Buying the stars of 2016!

The time had come for our Sir Percy colt foal to leave home and go his separate ways from his mum Emma's Gift. He wasn't to be going far though, just the field next door but he had become old and wise enough to make his own way in life. It is always best to wean two foals together so they can keep each other company but we only had one on the stud so, luckily, the foal sales at Tattersalls took place this week. The plan was just to get a cheap companion but it looks like we've bought a good looker too as the colt by Mount Nelson is a fine, strong lad and the pair have got along great. It seems a long way away but this time next year they will be ridden for the first time and starting their journeys as racehorses.

Mount Nelson (left) colt meets Bonnie and Sir Percy colt.

The sales bandwagon in Newmarket comes to an end this week with the mares up for auction. Although the yard is full to the brim, I might just try and buy another one if I see anything decent. After all, we will hopefully have two stables free as we have a couple of fillies off to sell. Canning Vale was only placed a few times on the racecourse but is very well bred and we hope that potential breeders are willing to splash the cash and make a mother of her. The other up for sale is Don't. She hasn't done what we had hoped and now seems a good time to cut our losses.

 

On the racetrack, it looks likely to be a blank week with just Avidly entered on Wednesday. Her gallop on Saturday wasn't up to her usual standard so it remains to be seen whether she actually does run. 

Avidly (Ricky) & Bushy Glade (Mark)

 

Tight Lipped and Candesta are both in great form and will hopefully be running again in a fortnight. Candesta has really come back to himself now and I hope his first win won't be far away. Tight Lipped hasn't run for us yet but he's showing a good level of ability at home and should be competitive off his current handicap mark.

Tight Lipped (Ross) & Candesta (Tina)

 

Debrief from the team

Ducky off on her holidays

Unfortunately there was to be no repeat of the magnificent double that we had at Lingfield last week but there were still some good performances and plenty of new information gleaned with our last few runners.
The Ducking Stool and Handheld have both had successful seasons on the turf this year and we wanted to see if they could perform on the all-weather too so gave them a spin this week. The Ducking Stool seemed to go on it fine but the lay-out of the tracks doesn't really suit her as she's a big, galloping mare so we've decided to give her a winter holiday. After 13 runs this year and only finishing out of the prize money twice, she certainly deserves it and she will spend some time out in the field during the day until the new year.
Shelley Birkett knows Handheld well and said he wasn't the same horse on Wolverhampton's tapeta surface as he is on grass so he too is off on a break and will wait until the new campaign.

Despite these two heading off on holiday, we still have plenty of others in the yard to keep us busy and some of them were put through their paces up the Cambridge Road polytrack gallop on Saturday morning.
Meddling ran a great race to finish third on her comeback last time and seems in even better form now. She is maturing mentally and physically which seems to be resulting in her running a lot faster!

Meddling (Shelley) leads Previous Acclaim (Ryan)

 

Previous Acclaim and Tolly McGuinness are entered in the same race on Wednesday but it is unlikely both will run. The distance is six furlongs which should suit Previous Acclaim and I hope I can finally get a win out of her.
Also at Lingfield that day is Automotive. He won over the course and distance just over a week ago and the handicapper only put him up 2lbs in the weights which I think was modest. The key to him winning is a fast pace so if he gets that, he should run well again.

Candesta was another who ran well on his comeback and, after a few little setbacks, he is ready to hit the track again. He too has matured into his frame a bit and goes like a nice horse.
We bought Tight Lipped last month and he was ready for his first gallop. He is a wise old sod and only does what he has to but he seems to still retain plenty of ability.

Candesta (Tina) in front of Tight Lipped (Ross)

 

Bushy Glade (Mark) shades Avidly (Ricky)

 

Skye High was an unraced three year old filly who came to us in the summer and we have been gradually upping her work load. She is only small but is bred to be a jumper so we are hoping to start her off in a bumper soon. The main reason for this is that she seems to go a lot better on the grass than on the all-weather so it should help her out.

Skye High (Chester)

THREE TO FOLLOW UPDATE

Not many people included Automotive in their lists so the standings haven't changed much but with a month left of the competition to run, here is a list of those with at least 20 points:
31 points - Harry Hurst, Sophie Feilden
30 points - Mark Henry
29 points - Sophie Collington
27 points - Steve Freemantle
24 points - Ross Birkett, Angus Forshaw
23 points - Chris Shirran, Malcolm Roper
22 points - John Wardle, Anthea, Jean Allen, Tony Birkett, Ged Turley
21 points - Len Cousens, Ray Treacy
20 points - Linda Wright, Julie Feilden, R Shucksmith, Bill Aspland, Jim Stevens

Double Trouble means we're back in business!

