Max Young surpasses first year total

Cartmel's August Bank Holiday weekend has much in common with the Point-to-Point scene. In fact, more so than a comparison with most professional racecourses, all of whom would give their eye teeth for the sort of attendances that clog the rural roads leading to the Cumbrian course these past few days. Clerk of the Course Anthea Leigh was reported to estimate Saturday's crowd in excess of 13,000!

What better audience then to showcase your training talents in front of. So it's great to be able to report a triumph from Droitwich's Max Young, a graduate from the Pointing scene not a few years ago, whose third winner of this season - Decoration of War - won the concluding middle distance handicap hurdle in good style by 6l from fellow Point-to-Point graduate David Brace.

Max's first season in Rules racing last season brought 2 winners from 71 runners, a baptism of fire in a highly competitive marketplace, but he's clearly learnt from the experience. He won his spurs with a debut winner on December 30 at Market Rasen. This third winner from just 35 runners since May has already exceeded his totals by every measurement for his debut season, and we've barely started. With a yard just a few miles from Chaddesley Corbett, he's in the thick of racing country.

The nature of training as a career is a high risk exercise, with big money owners often chasing tiny prizes at rural courses en route to bigger things. Identifying where your horses can be cleverly placed to best effect is one of the hidden but most valuable of all training talents. After all, getting your horse fit to run is the easy part!

Hats off to another graduate of the West Midlands apprentice school of racing. Long may it continue.