Julia Feilden Racing

It's not often that I go horse shopping and everyone is happy with what I come home with but for once there were smiles all round as the ramp on the horse box dropped and the new arrivals revealed themselves.
As I'm sure you all know, the best horse I've ever trained was Spirit of Sharjah who ran and won at some of the world's biggest meetings, including Royal Ascot and the Dubai Carnival. I haven't been able to afford another horse by Spirit's sire, Invincible Spirit, as they are very sought after. However, I was delighted to be able to purchase Star Of The Stage at what I think is a fantastic price. A three-year old gelding, he was formerly trained by Richard Fahey and won a maiden at Lingfield for him in December and has run respectably in two handicaps since. Richard says he has had some problems with his feet but this is a part of the anatomy we seem to have few problems with so hopefully it won't be an issue in his new environment. As you can probably see from the photo, he still has some strengthening up to do and I hope that he could develop into a smart miler. He's pretty fit and should be ready to run in no time - hopefully he is the next stable star!
70% of this attractive gelding has already been sold but the remaining shares are available to purchase for just £1200 per 10% share along with £200 per month all-inclusive training fees. Email me on juliafeilden@aol.com for more details.

Star Of The Stage

The other exciting purchase I made came from the Juddmonte dispersal sale, a source we have had plenty of success from in the past, and is called Dissertation.
She has come over from France where she was trained by Criquette Head-Maarek who thought she had the ability of a Group horse on her homework but she disappointed in her two maiden runs when sent off at a short price both times. Like Star of the Stage, she still has some strengthening up to do but she is an unknown entity and should provide her new owner Dick Creese with plenty of fun.

The two new faces give us lots to look forward to in the future but in the present, we have a group of runners heading to the track this week.
Starting tomorrow, Attain makes the trip up to Beverley for a lady riders' pro-am race. I had the race lined up for him for quite a while with it in mind that Shelley could ride him. However, Shelley only went and fractured her leg on Thursday morning so that scuppered that! Shelley is in good spirits but it looks as though she'll be in a cast for six weeks, thankfully she doesn't need an operation. The show must go on though and we have booked Rachel Richardson as her replacement. Rachel has been in flying form this season, riding loads of winners for her boss Tim Easterby and you'd think we are at an advantage by using a professional jockey whilst the rest are ridden by amateurs.

Vastly (Adam) & Attain (Ross)

Vastly has been trying his best over the past year to avoid going racing and after a long time off with a tendon injury, his long-standing back problem has made a reappearance the week before he was set to make a comeback! I really don't want to miss the opportunity of running him at Nottingham on Friday as it looks an ideal race so he will be doing plenty of swimming this week to keep him trim as he was already very fit. We don't swim many as there isn't often much need but it is good to do with horses who can't be ridden so Vastly went down to Newmarket's public horse pool and had his first dip. After a bit of trepidation, he lept in and was a natural. He will have a couple more sessions before his run and hopefully it means we can get him back to the track.

Vastly takes a dip

Bethan has had a great season so far with one win and three seconds from four runs. Hopefully her good run can roll on as she goes to Leicester on Thursday. Taking the ride will be our new apprentice Luke Rowe who joined us a month ago and has got to know Bethan well on the gallops at home. He has 13 wins under his belt already so knows what he is doing and can hopefully get off to a flying start.
Dark Diamond hasn't disgraced himself since joining us in May and I don't think it'll be long before he gets his head in front. He could go to Pontefract for a maiden handicap on Friday where the drop back to 1m2f will be ideal. He has to give quite a bit of weight to three-year olds in the race but he doesn't have many miles on the clock.

Bethan (Luke), Dark Diamond (Caitlin) & Dakota City (Ross)

Rounding off the week will be Veeraya at Lingfield. He didn't have much chance at the weights in a claimer at Doncaster last time and hopefully the claimer this time won't be as competitive. He is a tad high in the weights, hence the runs in claimers, but he has a good deal of ability and deserves to win a race again.

Duke of Diamonds (Nick) & Veeraya (Sam)

Our new apprentice Luke Rowe got off to the best possible start for us by winning on his first ride for the stable when steering Attain to victory last night at Lingfield. Luke has settled in well during his first month with us and this win will do his confidence plenty of good after an enforced injury absence. His 7lb claim will be a big help for some of the handicappers and hopefully this is the first of many Feilden successes.

Attain and Luke win at Lingfield

Attain has now won three races this year - a great achievement considering he took 21 runs to break his maiden! He is part of the Newmarket Equine Tours Racing Club which for just £180 per year offers fantastic value as you can live like an owner and enjoy the champagne after winning!

