'I'm not going to know unless we try' - meet the newest trainer in Britain

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With continuing squabbles over money and, indeed, power in British horseracing, while the country at large gets the bad news about Covid restrictions being tightened up, what better time could there possibly be to start out as a trainer?

That's evidently Craig Lidster's thinking, as he sets out on a new career on Monday by sending Divine Connection to contest the last race at Wolverhampton (7.30).

His name may mean little to you but Lidster has been knocking around the game for some time and has his own, well-established business prepping horses for other people.

Training is something he has long wanted to do and he sees it as a natural extension of what he already does, rather than a new and risky plunge.

"It's not the easiest timing," the 39-year-old told the Front Runner. "But I'm not going to know unless we try.

"I could always go back to breaking and pre-training if this doesn't work. But the top and bottom of it is, you've got to give it a crack, get your head down and keep working away."

He has a dozen horses in his portion of Norton Grange Stables near Malton, where Adrian Keatley and Brian Rothwell are also tenants.

Born and raised in Rotherham, Lidster had no family connection to racing and says he owes his presence here to his fellow trainer Kevin Frost, who was working as training manager at the Northern Racing College back when Lidster was a teenager.

"I was a troublesome kid and he could see that. He lived on the same estate where I was from.

"He got me into doing his horses. He dragged me to the racing school every summer holiday and weekends, just to keep me out of trouble."

Only those with a really excellent memory will recall Lidster's time as an amateur and then a conditional jockey with Brian Ellison, well over a decade ago, when he had a total of 19 rides.

Booting home a winner proved just beyond his grasp but he was beaten less than a length at Wetherby one day when dead-heating for third on Own Line, who had led over the final flight.

"I got from A to B and that was about it," is his cheerful summation of his ability in the saddle. "Mainly, I was travelling head lad there.

"I was there seven or eight years and then another seven or eight years at Richard Fahey's as second travelling head lad and work-riding. So I learned a lot of things from them, sweetening horses up and learning how to train young stock."

Over the years, Lidster says he has developed a particular affinity with juveniles which he hopes will stand him in good stead with potential owners who like an immediate return on their investment.

He is pleased with the number of people who have expressed interest in having a horse with him. Now all he needs is to make a strong start.

Can Divine Connection do it for him? She is, after all, a course and distance winner who is now back to the rating from which she won in March.

"Chance'd be a fine thing! She is what she is, she's rated 55. "I think she'll be thereabouts. She's coming off a break and she's fresh and well. She seems in good order.

"We've not got the greatest draw in the planet but we're going to be dropping in anyway. We'll sit behind the pace and see what comes of it. We've got a good, little rider [Ryan Sexton], a 7lb claimer from next door who's riding pretty well. So we'll see how it goes.

"And then we've got another mare, Step To The Top, we're running over hurdles on Thursday. She's come with a bit of bumper form, she was placed in a Listed bumper at Kempton. She was just a bit wrong in her back but we've got her right and she's working away well. Ryan Mania's been coming in to school her and quite likes her."

Lidster reports the weather in North Yorkshire to have been "absolutely Baltic" over the weekend. Perhaps one of these runners can put the colour back in his cheeks.

Monday's picks

Some horses just keep giving you the runaround forever but I'm hopeful that True Romance (4.00) can find his way back to the winner's enclosure at Wolverhampton. He was comically unlucky when a close fifth at Catterick in August and the ball has failed to bounce the grey's way in three subsequent runs, including one over hurdles.

Today, he crosses swords once more with Aljaryaal, who proved well handicapped on his first run for the shrewd Joseph Parr three weeks ago. True Romance missed the kick that day, was held up off the steady pace by a 7lb claimer and tried to make his ground by going wide around bends, faring best of the hold-up runners.

He gets an extra quarter-mile this time and it's interesting that Graham Lee is back aboard, returning from a mini break for just one ride today. Lee rode True Romance three times in the summer of 2019, winning twice.

True Romance has a better draw this time and hopefully Lee can ensure he doesn't get stuck out the back. Meanwhile, Aljaryaal, who was well drawn the last day, is in 12 of 13 this time. Perhaps that may make more of a difference than the minuscule turnaround at the weights between them.

At Ayr, Buzz De Turcoing (2.45) steps into handicaps for the first time, with the Sam Drinkwater yard going well. He seems a significant beneficiary of the rule that prevents a ratings rise if you get beat in a non-handicap novice chase; at Wetherby last month, he finished within five lengths of a 135-rated winner who was promptly raised to 141, while a 143-rated runner was 15 lengths back in third.

The handicapper's mouse finger must have been twitching like mad but Buzz De Turcoing stays on 123. Is he actually well handicapped? At 9-4 or so against four rivals, I'll give him a chance.

Sir Michael Stoute: has an interesting newcomer in action at KemptonCredit: Edward Whitaker

Three things to look out for on Monday . . .

Well-bred newcomer of the day is Glory Nights, representing the powerful connections of Sir Michael Stoute and Saeed Suhail in the opener at Kempton (12.15). This juvenile, who cost 110,000 guineas at Book 2 last year, is a half-brother to six winners, including Adaay, who beat Limato in the Sandy Lane and now has a place at stud. Mullionmileanhour, placed in the Windsor Castle a very long time ago, is another half-brother.

It has been a big weekend for all at the Kinross stable of Lucinda Russell, who has a star novice chaser on her hands in Ahoy Senor. Might she be straight back in the winner's enclosure at Ayr? She fields the promising youngster Corrigeen Rock in a novice hurdle (1.40). He's a point winner who already looks a staying chaser in the making but was nevertheless able to make all over two miles on his recent hurdling debut at Kelso. Now he must give weight away to everything else but the step up in trip will help. Russell also has a very interesting handicap debutant in Operation Overlord.

There was just a little bit of interest at the early 25-1 last night in Rockets Red Glare, who is a potential improver in a Wolverhampton handicap this evening (5.30). The chestnut has been regressive since a promising debut at this track 13 months ago but remains lightly raced. Now he turns out for the first time in almost seven months, having moved stables and been gelded. He's slipped 6lb from his opening mark and tries an all-weather handicap for the first time with Laura Pearson claiming 3lb. She has a 14 per cent record for the yard.

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The Front Runner is our latest email newsletter available exclusively to Members' Club Ultimate subscribers. Chris Cook, a three-time Racing Reporter of the Year award winner, provides his take on the day's biggest stories and tips for the upcoming racing every morning from Monday to Friday

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