IT is 30 years since Malcolm Jefferson left Cumbria to set up in Norton as a racehorse trainer, and Harry Haynes has become the latest in a long line of conditional jockeys to benefit from his expertise, writes Alec Russell.

Jefferson steadily made his mark in Ryedale, mainly with jumpers and also as a teacher of young jump jockeys.

Graham Lee, who a week or so back became one of the few jump jockeys to pass the 1,000 winners barrier, made rapid strides when attached to the Jefferson stable after a fairly inauspicious start in the saddle.

Many others have learnt their craft on Jefferson-trained horses and on Saturday another youngster – Haynes – reaped the rewards of an attachment to the Jefferson yard.

Heavy rain had cast some doubt over the Haydock meeting but Friday night was drier than expected and, after an 8am inspection, racing got the green light. The going was described by clerk of the course Kirkland Tellwright as “heavy and really testing” and by one of the jockeys as “desperate”.

The feature race at the Lancashire track was the Peter Marsh Steeplechase run over three miles – a race first run in 1981, when Peter Easterby’s Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Little Owl was successful, and a race which includes another Ryedale-trained Gold Cup winner Jodami (1993 and 1997) among its victors.

Jefferson had two runners in this year’s race – According To Pete, a good winner at Wetherby on Boxing Day of the Rowland Meyrick Chase, and King Fontaine, who had twice won at Haydock last season.

Eleven runners set off on the two circuits of the Haydock track and a near gale-force wind facing them up the straight added to the testing conditions.

King Fontaine and Dougie Costello had a crashing fall at the second fence but According to Pete, ridden by young conditional jockey Haynes, appeared to be relishing the ground.

Never out of the first two, Haynes sent the 11-year-old on when they turned into the finishing straight and each of the challengers was beaten off and According To Pete had three-and-a-half lengths to spare over Pearlysteps at the finishing post.

Haynes said: “He jumped brilliantly and never put a foot wrong. He’s finished very tired – he walked home after the last – but he had enough in him to keep going.”

After the race there was much speculation about According To Pete going for the Grand National in April, and bookmaker Stan James was offering 25-1 for the Aintree spectacular. Later, William Hill and Paddy Power were offering 33-1 for the race but Jefferson was cautious regarding his participation.

“He’s come out of the Haydock race OK and it’s great to see him come back as he has this year,” he said. “The handicapper can’t put him up too much for Saturday – only a handful finished so you can’t say it took too much winning.

“I think he’d be the ideal type for Aintree because he’s very nimble at his fences; he doesn’t jump too big. I hope he’ll be given somewhere in the region of 10 stone seven pounds. If he got anything over 11 stone I’d say he’d be a doubtful runner. I’d love to run him in the National as I think he’d run well, but obviously you need everything to go right.”

With According To Pete being eleven this is probably his last opportunity of running in the Grand National so we will now just have to wait and see what weight handicapper Phil Smith gives him next month.

This weekend we have an attractive meeting at Doncaster, featuring the Skybet Chase, and it would not be too unreasonable to think Jefferson could score in a big handicap again.

His seven-year-old Cape Tribulation has won on Town Moor before and the trainer thinks the track should suit his style of running. His present price of 20-1 looks pretty good value.

• THE heavy ground at Haydock Park also looked to give an opportunity to Norton trainer Brian Ellison’s good hurdler Marsh Warbler in the stanjames.com Champion Hurdle Trial.

In a select field of four, Aidan Coleman set a good pace on Marsh Warbler and it was only approaching the last flight of hurdles that he was really challenged, but one of his rivals was the eight-year-old Celestial Halo – a really high-class hurdler.

Celestial Halo came up to Marsh Warbler and gradually increased his advantage in the final stages with Donald McCain’s Desert Cry snatching second place on the run-in.

It was a really spectacular afternoon for Cheshire trainer McCain, son of the legendary Ginger McCain. He had four winners, all partnered by stable jockey Jason Maguire.

Last Friday, Jefferson and Dougie Costello teamed up with Altan Khan in the two-mile chase at Catterick.

Altan Khan who had made an impressive start to his chasing career at Sedgefield last September before a couple of disappointing runs, made no mistake on this occasion, staying on really well to beat Laterly by two-and-a-half lengths. with Freddie Brown third.

A rider who had ridden According To Pete in one of his rare appearances on the flat, at Doncaster back in 2007, is Norton jockey Tom Eaves.

Eaves, who in these winter months is generally plying his trade at the all-weather tracks – Southwell, Wolverhampton, Kempton and Lingfield – rode a 40-1 winner, Cape Of Storms, at Wolverhampton last Thursday, and produced a dividend of 57-1 on the Tote.