Attain's win has really given us a boost and gets our hopes up for some good results this coming week.
Starting on Tuesday, Guising goes to Chelmsford City. It is the track's first meeting since the surface was refurbished and hopefully it will ride a lot more consistently as the kick-back had become pretty bad in recent months. Guising was third there last time and his homework is better than ever. He does need the race to go his way to run well but he couldn't be any happier at home so hopefully he can land some prize money.

Automotive (Ross) & Guising (Adam)

The following day we make the long but usually lucky trip down to Bath. Limerick Lord has improved with each run for us and the form of his third place last time has been boosted with the winner scoring again. I've put some cheekpieces on him as Adam said last time he was just holding a bit back for himself and if this can wring out a couple of pounds improvement, he should go very close.

Limerick Lord (Ross)

One horse who loves Bath time with two wins at the course is Harry Bosch. He won quite easily there earlier in the summer and hasn't run too badly in better company since. This time he is back down to a level he can win at plus on a course he loves so hopefully the two can factors equal success.

Harry Bosch (Adam)

Without Yarmouth to race at, The Ducking Stool has been a bit lost. All her six wins have come at the seaside venue and, although she hasn't shone this season, it does mean she is dropping to a good handicap mark and will be ready to roll when Yarmouth re-opens its gates next month. In the meantime, she goes to Newbury on Thursday. She has run well at the track before and is on a nice mark so maybe she can start to show some sparkle again.
Friday night sees Duke Of Diaamonds make his belated debut at Newmarket. He has been a slow-maturing type but the last month or so has been a lot more encouraging and he is ready for a run now. He'll be seen to better light in handicaps later in the year but an educative run will do him a lot of good.

The Ducking Stool (Sarah) & Duke Of Diamonds (Caitlin)

I've been a bit disappointed with Dakota City's last few runs but I think we'll see a different horse at Lingfield on Saturday as his homework with a visor on has been much improved. He has plenty of ability and his run last time was a better performance. He is on a good mark now and I think we could finally see him getting competitive.

Dakota City (Mark) leads the way

Also getting an entry on Saturday will be Automotive and Vastly at Salisbury. Vastly's comeback has been interrupted by the firm ground that is prevalent at the moment and as soon as we get some juice in the going, he will be back on course. He spent last week swimming as he had a slight back problem but a routine canter yesterday showed he has lost no fitness because of it. He is very well handicapped on the grass and I'm just itching to let him loose on a racecourse again!
Automotive will be dropping back to a mile for the first time in a few seasons and I don't think it'll be a problem as he has loads of speed. He is a bit out of form recently but he always pops up and surprises us.

My two new purchases had an easy week to settle in before checking out the Heath for the first time on Saturday morning.
Star of the Stage is a lovely looking son of Invincible Spirit who is very athletic and seems like a proper racehorse. He is very lightly raced and could have plenty more improvement in him. Shares in his ownership syndicate have been selling fast but there are still a few left if you'd like to get involved.

Star of the Stage (Mark)

The other new kid on the block is the filly Dissertation. She is a typically big Juddmonte-bred and looks likely to improve with every day which passes. She was highly regarded in France and I hope I can eek out that ability in her.

Dissertation (Ross)

Although plans aren't set in stone yet, it may be worth you putting Saturday 29th August in your diary as I'm planning on holding a little party for everyone at the July course before racing takes place that day. We will be having a runner in the historic Newmarket Town Plate that day too, ridden by my brother Nick, so it'd be worth coming along just to watch that. I'll let you know final details closer to the time. Also, Ross is thinking of organising an owners' golf day the following day so if you think you'd like to take part, register your interest next time you see him. Don't worry if you're no good at golf, I've seen Ross try and hit some balls in the field and I can assure you he's no Tiger Woods! (Although the woods is where most of his balls ended up).

THREE TO FOLLOW UPDATE
Attain's win has seen a shake-up in the order and Ros Cousens now gets back on top with a one point lead. We have plenty of chances this week so there could be more change on the way.

