This 22-year-old is likely to be asked back

This 22-year-old is likely to be asked back.There was also a winning performance from a Briton who has endured over the years, Colin Jackson. The Welshman won the 60m hurdles in 7.51sec, his best of the season, and looks set to end his career here next month with a serious challenge for another world indoor title.Britain’s Jason Gardener will also be looking forward with confidence to the world indoors after winning the 60m in 6.49sec, his fastest time of the year. Gardener still has officially to claim one of the two 60m places at next weekend’s world championship trails on this track, but that looks a formality barring accident or injury.Who will claim the second spot remains in more doubt following a disappointing first outing for Britain’s European outdoor champion, Dwain Chambers, who failed to reach the final. Chambers could manage only sixth place in his heat in a time of 6.68. Although he finished with a grimace on his face, he confirmed afterwards that his discomfort was due to rustiness rather than injury.Chambers will need to improve dramatically next weekend if he is to claim a place ahead of Mark Lewis-Francis, who was third behind Gardener after running a season’s best of 6.57 in a heat.Elsewhere, Daniel Caines improved his hopes of retaining the world indoor 400m title on his home track by winning in 45.76, the world’s fastest this year. There were mixed fortunes for Britain’s middle distance runners Jo Fenn and Kelly Holmes as they sought to achieve national records at 1,000m and 1,500m respectively. Fenn finished in 2min 38.45sec, which was 0.5sec inside Kirsty Wade’s 16-year-old record, but Holmes could manage only seventh place in the 1,500m..

In terms of the relationship between racing, which could be regarded as the Formula One end of equine sport, and eventing, which is more like rallying, horses usually do the high-octane business first before switching to the roads and tracks. The annals of eventing are littered with the names of ex-racers who have adapted successfully. But very few do it the other way round, which gives Maximize his own little niche. Paul Graham, his rider then, recalls: “He was a very workable sort of horse, with a very good attitude. Sometimes when they come from the sales they are a bit uptight, but Maximize was a dopey sort that you could do anything with, very obliging.”He was always a very neat jumper and had a high cruising speed.

The extra gear was always there if you needed it.” In truth, pre-novice events are not very taxing and Maximize revealed his true future when he won a point-to-point easily as a five-year-old.After that, Lady Vestey redirected him to West Lockinge. “I think Ian realised he wasn’t going to make a Badminton horse,” said Knight, “and once he looked like a racehorse in that point-to-point, that was it But his eventing upbringing has stood him in good stead. He has lovely manners, is very sensible and jumps in a beautifully rounded way.”Kempton’s lightning-fast turns and challenging lines of birch are a world away from toddling round tiger traps and ditches on parkland at Skipton and Armatwaite but Maximize has already shown he can cope admirably, most notably last season when he took the Grade One Feltham Novices’ Chase over the distance of today’s Racing Post Chase.Maximize was not one of the very best of the first-season brigade, but he was smart enough to complete in sixth place in the Royal & SunAlliance Chase at Cheltenham, where neither course, distance, nor going suited him.He has not won since the Feltham, but a return to his favourite track and his favoured faster ground should work the oracle. After two respectable preps, Maximize (next best 3.05), who is still open to improvement, comes to the Racing Post Chase fresh and well and on a handy mark and his front-running style can draw the sting from the Martin Pipe pair Montreal, who is Tony McCoy’s selected mount, and Chicuelo.The Festival is now just 17 days away but clues are still available. The favourite for the Triumph Hurdle, Saintsaire (2.30), puts his credentials rather defiantly on the line against six rivals in the Adonis Juvenile Hurdle, having been beaten last time out at Cheltenham after a scintillating British debut.There was much nonsense aired before and after his third to Moneytrain and Don Fernando, including the idiotic suggestion that the fact that he had lost as a drifting 6-4 favourite gave credence to unsubstantiated pre-race rumours about his being lame. He was unsuited by the slow pace and sticky ground and it would be perfect justice if he can confirm today that he is the real deal.The ill wind syndrome may apply this afternoon to Henry Daly, whose charge Hand Inn Hand (1.55) should have contested a two-mile race at abandoned Warwick yesterday. The Alflora gelding turns out instead for the Pendil Novices’ Chase over what may prove to be, on the prevailing ground, a more suitable two and a half miles.