The saying goes that winners are like buses and that proved to be no truer than yesterday

at Lingfield.

After a few weeks without a winner, Automotive finally got us back on the top spot of the podium. He loves a fast pace and luckily this was the case so things panned out just right for him. It was the first time he has won any race other than one for amateurs so it was a case of Shelley having bragging rights over Ross this time!


Automotive is winner number one

 

I'd barely got my voice back after screaming Mo home before Sabre Rock only went and won the following race! I had only bought him two weeks before but the change of scenery must have done him good as he galloped home to win by a neck. This was the horse's first ever win so it should do his confidence the world of good and I hope he can build on this great start.

Sabre Rock makes it two

I knew the horses were in good health but it has been a case for most of the year that a lot of the horses are high in the weights after a successful 2013. Some of them are now falling to where they should be though so it'd be nice to think we could have a bit of a flourish before the year is out.

Hopefully this is the case as it looks set to be another busy week.
On Tuesday, Sadiigah heads to Southwell for one last chance. She started her comeback well with a good run at Wolverhampton but hasn't gone on since then. She hated the ground at Nottingham last time but she needs to really prove to us that she is worth persevering with.

Things look to be better the following day back at Lingfield though. Don't ran a promising race on her first race since a wind operation last time and with a bit of fitness under her belt, I think she could start to win some prize money.
Also that day is The Ducking Stool. She needs no introduction and has been a model of consistency all year. The question mark is whether she can replicate her turf form on the all-weather. We don't really know so this will give us a definite answer.
The same applies to Handheld at Wolverhampton on Friday. He is very good on the green stuff but hasn't had many runs on the all-weather. He's in good form so we'll just wait and see.

Finally on Saturday, Honeymoon Express goes to Wolverhampton. She too is unproven on the all-weather but her season has been a bit stop-start due to the weather so she is still pretty fresh for a go through the winter.

Babies are back

The flat season may have officially ended at Doncaster this weekend but things never really stop here at Harraton Stud as there is always something going on.
This week saw the arrival back to the yard of our first crop of yearlings. They were at a pre-training yard to get them started on their paths of being a racehorse and ridden for the first time. I went to see the fillies before they returned and I was delighted with what I saw - they all look very sensible and, more importantly, look like they can run. Of course, they can't race until next March when the new turf season starts so in the meanwhile, we will have to get them trained up, physically and mentally, for the job.

Thumbs up: It's A Sheila Thing, Approve filly & Little Orchid

Luckily, all bar one of the fillies have owners already but there are still a few shares left in the filly by Approve. She is bred to be an early type and looks the most likely out of the lot to be a speedy and precocious youngster. As you can see from the picture below, she has a big back-end on her and this is where the 'engine' is so is a good sign that she should have plenty of speed. A 10% share is available for £2000 with £200 per month all-inclusive training fees. She isn't even named yet so you could have the chance of giving her one!

Looking sharp: The Approve filly

On the track, it was another week of near-misses as The Ducking Stool ran a gallant second at Nottingham on Wednesday. She has had an unbelievable year, only finishing out of the money once in 12 runs. It would be an honour to train a yard full of her like as she is very genuine and a pleasure to train. I was going to give her a well-earned holiday after this but she is in such good form, I though another run would be ok. She is rated a few pounds lower on the all-weather so I'll try her out on it to see if that mark is worth exploiting.

Hopefully the horses will be able to run as well this week as we have quite a few chances.
I can't believe Tolly McGuinness hasn't performed on the track yet as his homework is very good. He has had excuses but he is running out of chances now so he better show his best at Kempton on Wednesday night. He worked very well again yesterday so it's now or never!
Making the trip with him will be Candesta. He ran a great race on his comeback last time, only getting tired late on. He is a much better horse on the all-weather and if he can build on his last run, should be in the mix.

Tolly McGuinness (Shelley) & Honeymoon Express (Ryan)

 

Sabre Rock only came to the yard two weeks ago but he was race fit on arrival so should be ready for a run at Southwell on Thursday. He hasn't done anything wrong at home but we are still learning about him so it is hard to know what to expect.

Avidly looked like a winner at Kempton last week but threw her race away by not looking too enthusiastic. She has loads of ability but will need kidding along is she is to eventually win. She goes to Wolverhampton on Friday and, if in the mood, will run well.

A similar type of horse is Automotive. On his day he is very good and he has been working well at home so a good run at Lingfield on Saturday wouldn't be a surprise. He is still well handicapped so has every chance.