Ros Cousens18
Steve Moore17
Malc Shields14
Mark Rimmer14
Megan Digby Baker12
John Birkett12
Geoff Roberts12
Barbara Walton12
Gordon Hill12
Shelley Birkett12
Adam Beschizza12
Jim Stevens12
Julie Feilden9
Poppy Feilden6
Brian Reilly6
Eddie Partridge6
Jonathan Kinge6
Rita Aspland6
Sam Feilden6
Steve Springford6
Ryan Moore6
Julia Feilden6
Liz Moore6
Dave Morris6
Paula Smith6
Jason Coote6
Sophie Collington6
Steve Clarke6
Chris Shirran6
Phil Collington6
Rachael Shucksmith6
Rob Weston6
Dave Barnett6
Allan Forster3
Bill Burgess3
Linda Wright3
Stephen Broadley3
Martyn Clark3
Trevor Fuller3
Dominic Lisle3
Barry Hine3
Lee Cousens1
Tina1
Carol Bushnell1

REST ON ZERO POINTS

Lingfield on a Saturday night seems to be the place to be as we made it another winning weekend at the Surrey venue after Dakota City put in an astonishing display to lose his maiden tag.
Disappointing in a few runs for us, we had felt that he wasn't really putting it all in so we tried a visor on him and it seemed to do the trick as he came from last to first and win easily.
It was pretty spectacular to watch as he appeared to have no chance for most of the race but jockey Adam Beschizza made a brilliant mid-race move which saw him swoop the field and grab the lead. If you still can't believe he won, owner Matt Bisogno has summarised the race here on YouTube.
This win should do the horse's confidence the world of good and we have also learnt that he probably doesn't like being hit with the stick as Adam dropped it halfway round so never got the chance to use it!

Dakota City storms home in the Lingfield twilight

Dakota's win capped off a busy week with runners most days and there were some good performances elsewhere. The Ducking Stool has been struggling for form this year but her third place finish at Newbury was a step in the right direction and hopefully she can build on this effort. Also filling the third spot was Limerick Lord who remains very consistent and will be getting his head in front soon.

Hitting the track for the first time on Friday was Duke Of Diamonds. He has been a late maturing gelding and thankfully his owners have given me the time to let him mature until he was ready to run. He made his debut at Newmarket and put in a very respectable display to finish fourth. He seemed to love the soft ground and looks likely to get a long trip.

Duke Of Diamonds finishes 4th at HQ

Owners Jon and Carol look happy with the result!

After a good deal of runners last week, there aren't as many to send out over the next few days so it is not until Thursday that we head off racing. Attain made it a perfect start for our new apprentice Luke Rowe when scoring at Lingfield last weekend and hopefully the pair can double up at Epsom. Attain has never really had the soft ground he loves for a long time now and I'm sure that if he gets it he'll be better than we've seen even up to now.
Dakota City is likely to get a hike in the weights for his win so I'll enter him at Lingfield next Saturday just in case the handicapper does put him right up. I'll have to see how fresh he is after this run but at least we have an option and can decide what to do when the new ratings come out on Tuesday.

Silver Alliance (Luke) & Dark Diamond (Nick) stride out on the Flat Gallop

THREE TO FOLLOW UPDATE
Dakota City was one of the most popular selections this season so his win has seen a big shake up in the rankings. Along with The Ducking Stool's placing, many have seen themselves come out of the dreaded 'zero points' club!

Mark Rimmer19
Ros Cousens18
Steve Moore17
Shelley Birkett17
Adam Beschizza17
Jim Stevens17
Malc Shields14
Megan Digby Baker12
John Birkett12
Geoff Roberts12
Barbara Walton12
Gordon Hill12
Poppy Feilden11
Eddie Partridge11
Rita Aspland11
Julia Feilden11
Paula Smith11
Steve Clarke11
Julie Feilden9
Linda Wright8
Stephen Broadley8
Martyn Clark8
Dominic Lisle8
Jason Coote7
Sophie Collington7
Chris Shirran7
Dave Barnett7
Brian Reilly6
Jonathan Kinge6
Sam Feilden6
Steve Springford6
Ryan Moore6
Liz Moore6
Dave Morris6
Phil Collington6
Rachael Shucksmith6
Rob Weston6
Lee Cousens6
Tina6
Kel Mansfield6
Sarah Macdonald6
Tessa Stone6
Harry Hurst6
Ged Turley6
Bill Aspland6
Geoffrey Walton5
Nick Feilden5
Martin Godfrey5
Wayne Moore5
Michael Buckley5
Sheila Collington5
Matt Bisgono5
Robert Wright5
Adi Tuddenham5
Bill Burgess4
Allan Forster3
Trevor Fuller3
Barry Hine3
Carol Bushnell1
Chris Shelley1
Sophie Feilden1
Maureen Case1
James Collington1
Jane Shirran1
Tony Birkett1
Anthea Telford1
Lewis Richards1

PLUS SIX OTHERS ON ZERO POINTS

Unfortunately Dakota City couldn't quite make it three winning Saturdays in a row yesterday but his second-place finish was another great run and it proved that wearing a visor really is the key to him. I do think he'll be better served at a track with a longer straight as Lingfield has one of the shortest and his come from behind style isn't best suited there. The fact he won at the track though shows that he has a great turn of foot and hopefully there will be more to come at other tracks.

