IT was only a run-of-the-mill handicap at Southwell, but Alan Swinbank will have been delighted with Virnon's success last week as it was the trainer's 750th winner.

Swinbank, the man for all seasons, has a great strike rate at this track and Virnon was ridden by Joe Fanning, who said: "All Virnon does is gallop. Alan said if he's going well turning in, just let him go and that's what I've done."

On the trainer's achievement, the rider added: "It's a great landmark for Alan. I've been lucky for him over the years and he is an easy man to ride for as he understands how races might be run and his horses are so fit, which makes my job easy."

Plenty of other local trainers have been on the mark in the last week as well, with Ben Haslam getting off the mark for the new year when Whiskey Marmalade sprang a surprise at Wolverhampton last Friday, coming home at 33-1.

Back on the jumping front, it was good we got a couple of local meetings on this week as the weather hasn't been on our side over the last few months.

Wetherby raced on Tuesday and Phil Kirby took time out from overseeing his switch from his current Middleham base to his new yard near Catterick to witness a win for Transient Bay.

Nursed into contention by Adam Nicol, the giant-framed six-year-old had plenty left in the tank coming to the concluding stages of the Bramham Hall For Conferences And Events Handicap Hurdle to repel the staying-on Naburn by a length and three-quarters.

Kirby, who was claiming a first victory of the year, said: "He's a great big horse and it has taken a long time to come to him.

"He is a big, slow-maturing horse, so it was a good step forward and he did it really well. He is definitely going to be a chaser and he will get further.

"While he won't be a superstar, he will win a few races.

"It's difficult trying to build a new yard and keep the horses going, but hopefully we should be in the new yard by the end of March."

It was Catterick's turn to race on Wednesday and Micky Hammond, who enjoyed a fine 2015, has also started this year in great shape and enjoyed success here, courtesy of Auldthunder.

The nine-year-old looked to be enjoying his afternoon from a long way out, giving jockey Joe Colliver a great spin.

Treliver Manor gave chase in the straight, but it was in vain as 10-1 shot Auldthunder struck gold by eight lengths.

Colliver said: "He was probably going to win here just over a year ago (December 2014) when he unseated me at the last. We haven't been the best of friends since then, but we've made up today.

"I was talking to the lad who rides him out the other day and he told me he'd never known him in better form. I said 'I hope you're right'.

"He was only doing enough in front, but has done it well enough in the end and hopefully he can go on improving now he's won again."

Today, at Doncaster, George Moore will saddle his last-ever runner with Wolf Shield in the handicap hurdle. After a sterling career which has yielded almost 1,000 winners under both codes, we wish him and his wife Carol a long and happy retirement.

Doncaster also races tomorrow and Barters Hill, arguably the best chance of a British-trained winner in the novice hurdles at Cheltenham against the Willie Mullins battalion, will tune up with his final run.

Trainer Ben Pauling had also given his stable star an option over two-and-a-half miles at Cheltenham tomorrow in the Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle.

However, he has opted instead to head north for Doncaster in the race better known as the River Don, now run as the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle over three miles, in the hope of getting better ground.

Pauling tweeted: "Looking at the weather forecast for the next few days I have decided Barters Hill will run at @DoncasterRaces for his @cheltenham prep run."

Barters Hill has already won a Grade One this season, when powering away with the Challow Hurdle at Newbury.