Candesta (Tess) & Automotive (Ross)

Bushy Glade was given a few months off after going a bit weak but is now upping her work gradually. She tries hard and ran well at Yarmouth earlier in the year to finish third. The important thing with her is to keep the weight on her so she is getting plenty of grub and looks a lot bigger and stronger as a result.

Bushy Glade (Danny)

THREE TO FOLLOW UPDATE

With a month to go, there is still little to choose between those at the top.
In joint first we have Sophie Feilden and Harry Hurst on 31 points. One point behind them is Mark Henry with Sophie Collington another point adrift.

Say hello to the new boys!

I woke up on Monday morning with a spring in my step last week just like it was Christmas Day...in fact it was even better as it was more like Christmas week! Like the festivities though, sales week at Tattersalls isn't without stress as preparation had begun months before with lots of research into which horses are suitable to buy and which ones to avoid. I was lucky enough to have orders to buy four different horses and managed to come away with everyone happy.

We have always done well with buying horses from the Juddmonte dispersal but it has become harder and harder to get value as others realise that they are a great place to buy from. I was getting a bit worried as the early lots went for ridiculously high amounts of money but struck lucky as the one I wanted came within budget. One of my best horses was one called Rapid City who won five races in just a few months before running in all the top handicaps. He was bought from Juddmonte and this year his brother Dakota City was in the sale. He has just had two runs in France where he showed great promise and he looks a horse with massive potential. He is a fine looking animal and is one of the biggest in the yard who could develop into absolutely anything.
He was bought for the Good Company Partnership as the replacement for No Such Number who was sold a few months ago, however, there are still two shares still available if you wish to join this friendly and enthusiastic syndicate. A 10% share costs £1500 with £200 per month all inclusive training fees. Email me at juliafeilden@aol.com for more info!

Dakota City

The second new face in the yard came from David Barron's yard in Yorkshire. Guising was promising in the early part of his career before losing his way a little and his ex-trainer said a change of scenery would perk him right up. He was bought by Carol Bushnell with the aim of her riding him in the Newmarket Town Plate next August. He'll run before then though and can hopefully win a few other races.

Carol gets a feel of her new purchase Guising!

Also in need of a change of scenery is fellow new boy Sabre Rock. He is a maiden four year old but has only had ten runs and actually finished third at Kempton the night before he was sold. His new owner has had his eye on him for a while and thinks he could be one to follow in the right races. He's a massive horse and by top sire Dubawi so I hope he's right!

Sabre Rock

The final arrival is pretty hard to miss as he is a big grey called Tight Lipped. Like Guising, his former trainer said a change of scenery should get him back to form and he is now well handicapped. He will be running in the colours of Dick Creese and can hopefully provide him with many great days ahead.

Tight Lipped (Ross)

We haven't had too many runners over the last month or so but the ones who returned to the track this week did really well and hopefully it's a sign that a winner or two is just around the corner.

Meddling came back from her summer holiday with a fine third at Lingfield. She hit the front turning for home before just getting collared late on. We have found the key to her now and she should be in for a successful winter season.

We weren't expecting much from Handheld at Newmarket on Friday as he was very high in the handicap but, despite his high weight and the firm ground, he ran a mighty race, just losing out by a head to come in second place. He is such a fun horse for the Newmarket Equine Tours racing club and may have one more run before enjoying a well-earned holiday.

Handheld (red) just loses out at Newmarket

As I said, hopefully a winner won't be far away and we have some good chances coming up.
Avidly has run her best races on the all-weather and never got a run through last time. George Baker seems to get the best out of her and, if she gets lucky with her hold-up style,  I expect her to be in the money at Kempton on Tuesday.
Don't has undergone a wind operation to help her breathing and Tuesday will be the acid test to see if it has worked. She seems to be galloping a lot better at home now but you just can't tell if, when under maximum pressure, her breathing will be good enough. She has lots of ability and is more than capable of winning a race like this.

Avidly (Tess) & Don't (Shelley)

The Ducking Stool needs no introduction and has had a fine season, rarely finishing out of the prize money. She heads to Nottingham on Wednesday for what will probably be her last run of the year. She is in fantastic form and, although the 1m2f trip is a bit on the short side, she should do herself proud once again.
Also entered that day is Sadiigah. She ran with promise on her return from injury but then disappointed last time. Soft ground on the turf should suit her so a return to form could be possible.

The Ducking Stool (Ross)

With the clocks going back last weekend, the evenings get dark pretty quickly so we've had to invest in a high-viz jacket for little Royston!

Be safe, be seen: Royston