OLD maxims die hard, or there's no clich like an old clich. Tim Easterby's one-two in the Cumbrian Challenge Handicap Chase at Wetherby on Saturday was a prime example of the back one, back both principle when a trainer sends out two.

This race ought to have gone to the Great Habton trainer of course, as it is named after Cumbrian Challenge, who won ten times at the course for Tim and his father Peter, most notably in the 1998 Castleford Chase.

As is often the way, the less favoured came first - Gun'N Roses II beating the better fancied Monarch's Pursuit by three lengths. The winner is owned by Lady Hilda Clarke, wife of Sir Stanley Clarke, the Northern Racing boss. Previously with Martin Pipe, this was a first win for Easterby and provided one leg of a Tony Dobbin four-timer.

Some punters are calling for the "coupling" of horses from the same stable or in the same ownership, as happens on the equivalent of the Tote in France. Recently, Mary Reveley sent out Robbo at 10-1 to beat odds-on favourite Junkanoo at Newcastle.

Easterby's pair were 11-2 and 9-4 respectively, not so disparate. Better, for those who could not split them and backed the forecasts, the Tote Exacta paid £9.60, while the CSF was a generous £17.76.

And one of the Easterby's former inmates, our predecessor in this column, Tom O'Ryan, won a prestige award this week, along with trainer Mark Johnston. We will report this Derby Awards gathering over the Christmas period.

Kate Milligan announced that her Market Rasen winner, Lord Pat, was to retire after he landed the lads' selling handicap hurdle under Gary Berridge. He is to go to Peter Dun, the former leading amateur rider whose career ended in a Hexham fall in the 1980s.

Sally Hall's great race mare Caroline Lamb has produced many good winners. One of her best, Byron Lamb, trained in Cumbria by Nicky Richards, won Monday's novice chase at Ayr in the style of an odds-on runner, another Tony Dobbin victory and one leg of a treble.

Howard Johnson and Graham Lee teamed up again for another victory as Dionn Righ landed the Sedgefield maiden chase. Brian Harding won for Micky Hammond as Hombre took the Ken Bright memorial chase, in memory of the well-respected late northern racecourse photographer.

Conditional Fergus King has been riding well of late and won for James Hetherton on Initiative.

Fellow youngster Niall Hannity won for Geoff Harker in a surprise 25-1 blow, on Brooksby Whorlton. The winner was once with Ferdy Murphy, Nicky Henderson and Robin Bastiman, but is now with Harker at Lord Bolton's Bolton Hall, Wensley, where a new all-weather gallop has helped the team.

HOW OUR 15 FARED

Silver Knight was beaten by the shortest of short heads at Sedgefield by George Moore's Castle Richard, but even the winning trainer thought the race had gone the other way!

Direct Route bypassed the Tingle Creek at Sandown on Saturday, where Cenkos won, but is due to run tomorrow at either Haydock or Doncaster. Red Striker is entered in tomorrow's Tommy Whittle at Haydock. Sea Drifting is down for Monday at Newcastle.

STORIES FROM THE SAND

David Barker has done well with Peter Asquith's homebred Celtic Mill, a Celtic Swing gelding who returned to Wolverhampton on Saturday for a second win at the course. Kevin Ryan later added another victory for his Platinum Racing Club when Platinum Boy beat Patrick Haslam's Kavi a head.

Monday afternoon at the Dunstall Park track saw Ann Duffield with a second winner in a week, after nearly two years' break, to add to the previous Wednesday's Catterick victory. Rifleman provided her with the ammunition. The nursery went to David Barron's Old Bailey, a second win on sand for the youngster.

Southwell's seller (second division) saw the stalls on the outside open a fraction earlier than the inner, but On The Trail from the low numbers broke well under Tony Culhane and won for David Chapman and his brother, John. The first division went to David Barron with Valazar.

Tim Easterby recommended Quiet Times to Kevin Ryan for the Yorkshire Racing Club to buy as a sand horse for the winter and the gelding won over six furlongs for his new connections. Hambleton neighbour Bryan Smart took the mile maiden with Friday's Takings.

Lingfield staged the only meeting on Wednesday as the weather struck and John Quinn succeeded in the south with Beauvrai, another Tony Culhane winner, and another bred by Peter Asquith.

But the biggest is to come: David Nicholls has Continent in Sunday's Hong Kong Sprint. The Yorkshire traveller, winner of the July Cup, reportedly worked well on the all-weather this week.

THE WEEK'S WINNERS

Key: Meetings all National Hunt (jumping) except AW (Flat on all-weather); ev=evening meeting; f=furlong (8f=1 mile); chs=steeplechase; hdl=hurdle; NHf=National Hunt flat race (bumper); mdn=maiden; nov=novice; juv=juvenile; clmr =claiming race (entries can be claimed by sealed bid tenders); sllr=selling race (winner auctioned after race, other runners can be claimed); hcp=handicap; cnds=conditions race; clfd=classified stakes, a limited hcp; ltd=limited hcp; nrsy=nursery; lstd=a Listed race; Gp=Group race (1, 2 or 3 shown); amtr=amateur riders; appr =apprentice riders; cond=conditional (jumps apprentice) riders; Hb =homebred by owner (or one of the owners). FtF=from our 15 to Follow.

Fifteen: Barton Dante, B The One, Direct Route, Exstoto, Hussard Collonges, Last Option, Latalomne, Moss Harvey, October Mist, Random Native, Red Striker, Ryalux, Sea Drifting, Silver Knight, You're Special.

Thursday last week. - Market Rasen: (cond sllr hcp hdl) Lord Pat (trained by Kate Milligan, at Middleham; owned by The L P Club), ridden by Gary Berridge.

Friday. - No DST area winners.

Saturday. - Wetherby: (hcp chs) Gun'N Roses II (Tim Easterby, Great Habton; Lady Clarke), Tony Dobbin.

Wolverhampton AW, aft & ev: (7f clfd) Celtic Mill (David Barker, Scorton; Hb, P Asquith), Lee Enstone (claiming 5 lbs allowance); (9f sllr) Platinum Boyu (Kevin Ryan, Hambleton; Platinum Racing Club), Paul Fessey.

Monday. - Wolverhampton AW: (8f mdn) Rifleman (Ann Duffield, Constable Burton; S Adamson), Jimmy Quinn; (7f nrsy) Old Bailey (David Barron, Maunby; J Baggott), Dean McKeown.

Tuesday. - Sedgefield: Castle Richard (George Moore, Middleham; Mrs Mary & Miss Susan Hatfield), Mark Bradburne; Dionn Righ (Howard Johnson, Crook; Gordon Brown/Bert Watson), Graham Lee; Brooksby Whorlton (Geoff Harker, Wensley; M F Spence), Niall Hannity (3); Hombre (Micky Hammond, Middleham; R D Bickenson), Brian Harding; Initiative (James Hetherton, Malton; Frank Reay), Fergus King (5).

Southwell AW: Valazar (David Barron; Mrs J Hazell), Dean Mernagh; Friday's Taking (Bryan Smart, Hambleton; Paul Darling), Ian Mongan; Quiet Times (Kevin Ryan; Yorkshire Racing Club and Francis Moll), Robert Winston; On The Trail (David Chapman, Stillington; J M Chapman), Tony Culhane.

Wednesday. - Lingfield AW: (5f nov) Beauvrai (John Quinn, Settrington; G A Roberts), Tony Culhane