head up to Wolverhampton. You know winter is on its way when these floodlit evening fixtures start but thankfully it isn't too cold...yet!

Honeymoon Express ran an ok comeback last week and this step down in grade will suit her. She is in the sales in December so it'd be nice to get a bit of form to her name before then.

The better chance would probably be It's A Sheila Thing. She is dropping down to selling grade in the hope that she can be competitive as she has plenty of ability but struggled in maiden races. She was slow from the stalls last time but with a better break she can do better this time around.