8th March 2020

Three runners and three fourth places, all of which were beaten less than three lengths which shows that the team remain in good heart if winning is proving elusive.
I was very happy with Engrave's run at Chelmsford on Saturday night as I thought her initial rating of 65 was a bit high and she might struggle running in handicaps off that mark but she ran a blinder to land some prize money and I expect she will improve for this run too as she is quite a big and stuffy horse who needs a couple of runs to get fully fit.

There is some flat racing this week but we have nothing lined up to run and, to be honest, this week is only about one thing - the Cheltenham Festival. Although I'm not the biggest fan of jumps racing, it's hard not to get involved with the Festival as the best horses in the land take each other on in front of a massive crowd. I do enjoy watching it on the television and ITV Racing do a great job bringing the action and atmosphere to your living room. I've never been to the Festival as I wouldn't enjoy the crowds but Shelley is making the trip down there on Tuesday for her first time.

The following week is a scheduled break for the whole of the racing industry with no meetings planned so we have two weeks without runners in fact. That's not to say that we'll be twiddling our thumbs though as the team of turf horses are now back galloping and will be ready to run at the end of the month. It is an exciting time as you try and find a horse or two who has improved over the winter as well as watching the two-year olds develop with every passing week. The grass gallops in Newmarket are gradually opening which is a sign that spring is around the corner and I'll be delighted when we are out of the dregs of winter - the mornings are getting a bit lighter too which makes things slightly more pleasant.

Wilson (Sarah), Divine Queen (Shelley) & Sea Shack (Gemma)

Raha (Ross) & Approve The Dream (Ryan)

Paintball Wizard (Charlie) & Alibaba (Sam)

​I am very sorry to report that the newest member of Team Feilden, Chloe, who joined us a month ago had a bad fall on the gallops on Wednesday morning where she broke her femur bone. Obviously Chloe was in a lot of pain at the time and it took two hours for an ambulance to arrive but we are lucky on the Heath to have a team of Heath Medics who are trained to deal with accidents and carry basic medical equipment in their trucks which helped keep her reasonably comfortable. The following day Chloe had a six hour operation to put a rod and screws in the leg and she was pretty sore when I went to see her on Friday but hopefully she can head home early this week to start the recovery process. I'm sure you will join us in wishing her a speedy recovery and we hope to have her back as soon as she is fully mended as she is a great asset to the yard and was just starting her career in racing.

Get well soon Chloe