He, along with Attain, were our only two runners last week but the next seven days look set to be a lot busier with runners most days.
Starting on Tuesday, It's A Sheila Thing makes a short trip to Chelmsford for her third career run. She has shown promise this year and will definitely win before the season is out but she will qualify for handicap races after this time and that will make life a lot easier for her.

Then on Wednesday we head up north to Pontefract with a brace of raiders.
Dark Diamond is another horse who has improved for wearing a visor and his last two runs were great. I don't think he's quite been seeing out 1m4f so the drop back two furlongs should be fine and I can see him going very close. Along with him goes Automotive. He's been a bit quiet so far on the turf this season but his homework is now a lot better and he looks great. He has plenty of speed so the drop to a stiff mile shouldn't catch him out and, if he can cope with the rise in class, he could bounce back to form.

Automotive (Nick), Dark Diamond (Mark) & Silver Alliance (Tess)

We actually won Dark Diamond's race last year with Silver Alliance but, after his emphatic win at Brighton a month ago, he is now rated too high for the repeat attempt. So instead he heads to Sandown the following day. He is a hard one to predict and may be a bit too high in the weights at the moment so we'll just let him decide what he wants to do and see if he feels in the mood on the day!

Rounding off the runners is Limerick Lord at Leicester on Sunday. He has been so consistent for us this year and certainly deserves to get his head in front. The step up to six furlongs is ideal for him and, once again, he should be in the money.

I am very grateful to the owners of Moment To Dream who have been very patient with me whilst I get their filly into full health. She was doing fast work over the winter but went lame and needed time to recover. Hopefully their patience will be rewarded soon as she has now started galloping and impressed our jockey Adam when going up the summer gallop yesterday. She has really strengthened up for the lay off and is now a strong, powerful filly so, fingers crossed, we can see what she is capable of on the track in a month or so time.

Moment To Dream (Adam) & Guising (Luke)

The Ducking Stool is showing signs she is coming back to form now and she continues to look a picture of health. She has been missing Yarmouth since its redevelopment but she has good form at other tracks and could win somewhere else before her favourite course is back in action.
Big Bang has come out of his castration operation really well and now seems to have his mind much more firmly on the job. He is bred to be a late developer so there isn't much rush with him but I'm sure he'll be hitting the track by the end of this month.

The Ducking Stool (Sarah) & Big Bang (Sam)

Candesta is a pure all-weather horse so he had a good break over the summer and is now beginning his comeback for another season on the sand. He seems to have grown even more and is probably the biggest horse we have in the yard. Plus he is a quiet ride so I choose to ride him every day...you've got to look after the boss!

Candesta (JF)

Honeymoon Express suffered from a chest infection last month so we treated her with a course of antibiotics and put her on the easy list for a few weeks. She is now back in full health and should be out again soon. It was a shame to miss the dry period as she loves firm ground but no doubt there is still a bit left of the good weather yet.

Honeymoon Express (Caitlin)

John and I are heading off for a few days in Ireland on Thursday to meet up with some old friends in the Emerald Isle. We're visiting Donal Commins' stud on the first day to inspect his youngsters before stopping over at The K Club for the night. I know nothing about golf but John assures me it's a prestigious place so I'll take his word for it - as long as there's a bar I'll be happy! Then we'll be driving over to the west coast of Dingle for the weekend to watch the Dingle Derby pony race. It's a huge event and you get to see some of the riding stars of tomorrow strut their stuff. It is also a lot of fun and everyone is very friendly so I'm very much looking forward to having a few days off.
I've got a great team of staff at home so everything will run pretty smoothly and hopefully they can get a winner in my absence to reward their hard work.

