NORTON’S Julie Camacho is having a magnificent time this season as Look Out Louis bounced back to form to claim the Betfair Be Friendly Handicap, delivering the trainer her 34th winner of 2022, writes Colin Russell.

Camacho, who is ably assisted by husband Steve Brown, had never hit the 30 mark in a year before, her best previous tally being 28 in 2018.

But with the likes of Proclaimer, who has notched up three wins, and dual-scorers Makeen, Quest For Fun, Riversway and Enraged this has been a year like no other, with her top winner both on prize money and number of races won being Look Out Louis, who has won four times and earned over £100,000 for his owners.

Saturday’s five-furlong race at Haydock Park was worth just shy of £40,000 alone.

It was an all-Ryedale success for the evergreen gelding, who was partnered by Malton’s Barry McHugh.

The combination set out to make all the running and they succeeded. After being sent clear with over a furlong left to run, Look Out Louis was in no danger from then on as he powered home to beat the Middleham-trained Korker by a length and a quarter.

McHugh said: “Look Out Louis is very quick and burns them off over five. He was very relaxed and it was a really good performance.

Now a six-year-old, Look Out Louis has been in Ryedale throughout his racing life having originally been bought by trainer Tim Easterby for 12,000gns as a yearling.

Having won three races for Easterby, he was sent back to Newmarket Sales in August 2020, where he was picked up for the bargain price of 10,000gns.

Although he won three races in 2020/2021 for Camacho and her team at Star Cottage, this has been his best year by some way as Saturday’s win was not only his fourth win of the year, it was also the most valuable contest he has won.

His first win of 2022 came on the all-weather at Newcastle in January when he won a small five-furlong handicap off a mark of 82 in the hands of Joanna Mason.

Amazingly, having been put up just 3lb, he failed to follow up over the same course and distance on his next start, trailing in third of five after racing too keenly, which has been something of a trait of his.

However, after a 50-day break, he bounced back to form with an excellent second at Newmarket in April and bettered that next time at Chester where in the hands of Jason Hart, he took advantage of his good draw to land a £21,000 five-furlong handicap by a head from the Easterby-trained Count D’orsay.

Consistency is not one of his main attributes. Shortly after his Chester triumph he was made the 9-2 favourite to win the York handicap but trailed in last of the 12 runners.

Following another short break, he was off to Chester once again where he put up a remarkable performance to win another five-furlong handicap, this one being worth £33,000 to the winner.

Beforehand he looked to have an impossible task, having been drawn stall 10 of 11, but overcame that major disadvantage to pick up his third win of the season, on this occasion partnered by the promising Malton apprentice Ryan Sexton.

His successful season hit another slight glitch when on his next start, again at York, he ran another shocker, trailing in 21st of 22 behind the Kevin Ryan-trained Bergerac at the Ebor meeting.

After that dismal performance, he not surprisingly an 11-1 shot on Saturday when his roller coaster of a season hit another high when he won off a mark of 95 and is likely to be rated 100 plus when he next runs.

The Haydock stewards were on the ball when asking Camacho why Look Out Louis had run so poorly on his previous start and her explanation was that he seems to dislike York.

One Ryedale rider in fine form at present is apprentice Mark Wynn who is based with David O’Meara.

After having just one winner last year, he has 15 in 2022, four of those coming in the past fortnight.

He was on the mark with a couple of winners last week, partnering Morty to victory on Southwell’s Tapeta surface on Monday and following up with an easy win on Eeetee in the extended mile-and-a-quarter handicap at York on Sunday.

Both horses are trained at Upper Helmsley by O’Meara who brought his tally for 2022 up to 88.

Morty is a moderate sprinter, but he went to Southwell having won at Chelmsford just four days earlier and landed the first division of the six-furlong handicap in good style.

Although the blindfold he wore to get him into the stalls was removed a fraction late, he made all the running and came home the best part of three lengths clear of his rivals.

He went for a quick hat-trick of wins at Wolverhampton on Friday, but did not make it. Although he was sent off favourite at 11-4 he could finish only fifth.

However, Wynn chalked up another winner, the 16th of his career, when partnering Eeetee to an easy win in the mile-and-a-quarter handicap at York on Sunday.

His mount, who had won at Redcar on his previous start, looked to have it all on against stronger opposition, but he proved more than up to the task, Wynn driving him clear in the final furlong to win by three lengths at odds of 17-2.

Another local winner at York’s popular family day on Sunday was Squealer from Nigel Tinkler’s Langton stables.

Although he had not won a race, he had shown plenty of promise on both his previous starts, notably when sixth in the Listed Julia Graves Roses Stakes at York’s Ebor meeting.

Sent off at 4-1 on Sunday, he was always racing close up, and after jockey Rowan Scott sent him into the lead with over a furlong out, it was game over as he came home a decisive winner to get off the mark at the third attempt.

Thirsk is providing some interesting results lately with tactics proving as important as ability.

Following the success of Bungley at the track’s previous meeting when rider David Allan chose to race wide on the less watered ground in the back straight, the Malton-based rider adopted similar tactics on the Easterby-trained Spirit Of Applause in Saturday’s 7f novice event for juveniles.

On this occasion the ploy did not quite work out for the juvenile was pipped in the final strides by the Karl Burke-trained newcomer Electric Eyes with the Richard Fahey-trained Three Yorkshireman close-up in third.

Half an hour later, Jimmy Sullivan adopted similar tactics on the Ruth Carr-trained Reputation in the 7f handicap, and this time the plan worked a treat as the pair went clear going into the final turning and held off all comers in the straight to get home by a length and a quarter to give his trainer her 20th winner of the year.