ALEC RUSSELL saddles up to reflect on the success of Malton and Norton’s racing stables.

THE Malton area, and particularly Norton, has for centuries been one of horse racing’s main training centres.

Indeed, in the 19th century, in the days of John Scott, it was pre-eminent.

Scott, the “Wizard of the North”, sent out 42 Classic winners from his Whitewall stables, including six Derby victors and 16 St Leger successes.

A dozen or so years ago, the magic of this area appeared to be waning but, recently, a clutch of young trainers has transformed the district to the extent that last year saw six Group 1 winners come from Ryedale trainers.

This is a quite remarkable achievement when one considers how competitive modern horse-racing is at the highest level.

In the middle of the last century, horses would travel over from France and Ireland for our biggest prizes, but today we see runners from Germany, Australia, South Africa, the US and Japan competing for these valuable stakes and our own horses travelling around the world for the richest spoils.

I recall about 15 years ago when Richard Fahey was establishing himself as a trainer, at a smallish yard in Butterwick his assistant was Kevin Ryan.

I wonder if either of them contemplated collecting three of racing’s top prizes in one season.

Shortly before Fahey moved to his present Musley Bank quarters, Ryan set up as a trainer at the other side of Ryedale, at Hambleton House, and built up a reputation for consistently sending out a flow of winners, with more than 400 successes in the past five years.

When his three-year-old colt The Grey Gatsby won the Betfred Dante Stakes at York last May, it appeared that he had a real top-notch contender in his stable and so it proved.

He followed up with victory in the Group 1 Prix de Jockey Club at Chantilly - the French Derby - ridden by Ryan Moore, after beating 15 rivals.

After an unsuccessful bid for the Grand Prix de Paris, in which he appeared not to stay, he returned to York for the Juddmonte International.

On Knavesmire, he finished second to the brilliant Irish colt Australia and then completed his season by reversing the result and beating Australia in a thrilling finish to the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown. Asked what was the high spot of 2014, Ryan said: “It has to be the Irish Champion Stakes - winning the French Derby was great but to return to Ireland and beat Australia was simply brilliant.”

Fahey himself returned to Group 1 success when Garswood won the Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville in August.

This good sprinter was retired to stud later in the year and Fahey said: “I hope Garswood has a good stud career at Cheveley Park.

“We will miss him. He was a real star.”

Another Norton trainer who found himself with a real star performer was Highfield handler John Quinn.

His two-year-old The Wow Signal had followed up a promising debut at Ayr with a win at Royal Ascot in the Group 2 Coventry Stakes, ridden by Frankie Dettori.

Before his Ascot win he had been bought by the Qatari Al Shaqab Racing and they were keen to run him at their Deauville festival meeting.

A win in the Group 1 Prix Morny really made the day for Quinn. After the race, he said: “We’re delighted, it’s a great day. These are the days you dream of.”

A run at Longchamp followed in which The Wow Signal was disappointing but it was found that he didn’t scope well when checked after the race.

The plan is that he will go for one of the classic trials and then, hopefully, the 2,000 Guineas.

The other trainer to collect two Group 1 prizes was the quite remarkable David O’Meara, based at Nawton.

He has been training barely five years but in 2014 he sent out 112 winners and earned £1,619,000 in total prize money. Two of his sprinters won at the highest level, G Force and Move In Time. G Force won a maiden race at Newcastle in April and followed it with an impressive win in a handicap at York. The season just got better and culminated with a fine win in the Group 1 Betfred Sprint Cup at Haydock Park while Move In Time gained his Group 1 success in a close finish to the Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp.

Both winners were ridden by stable jockey Danny Tudhope, who also had his best season ever.

After G Force’s Haydock win, David O’Meara said: “I’m a little bit overwhelmed. I’m delighted for everyone who has put so much time into this. It’s just great.”

Two weeks later, he saddled the winner of the Ayr Gold Cup, one of Britain’s great sprint handicaps, with Louis The Pious. What a wonderful year for this young trainer.

 

• SUNDAY sees Musselburgh stage its Scottish Cheltenham Trials Day and opens the card with the £20,000 Sky Bet Supreme Scottish Trial Novices Hurdle over two miles.

Norton trainer Brian Ellison is going to be double handed in this contest with The Grey Taylor and Amaze. The Grey Taylor won at Wetherby for trainer Steve Gollings before moving to Ellison’s Spring Cottage stables. Two further runs at Wetherby ensued and in the first he won after giving a quite spectacular display of hurdling.

A short-head defeat followed but Ellison said: “The Grey Taylor is flying and definitely runs on Sunday. I was pleased with his first two starts and believe he has come on again and better ground will improve him as well. Musselburgh won’t be a problem for him - he has plenty of pace - and we have had this race in mind for a while.”

Amaze will be having his first start over hurdles since finishing sixth in a Perth juvenile hurdle in September 2011. The seven-year-old was last seen out when second in a 10-furlong handicap at Newcastle in June.

Ellison added: “Amaze will run as well.

“He basically doesn’t like the starting stalls, so I thought we would give him a shot over hurdles.”

Perhaps the greatest danger to both of Ellison’s charges could be the threat of snow for the Scottish racecourse this weekend.