THREE TO FOLLOW UPDATE

Mark Rimmer	22
Shelley Birkett	20
Adam Beschizza	20
Jim Stevens	20
Ros Cousens	18
Steve Moore	17
Malc Shields	14
Poppy Feilden	14
Eddie Partridge	14
Rita Aspland	14
Julia Feilden	14
Paula Smith	14
Steve Clarke	14
Megan Digby Baker	12
John Birkett	12
Geoff Roberts	12
Barbara Walton	12
Gordon Hill	12
Linda Wright	11
Stephen Broadley	11
Martyn Clark	11
Dominic Lisle	11
Julie Feilden	9
Lee Cousens	9
Tina	9
Kel Mansfield	9
Sarah Macdonald	9
Tessa Stone	9
Harry Hurst	9
Ged Turley	9
Bill Aspland	9
Geoffrey Walton	8
Nick Feilden	8
Martin Godfrey	8
Wayne Moore	8
Michael Buckley	8
Sheila Collington	8
Matt Bisgono	8
Robert Wright	8
Adi Tuddenham	8
Jason Coote	7
Sophie Collington	7
Chris Shirran	7
Dave Barnett	7
Brian Reilly	6
Jonathan Kinge	6
Sam Feilden	6
Steve Springford	6
Ryan Moore	6
Liz Moore	6
Dave Morris	6
Phil Collington	6
Rachael Shucksmith	6
Rob Weston	6
Bill Burgess	4
Allan Forster	3
Trevor Fuller	3
Barry Hine	3
Carol Bushnell	1
Chris Shelley	1
Sophie Feilden	1
Maureen Case	1
James Collington	1
Jane Shirran	1
Tony Birkett	1
Anthea Telford	1
Lewis Richards	1

PLUS SIX OTHERS ON ZERO POINTS

We arrived back from Ireland today, hence the late blog, and had a lovely time seeing friends and checking out foals and yearlings before they go to the sales next year. It is an annual thing and the only time in the year John and I can both get away together.

It has been quite a busy week with runners kicking off on Tuesday at Chelmsford with It's A Sheila Thing. She has now had 3 runs and it will just be a waiting game now to see where the handicapper puts her, all 3 runs were promising but without really threatening so I am hoping for an easy opening mark because she is definitely ready to win a nursery.

Wednesday saw Dark Diamond run another solid race at Pontefract, the early fractions were fast which meant he ended up a little further back than ideal and so could not peg back the leaders when they kicked but managed to run on into a gallant second. Also there that day was Automotive, he was trying a mile for the first time in a while and he also ran great into 4th, I think a stiff mile suits him and this opens up more options for the future with him.

The next day at Sandown Silver Alliance ran in a hot race but did well to finish 4th, he is such a solid horse and is hopefully on the way back to another win soon.

Yesterday saw Limerick Lord run disappointingly at Leicester, his high head carriage is a bit suspicious and the first time blinkers seemed to have the opposite affect.

We didn't have any horses galloping this week so I was able to take some pictures of the horses in their routine canters. All of which will be heading to the race track very soon.

Attain (Luke)

Candesta (Sam)

The Ducking Stool (Tessa)

The Ducking Stool runs on Saturday at Newbury in a lady amateurs race, she has run well in the race in the past so I am hopeful of a nice run as she ran well at the track on her previous outing.

Guising (Nick)

Vastly (Adam)

Vastly runs tomorrow at Nottingham in an apprentice race. He is probably better on the all-weather but he is rated a lot lower on the turf and I think his last run can be ignored as it was his first run in after injury and he is quite a gross horse who takes a while to get 100% fit.

Veeraya (Caitlin)

I also managed to get a few pictures of the boys having a run about!

Handheld (left) and Mungo Madness

Archipenko two-year old

Mount Nelson yearling

Sabre Rock

Limerick Lord greeting owners!

Ross shouting orders while I was away!

We finally made a return to our lucky course Yarmouth this morning as the track hosted a gallops day to test out the resurfaced turf. Overall, everyone was happy with the condition of the course and it certainly needed the extra time that management have given it. I think it could suffer badly should there be racing held after a deluge of rain but it can only improve with time and will be a top-class surface next season. It was disappointing not to see any of those 'big' names who had been so critical of the old surface show up to approve the improvements, the dozen or so horses who galloped were supplied by trainers, like myself, who were fans of the track before the renovation work. Maybe we will be graced with their presence at the first fixture later this month.
The two who I sent to the track would certainly benefit for an outing away from the Heath and none more so than Moment To Dream who hasn't run yet but is coming along nicely ahead of her debut. A nice experience at the races is just what she needed after a list of set backs and she will improve significantly for the experience. Accompanying her was Honeymoon Express who is on the comeback trail after suffering from a chest infection earlier in the summer. Both her wins came at Yarmouth and she seemed happy to have returned by doing a pleasing piece of work.

Honeymoon Express & Moment To Dream test out Yarmouth's new turf

We just have a couple of runners this week, starting on Monday with Duke Of Diamonds at Kempton. He made a nice debut when finishing fourth at Newmarket last time with the soft ground in his favour. It will be a different ball game on the all-weather this time though and he will improve furthermore for another run.

