The Harraton Herald www.juliafeildenracing.com
October 2017
FEILDEN ON FIRE! There is no better feeling in racing than being in form as everything you run lands some prize money with a few winners thrown in for good measure. So it has been in September. We were due a golden run though as there had been a good chunk of the year where the horses had underperformed and almost everything disappointed on the track. That could probably be put down to a virus we suffered in the spring and took a while to shake off but thankfully the staff and owners kept their chins up and we are all now reaping the rewards. You can read the monthly wrap on p.8 and get to know Our Cilla’s jockey better on p.5 of this month’s issue. There may be a chill in the air now that summer has gone but Team Feilden is still red hot.
Ross SPONSORED BY: Page | 1
Edition 19
Golf Day is a hit With a couple of weeks of dodgy weather in the lead-up, the forecast for our annual owners’ golf day did not look too promising but the gods looked in our favour on the afternoon and we were blessed with some glorious sunshine for the event. Fifteen fiercely competitive golfers (of widely ranging abilities!) took to Newmarket Links Golf Club’s fairways for 18 holes of the sport and everyone came away with a smile on their face after a whole host of impressive putts and plenty of banter along the way. It wouldn’t be a racing related event if there wasn’t some dodgy handicapping and so it looked as the formerly useful Paul Skinner walked away with the top prize, despite not playing in a long while. Burdened by a high mark, our jockey Adam Beschizza gave valiant chase in second but couldn’t produce enough to stop ‘The Bandit’ Skinner (above). There was plenty to discuss over a barbecue at the yard afterwards but the general consensus was that everyone had a great time and next year’s event is already in the planning. Thank you to those of you who contributed to the food and drink whilst even bigger thanks must go to everyone who attended to make it such a great event.
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N.E.T. Racing Club Update CASEY BANTER put in a great run at Kempton on September 5th to finish 3rd (right). It was her first run in a handicap race and she found things much easier than in maiden races previously. With a good draw on the inside, Shelley Birkett kept the filly settled behind the leaders before waiting for the straight to make a move. The pair quickened well and only found two others too good on the day. Casey loves firm ground on the turf but with summer gone that looks unlikely so a campaign on the all-weather will be on the cards. She seems to handle the all-weather surface well and will give members loads of fun at the races in the coming months as she is tough and genuine so rarely lets you down.
GAS MONKEY was all set to run at Yarmouth late in the month but an infection in his heel the day before the race meant that he had to have a few days off on antibiotics and couldn’t run. He is fully healed now and will be back on the racecourse in a couple of weeks. He is still quite an unfurnished horse so it is likely that we will give him this run to get a handicap rating before giving him the winter off to strengthen up and come back a much improved horse, ready to win.
You can join the CLUB for just ÂŁ200 per year. More details are at the bottom of our OWNERSHIP page: http://www.juliafeildenracing.com/ownership.html Page | 3
Catch up corner We were delighted this month to hear from two of our alumni, both of which are in different roles after their racing careers. AUTOMOTIVE (left) was a prolific winner for the yard but not the most straighforward of horses so we took great care to ensure that he was found the most suitable home. Luckily we didn’t have to look too far as a lady called Donna just a few miles from Newmarket in Tuddenham was looking to replace her recently deceased ex-racehorse. With this experience, she was perfectly aware of some racehorse quirks and the pair have been getting on great this year, having completed a number of 15-mile charity rides together. GUISING never refound the form from his younger days as we hoped he might when buying him but he was always a well-mannered horse so when retirement loomed, the British Racing School seemed the perfect place for him. He joined a number of our old horses there where they help teach the jockeys of tomorrow how to ride. He looked fantastic when Julia saw him earlier this month (right).
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Q&A – Milly Naseb Although not officially an employee of the yard, Milly Naseb has been a valuable part of the team recently thanks to her successes aboard Our Cilla as well as riding a handful of our other horses at the track. Attached to the Staurt Williams stable, her 7lb allowance is a big advantage in handicap races and the fact that she can ride off a very low weight means she gets plenty of opportunities with 16 winners to her name so far, half of which have come this year. How did you get interested in racing? I was always interested in horses from a young age and I pestered my parents until they got me a pony! I went to college to study horse management and then went on to the British Racing School in Newmarket. When I went there I didn't have a clue about racing but now it has been six years and it would be strange not to be in it!
What would you be doing if not working in racing? I would like to be a personal trainer or interior designer.
What has been your most memorable moment in the saddle? Definitely riding a winner at HQ (Newmarket) but winning on Our Cilla in front of a sell-out crowd at Lingfield (right) is right up there. I would love to ride a winner at Royal Ascot – it’s my dream!
What’s the best and worst thing about your job? Best thing: riding winners Worst thing: early mornings (I’m not a morning person!)
Which jockey do you admire the most? Ryan Moore is no.1 his professionalism and riding style are the best around.
Which celebrities would you take on a night out? I'd take Kevin Hart (left) on a night out - he'd be funny and I wouldn't feel so small!
What would you eat for your last supper? My last supper would be Thai food, that's my favourite.
And finally, your saddle has the initials MZN…what does the Z stand for?! My middle name is Zahra - I am half Arabic.
