SCRAWLED on a tatty piece of paper, the names represent hope for Noel Wilson. As he scans down the list, containing the horses he thinks are his best hopes for the Flat season, the Flaxton handler can hardly contain himself – he’s excited about the campaign ahead.

There’s pressure this time.

Twenty two winners in 2008 have brought success, but they have also brought expectation. His owners don’t just expect good runs now, these days they expect victories.

It’s a measure of how far Wilson has come and that steady curve of success was capped when Stolt slashed and burned his way to the GWS Architects Stakes at York Racecourse last May. That has given Wilson a taste for the big occasion and, naturally, he wants more.

“We always want to try to at least level but also better what we have done the previous year. Every year so far we have gone up and the quality of horses has gone up as well,” Wilson said. “That’s what we need to do. It is all right running around Southwell and winning races, but nobody sees that.

“You can win three races in 12 days with United Nations, as we did over Christmas and the New Year, and nobody notices. If you go and win a couple of decent handicaps on the turf, people notice more. That’s where we need to be.”

Wilson wants 30 winners this time from a Sandburn stable whose strike rate has compared favourably with the massive yards of North Yorkshire colleagues Richard Fahey and Kevin Ryan.

With 27 horses claiming room and board, Wilson reckons he has the armoury to put a dent in some bigger handicap prizes.

“I’m very excited about Hotham this year,” he said. “He won two, but also got beat two heads at York last year. Sometimes he breaks a little bit slowly but he has definitely improved over the winter. He’s a bigger, stronger horse this year. He’s six now and he is starting to get into his prime.

“We bought Ajigolo at the October sales. He’s rated 95 on the all-weather and he’s a horse who will take us to the big meetings. He’s our highest rated horse and he’ll go to Beverley before going to the Guineas meeting at Newmarket.

“Stolt won at York and we had a hell of a year with him. He’s had a rest and he’ll win a couple.

“Red Skipper has improved more physically than anything else over the winter. He won a couple last year but a couple of photo finishes went against him. He has really strengthened up and I am really pleased with him. But the horse with the biggest future in the place is possibly Pavershooz.

“He achieved last year as quite a big, gangly backward three-year-old. He’s four now, he’s filled out and strengthened up and he would be the horse I am hoping could go ten or 12 pounds up the handicap.

“The first meeting at Ripon will be his starting point. He’ll go to York after that. The main aim with him, if he did improve, would be the Ayr Silver or Gold Cup. He’s the horse I am pinning my hopes on.”

A Scottish raid would certainly attract the eyes of new owners. And that’s what Wilson wants for his future – a yard doubled in size, with more backers, where he can still retain his personal touch.

He added: “It has been steady progression but I really want to build on quality. I would like to get to the stage where I can train 60 horses. I wouldn’t want any more. I am a very hands-on person. It’s about attention to detail. I’m with them all the time. I’m watching them. I look at them every day.

“I think that’s the key – being able to give that attention to detail on each individual horse. I don’t go racing like I used to because my job is here. I am happy being in here, with my wellies on, doing the gallop and being here for every lot.”