Duke of Diamonds (Adam) & Attain (Ross)

Then we're not off anywhere until It's A Sheila Thing goes to Chelmsford on Saturday. She didn't do too bad in her three maiden runs and we are very happy with the rating of 55 which the handicapper gave her. She should find things a lot easier now in handicaps and hopefully she can land some prize money.

It's A Sheila Thing (Adam) & Veeraya (Shelley)

Guising and my brother Nick are gearing up for their big day in the historic Newmarket Town Plate in two weeks' time. The race is the oldest still run in Britain and its 3m6f distance provides a real test to the horses and their amateur riders. The horse has been doing plenty of stamina work to prepare him for the trip, I just hope Nick is as fit!

Guising (Nick)

Dark Diamond, Automotive & Dakota City have all come out of their latest runs in top form and are back in routine work. They'll all be out again the week after next and I'm excited to see what they can do.

Dark Diamond (Luke), Automotive (Ross) & Dakota City (Mark)

Sheila's Heart has returned to us after a spell with another trainer and he has settled back into his old surroundings very well. He has grown a lot and really filled out his big frame and I think he should be winning some staying handicaps over the winter. He was promising in his early career for us and hopefully we can get him back on track.

Sheila's Heart (Peter)

Silver Alliance (Tess), Harry Bosch (Sarah) & Candesta (Sam)

Little Orchid (Caitlin)

As you know, most of our horses get to chill out in the fields on a Sunday and it does them a world of good not just to get their heads down and eat some grass but also to have some social interaction with other horses and chill out for a while. The boys have a big 10 acre field to themselves but seem to find the field shelter more interesting!

Ross says thank you for all the replies to the golf day he is organising on Sunday 3rd September. It is open to all abilities with the option of a 9 or 18-hole round, so if you'd like to come - let us know. I know some of you can't make it which is a shame but trying to organise these things will never suit everyone - the weekend before we are racing and then it is the Newmarket Open weekend soon after. Hopefully the event is a success and we can do it again in the future.

We look set fair for a busy week coming up with runners almost everyday and with the horses rattling the till at the moment, hopefully one can get its head in front.
Starting on Monday, Attain goes down to Brighton and I hope he can finally get the soft ground he loves. All his career the ground has never been as deep as he would like it but, with lots of rain forecast, this could finally be the time he does. I do hope so because at home he gallops like a much better horse on it.

Attain (Ross)

I can't thank Moment To Dream's owners enough for their patience with their filly. I bought her last December but she is still yet to see a racecourse after a few small problems which, if rushed, could have turned into major ones. Thankfully she has been given plenty of time to grow into herself and the end product is a quality-looking race mare. She is now ready for a run and goes to Newmarket on Friday to make her debut. As with all maidens, it will be tough going with some decent form coming into the race from other runner, but it will be good to get a run under her belt and get her career going.
Before that, we have a more experienced runner in Dark Diamond heading to Wolverhampton the day before. He has been getting better and better with every run for us and put in a good effort last time to finish second at Pontefract. He is bucking and squealing at home and seems as fresh as paint so he is more than ready for another run and he should hopefully pick up some more prize money. Also entered at Dunstall Park is Limerick Lord. He was a bit below par last time but it may have just been that he didn't face running in a pair of blinkers. I will take them off this time and he should get back to the level of form he was at just before then.

Moment To Dream (Adam) & Dark Diamond (Nick)

I forgot to add that prior to all this, Harry Bosch makes it three days in a row at Brighton for us on Tuesday as he heads down to the south coast. He probably isn't at his best on the unique track but it is one of the only places that hosts 0-55 handicap races which he finds much to his liking. He is more than capable in this grade and it is just a case of what mood he is in on the day.

I had an unforgettable day on this coming Sunday two years ago when I trained an across-the-card double in the space of ten minutes when Honeymoon Express and Automotive won at Yarmouth and Goodwood respectively. They say lightening doesn't strike twice but you don't know if you don't try and both horses will be bidding to repeat the feat this Sunday. Honeymoon is coming back after a chest infection and she now seems to have recovered from it fine. Her rating has come right down now and she must start to become competitive on her old form. Likewise, Automotive has been given a chance by the handicapper and his last two runs have suggested he is coming to the boil nicely. It's hard enough to have one winner, never mind two but a girl can dream!

Honeymoon Express (Luke) & Vastly (Tess)

In July we bought a couple of lovely horses and they have now progressed on to doing their first piece of faster work for us.
Dissertation is a huge filly who came from Juddmonte in France and, after getting her back and teeth sorted out, she is now going nicely. She still needs one more run to get a handicap mark but I'm looking forward to seeing what she can do.

