Looking back on 2009 a number of young trainers caught the eye – Tim Vaughan, Paul Midgeley, Rebecca Curtis, Nick Williams and Martin Keighley all impressed. George Baker is another to have acquitted himself well and could do even better in 2010, writes Elliot Slater.

A former city trader, Baker quit the financial markets some years ago, and after spells abroad learning the training game in places as far flung as Vietnam, he popped up again in Britain as a journalist for the now defunct Sportsman. When the newspaper folded, Baker, encouraged by a venerable band of well-heeled and knowledgeable friends, decided to have a crack at training, and he’s done pretty well in his first couple of years.

Starting with a string of 25 horses at his yard at Moreton Morrell, Warwickshire, Baker sent out 21 winners to the end of 2008 and soon gained a reputation as a handler capable of laying one out for a touch. Excellerator’s debut victory at Southwell was a prime example, the juvenile filly having been backed at 9/1 early on in the day before being supported through all rates down to 5/4 and going on to win easily by three lengths. She later proved herself capable at a much higher level and achieved black type when third in the Princess Margaret Stakes at Ascot.

A roster of owners that include Harry Findlay, Paul & Susan Roy, Paul Beck, Freddie Flintoff and Sir Alex Ferguson, indicate that Baker’s talents have certainly not gone unnoticed. With a capable team around him, the affable ex-public schoolboy sent out 40 winners in 2009, most at a low level but showing that he knows how to place his horses to win. The old adage “keep yourself in the best company and your horses in the worst” seems to have been well heeded by the Baker team whose  strength now numbers around 70.

It is only a matter of time before Baker gets a better quality horse that will catapult him into the bigger league. He should come to the attention of the racing masses, even if he never achieves the wider public acclaim that comes with training a Grand National winner. In the meantime, profits can be made following his runners in sellers and claimers when the market indicates that they are expected to run well.

In other horse racing news, the odds for this year’s Cheltenham Festival are really starting to get interesting and could be worth keeping an eye on.