GRAHAM McCOURT, who won virtually every big-race in the calendar as a jockey, has made a most promising start to his new career as a trainer.
So far, McCourt, operating in his first full season with a licence, has won 14 races at a strike rate of marginally under one in five, amassing over £61,000.
That figure can augment to over £66,000 with the victory of Hawaiian Youth in the Wincanton Logistics Handicap Chase today.
The Hawaiian Return gelding ran a promising second to The Lancer at Newton Abbot in December, giving the distinct impression he would benefit from a return to further than the extended two miles he encountered that day.
So it proved when he contested a two-mile, five-furlong handicap chase for condition jockeys at Windsor, where he made much of the running for Dan Fortt and skipped clear from the second last to beat Good For A Laugh by a comfortable four lengths.
He followed up over course and distance last time out, responding to Fortt's urgings on the run-in to wear down the pace setting Jovial Man and score by a neck.
As he is 1lb out of the handicap, Hawaiian Youth races from a 3lb higher mark today, but should be able to shrug off the rise.
David Bridgwater takes over from Fortt and Hawaiian Youth is napped to complete a hat-trick.
Of his rivals, Senor El Betuttri will have his supporters after returning to winning form at Warwick last month. However, with one of his opponents there sulking and the other showing an unhealthy lack of respect for his fences, it is open to question what the grey achieved in beating them.
Lady High Sheriff once had the reputation as the slowest horse Captain Tim Forster had ever trained. But the mare, who is owned by Evelyn Ward-Thomas, aka spy thriller writer Evelyn Anthony, showed a different side to her nature running out the decisive winner of a novice handicap at Huntingdon on her latest outing, sustaining a taxing gallop from the sixth flight to beat Seabrook Lad by 10 lengths.
The seven-year-old is capable of further improvement, and with two miles and five furlongs round Towcester likely to prove ideal, she is a confident selection for the Hoechst Roussel Panacur EBF Mares' Novices' Hurdle.
At Carlisle, Enchanted Cottage and talented claimer Eddie Callaghan should prove too strong for 12 rivals in the Waver Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle.
