HE came to Norton with just “one horse and a load of promises” – Tim Pitt has never been scared of doing things the hard way.

Pitt, you may recall, was the trainer who had it all.

Two Group 1 winners with Les Arcs, a Chester Cup with Admiral and Not For Me’s success in a Listed race made him one of the hottest rookie handlers in racing.

But, after splitting with owner Willie McKay in 2007, he upped sticks from his Bawtry base to North Yorkshire – starting afresh renting boxes from Tim FitzGerald at Norton Grange.

His first season brought five winners and 34-year-old Pitt believes he is laying down the building blocks which will eventually take him back to the big time. Plus, he’s enjoying being his own boss.

“It’s very satisfying at times and extremely hard work at others,” Pitt said. “You find yourself being a businessman first and a trainer second because 70 per cent of the time you are looking at the bank balance and the account sheets.

“But, at the same time, the only way you make a living is to train horses to the best of your ability and train winners. We’ve got 15 horses at the minute. You are just trying to build yourself up.

“When we came here I literally started with one horse and a load of promises.

“I had one horse guaranteed and, obviously, promises of other people sending you horses.

“You can’t get the horses before you have got the place and you can’t get the place until you have got a couple of horses. It’s a bit of a chicken and egg situation.

“We started here and a week later the first horse moved in. It took a few more weeks to try to chase up those promises. My aim for the first year was to try to get ten or 12 horses in and stay solvent for 12 months.”

Pitt concedes that stable star Basalt was responsible for much of his first year highs. The Irish-bred five-year-old knocked out wins at Southwell and Wolverhampton before winning over hurdles at Worcester in July.

Southwell is a long way away from Royal Ascot and Les Arcs’ victory in the Golden Jubilee Stakes in 2006, but Pitt insists you can find solace in any success.

He added: “I have been in the game from lad through to head lad to assistant trainer and trainer for the best part of 15 years. It’s the only thing I have ever done.

“I don’t know any different. I have worked for guys who have got 100 horses and I have worked for guys who have got 20 horses.

“It is a lot nicer and a lot easier to go to the big meetings than it is to go to Southwell on a Monday with a horse rated 45. But I am very fortunate to train for some very nice people and a winner is sweet wherever it is.

“There is plenty of satisfaction in winning smaller races with a horse of limited ability. They don’t always have to be on the big stage to be satisfying and enjoyable.

“Basalt was a great yardstick. Through a friend of a friend, across the water, I got told to have a look at him at the sales. He was a young horse. He’d only had three starts.

“We only paid £18,000 for him. We brought him home, gelded him, and gave him a little bit of time. He started working really well. He kicked off in a lowly maiden at Southwell which Greg Fairley won very nicely and he backed up under a penalty at Wolverhampton a few weeks later.”

A slight tendon strain picked up after a third at Chester in September will keep him out until the summer, but Pitt reckons he could have another nice horse in the wings – if he can work out how he ticks.

“I bought another horse called Japura from Newmarket this back end,” he said. “He came out of Ballydoyle, same as Basalt. He had one start for Aidan O’Brien and finished third in a mile maiden as a two-year-old.

“He was then sold as part of a package to Mick De Kock with Eagle Mountain. De Kock didn’t take him to Dubai. Things didn’t work out for whatever reason and I bought him for £5,000 at Newmarket.

“I’m still trying to work out what is wrong with him. He is very well bred. He cost $1.1 million as a yearling. He’s run twice for me. He’s on a mark of 62.

“We’ve gelded him and he’s a big, big horse. He probably wants a mile and a quarter – maybe a bit further. He’s a nice horse but we are under no illusions. He’s not an expensive horse and if he is a big dud we haven’t done $1.1 million. We’ve done selling price money.”

Pitt has come a long way already in his short time in North Yorkshire but his passion for training – “if you didn’t enjoy the job you wouldn’t get up in the morning and do it,” he says – means it is a sound bet he will be back on the big stage soon enough.

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