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Team Feilden goes paintballing… (Gemma Whiffen)
…as Adam auditions for the next Top Gun movie (Eoin Walsh)
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The Nayef foal keeps guard as his two friends enjoy a snooze (Ross Birkett)
The string returns home in the shadow of the Rowley Mile (SGG Photography)
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THE MONTH IN RUNNERS OUR CILLA is the horse that keeps on surprising and she continued her remarkable improvement with win number two at Lingfield on September 16th. After showing very little ability on the gallops at home and in three maiden races, she has proven a revelation since being fitted with a pair of blinkers and racing over a long trip.
STAR
As before, she settled at the back of the field under Milly
PERFORMER
Naseb and the pair took their time before making a move up the inside in the straight. As her rivals tired, Cilla kept on galloping and ran out an easy winner once again. After a 5lb rise in the weights for this, she will need to improve again to keep up the winning run but a filly in form at this time of year is a dangerous things and she clearly loves the soft ground which is around at the moment. She will now head to Catterick on October 21st.
Keeping up the good run just two days later at Brighton was OCEANUS (right). After being nailed on the line at the course the time before, he was due compensation and he rightly delivered under Shelley Birkett. Having tracked the leaders throughout the race, the pair waited for a gap to open inside the final two furlongs and the three-year old gelding dug deep to out-battle the horse that had beat him the time before. This was only his fourth run for the yard and continues the upwards progression he has made since joining us. He will be a fun horse to be a part of in the coming seasons and there are still a few shares left in him. Visit http://www.juliafeildenracing.com/ownership.html for more details.
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LIMERICK LORD is another horse who goes well beside the seaside at Brighton and he added another second place to his CV when filling that spot on the same day as Oceanus’ victory. He hasn’t got his head in front for a while now but a series of good efforts suggest that it is only a matter of time before he is back in the winner’s enclosure. He acts particularly well on Southwell’s unique surface so a busy winter there looks likely. As mentioned in the N.E.T. Racing Club update (p.3) CASEY BANTER ran a great race to finish third at Kempton on September 5th. This first try on the all-weather showed us that she handles the style of racing well so a winter campaign should prove fruitful for this tough little filly. We hoped for big things from PITCH HIGH at Beverley on September 20th and, although not disgraced in 5th place, he has run somewhat below our expectations the last twice. This has coincided with him being fed a herbal calming supplement as he was getting quite anxious at the races. He has been a lot more settled since being on the additive but he has been running slower! We will run him next time without any herbs and hopefully it’ll see him bounce back to form. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
RIP Appease A sad postscript to Oceanus’ victory at Brighton was the loss of Appease on the same day. He ran a gallant race to finish fourth and pulled up fine after the race. It was on the way back to the winner’s enclosure that he took a false step and his hind toe struck into his front leg. The wound was smaller than a 5p piece but he had gone very deep and caused irreparable tendon damage. He was given pain relief and bandaged at the races so we could take him straight to Rossdales Vets in Newmarket for further examination. We knew his racing days were over but we hoped he could be saved for retirement however further inspection revealed that the damage could not be reversed and the vets had no option but to put him down. It was a great shame to lose Appease as he had become a real favourite in the yard since arriving in the spring. He won his first race in four years at Yarmouth last month on only his second run for us and he seemed to have found a new lease of life since moving to Exning.
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FOUR TO FOLLOW FULL STANDINGS: Julia Feilden John Chalklin Clare Peacock Paula Smith Colleen Pyrke Trevor Mather Geoff Walton Ken Campbell Ros Taylor John Tucker Brad Dines Jean Allen Eileen Turner George Evans J Rogers Christine Sparham Annette Hall Martyn Clark Kevin Case Michael Buckley Chris Shelley Martin Godfrey Dick Creese Sam Feilden Ged Turley Paul Skinner John Birkett Tina Skinner Tessa Stone Bill Aspland Phil Gunning Patrick Jarvis Gay Chalklin Dominic Lisle Adrian Stearn Jen Wardle Malcolm Roper Paul Reis Linda Wright Dave Morris Rita Aspland Chloe Peacock Brain Pyrke Rod Gleed Eleanor Monk Page | 10
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Alex Stearn Dillys Tucker Don Merrick Caitlin Wells Pauline Kennedy Sophie Feilden Todd Clarke Maureen Case Heather Close Tony Birkett Tony Mcgovern Jim Stevens Linda Grady Sue Lever Joan Mather Tony Monk Eddie Partridge Eddie Jarman Tony Wideson Mark Jackson Dee Clarke Julie Feilden Wayne Moore Sarah Macdonald John Heywood Chris Shirran Rory Doyle Rob Weston Sue Morris John Wardle Carol Bushnell Margaret Mallett Gemma Whiffen Tony Peacock Ross Birkett Shelley Birkett Nick Feilden Paul Jarvis Bill Shirbon Jane Shirran Matthew Cottis George Hall
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Sharon Clarke Steve Springford Angus Forshaw Poppy Fuller Rob Wright Gary Wardle Ian Sparham Terry Mortimer Jonathan Kinge Margaret Buckley Alayna Cullen Dudley Lever Stephen Broadley Trevor Fuller Albert Stevens Carol F Steve Clarke Adi Tuddenham Lee Cousens Barbara Walton
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