Dissertation - front (Ross)

The other newbie is Star of the Stage. He has won already this year but came to us looking a bit over raced so I've freshened him up and got a bit more meat on his bones and he seems a lot happier now. He shouldn't take much time to get fit and he will be a good fun horse for his syndicate of owners.

Star of the Stage (Mark)

THREE TO FOLLOW UPDATE

There's no change at the top of the leaderboard but Automotive's third place on Sunday means that everyone bar one person is off the mark. (I couldn't possibly bare to embarrass that one person but I'm sure it won't be long before you score, Kevin).
Top 10:

Mark Rimmer	22
Shelley Birkett	20
Adam Beschizza	20
Jim Stevens	20
Ros Cousens	18
Steve Moore	17
Malc Shields	14
Poppy Feilden	14
Eddie Partridge	14
Rita Aspland	14

It was great to finally get back racing at our lucky track Yarmouth yesterday as the course reopened its gates for the first time this year after repair work to the turf was carried out. There was a massive crowd to welcome the horses back but it was a shame the ground was soft as it won't help the grass regrowth in the near future, however, in a year or so time I'm sure it will have one of the best coverings of turf in the country.

I always have a good time at the course and it was great to see all the old faces at our usual gaff - I think we usually over-run the owners and trainers' tent but at least it makes it a bit more lively!

Having a laugh back at Yarmouth

It seems like it hasn't stopped raining all week and we all got a good soaking in the yard this morning as the heavens unleashed for most of it. Things don't stop just because of some rain though and we managed to get all the horses out without too many moans from the staff!

The field boys enjoy their new paddling pool this morning

The soft ground seemed to go against most of our hopes last week but Attain bounced back from a poor run to finish third at Yarmouth yesterday. He has been a real credit to himself this year with three wins already on the board and hopefully there is another one left in him.

With a lot of the horses, you don't actually know if they'll like soft ground until they race on it so I'm all for letting a horse take their chance on testing going. I remember one horse, Sancho Panza, who had shown nothing in a few runs for me before I ran him at Windsor on bottomless ground and he bolted up at 33/1! After all, if you're not in it, you can't win it and you might just learn something about the horse.

This applies to Dakota City who heads off to Epsom today. He did finish second on soft ground in France before I bought him so there is a case to be made for him. He has really woken up since running in a visor and, although it is a step up in class today, I hope he can land a place.

Guising (Mark) & Dakota City (Ross)

Another horse I bought from France is Dissertation. She is a lovely big filly who will improve with time but she is already at a stage where I hope she can do well. She is still quite green but this maiden run will do her good before she qualifies for handicap races.
One striking mare who we are all familiar with is The Ducking Stool. She hasn't got her head in front yet this year but I feel that her turn isn't far away. She heads to Haydock for the same race she was second in last year. She is well handicapped now so should go close but, failing that, her next run will be at her beloved Yarmouth where she seems better than anywhere else.

Dissertation (Adam), The Ducking Stool (Ross) & Sheila's Heart (Mark)

Veeraya has shown glimmers of form this year without really hitting full stride but he is falling down the weights and will find his level again soon. He goes to Kempton on Friday and we will see if he finds things a bit easier down in grade.

Vastly (Tess), Honeymoon Express (Luke) & Veeraya (Caitlin)

Harry Bosch (Sarah)

Duke of Diamonds (Caitlin)

The bunch of fillies who I gave a short summer break to - Meddling, Go On Gal and Serendib's Glory - are all back in now and have just started trotting again. They will build up their routines gradually before getting into faster work in about six weeks time. They will all be aimed for the all-weather and should keep us warm during the winter.

THREE TO FOLLOW UPDATE

There is no dramatic change in the standings but Attain's placing means that the gap to the leader closes to just one point and things are beginning to get tight at the top.

TOP 10:

Mark Rimmer	22
Shelley Birkett	21
Adam Beschizza	21
Jim Stevens	21
Ros Cousens	19
Steve Moore	17
Malc Shields	14
Poppy Feilden	14
Eddie Partridge	14
Rita Aspland	14
Julia Feilden	14
Paula Smith	14
Steve Clarke	14

Our first owners' golf day proved to be a great success today and I can't thank those of you that came enough. The action on the course sounded competitive yet fun and the barbecue at the yard after was a good laugh. The competition was between owners and yard staff with the yard coming out on top - I hope this means I still get paid this month! The weather couldn't have come good at a better time and hopefully this day is something Ross can organise to be a regular thing.

The winning yard team receive their trophy

Hopefully the yard can come out on top this week and the owners will be winners too as we have a fair few runners to keep us busy.
First up on Monday, we head down to Brighton. The weather was atrocious the last time we were there but thankfully the ground has dried up a bit since then and that will suit our pair.
Dark Diamond has been running well all year and certainly deserves to win a race. He ran a good race at Brighton in June and the drop back to 1m2f should be ideal. It's quite a high grade race but he is feeling very well. As too is Harry Bosch. He probably isn't at his best at Brighton but that is the only track to hold 0-55 races which he is most competitive in so it should result in a good run.

I get a day at home on Tuesday before putting in the night shift at Kempton on Wednesday.
Veeraya has been struggling off a high handicap for a while now so dropping him into a claimer where you set your own weight is ideal for him. He seems to be best on the all-weather and has plenty of speed for sprinting so he could just bounce back to form.
Another that applies to is Vastly who heads to Sunbury as well. He has needed his first two runs back from injury just to get back to full fitness and now he seems to be in great form. He is rated higher on the all-weather but has his best form on it so I hope he can start to be competitive again.

Silver Alliance, Vastly, Candesta & Sheila's Heart

Another who seems to be coming back into top form is Honeymoon Express. She too was rated too high but is at a good mark now and has recovered from her lung infection which stopped her last time. She hasn't shown a lot of form on the all-weather but the firm ground has gone against her so Chelmsford on Thursday is worth a try.
Going with her will be Sheila's Heart. He has grown a lot since the time he spent with us before and seems a lot stronger. He isn't fully wound up for this run so I expect him to improve for the run but it would be nice if he could show a bit of promise for the near future.

Honeymoon Express (Caitlin) & Veeraya (Mark)

Sunday will see us heading down to Bath with a couple of raiders.
Limerick Lord ran well at the track before and I think he should be in the shake-up again this time as he is taking his racing very well. So too is Dakota City who was all at sea on the heavy ground at Epsom last Monday but a return to a better surface should suit him. He is yet to show his best form on turf so we will have to see what he can produce.

It's A Sheila Thing, Big Bang, Dutch Art filly & Little Orchid

THREE TO FOLLOW UPDATE

Mark Rimmer	22
Shelley Birkett	21
Adam Beschizza	21
Jim Stevens	21
Ros Cousens	19
Steve Moore	17
Malc Shields	14
Poppy Feilden	14
Eddie Partridge	14
Rita Aspland	14
Julia Feilden	14
Paula Smith	14
Steve Clarke	14
Geoff Roberts	13
Barbara Walton	13
Gordon Hill	13
Megan Digby Baker	12
John Birkett	12
Kel Mansfield	12
Sarah Macdonald	12
Tessa Stone	12
Harry Hurst	12
Ged Turley	12
Bill Aspland	12
Linda Wright	11
Stephen Broadley	11
Martyn Clark	11
Dominic Lisle	11
Jason Coote	10
Sophie Collington	10
Chris Shirran	10
Dave Barnett	10
Julie Feilden	9
Lee Cousens	9
Tina	9
Geoffrey Walton	8
Nick Feilden	8
Martin Godfrey	8
Wayne Moore	8
Michael Buckley	8
Sheila Collington	8
Matt Bisgono	8
Robert Wright	8
Adi Tuddenham	8
Sam Feilden	7
Liz Moore	7
Bill Burgess	7
Brian Reilly	6
Jonathan Kinge	6
Steve Springford	6
Ryan Moore	6
Dave Morris	6
Phil Collington	6
Rachael Shucksmith	6
Rob Weston	6
Tony Birkett	5
Lewis Richards	5
Chris Shelley	4
Sophie Feilden	4
Maureen Case	4
James Collington	4
Jane Shirran	4
Anthea Telford	4
Allan Forster	3
Trevor Fuller	3
Barry Hine	3
Carol Bushnell	1
Zoe Fuller	1
John Wardle	1
Malcolm Roper	1
Ross Birkett	1
Tony Piller	1
Kevin Case	0

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.

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)

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

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

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)

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

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

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)

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

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.

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!

Happy Shopper

Debut gold for Luke and Attain

Dakota destroys them!

Dakota, Diamond and Dingle

Back to business

On track at Yarmouth

Flat out

Delighted Yarmouth is back!

Into full swing

Open doors on Sunday

Open all hours!

Well done Adam!

Allez Feilden!

Biscuit at the double!

Candesta a maiden no more!

You can always rely on Ducky!

Motoring on with some new recruits

Girls on top!

RIP Pat

Looking ahead