A NEW racing chapter opens for former Hampshire-based jockey Tony Charlton when he saddles his first runner as a trainer tomorrow.

He sends out Birth of the Blues in an apprentice handicap at Brighton hoping for a fairytale start to his new career.

Charlton, 36, rode some 50 winners, principally for Toby Balding, and for four years acted as assistant trainer to David Elsworth.

He looked at several yards around the country but wanted to stay in the area and has found the ideal spot with good facilities near Richard Hannon at Collingbourne Ducis.

He has been granted a full licence and intends sending out horses on both the flat and over the jumps.

Though he could already put a 'house full' sign outside his 17-box set-up, Charlton is only too conscious what he has taken on.

"It's a very big gamble," he readily accepted.

"When you take out anything mechanical, you know what you're getting - but not with horse flesh.

"We're all looking for the dream horse - the group horse - the quality animal.

"I'm really looking forward to the challenge."

Charlton, who will put out the best available jockey to ride, would ideally like to have a dozen winners on the board by the new year but knows targets in the unpredictable world of racing can be notoriously difficult to achieve.

On top of that, Charlton knows his horses are predominately young and inexperienced.

However, he hopes Invitation, who won his maiden and finished third in 0-100 handicap last year when trained by another Hampshire trainer, Ken Cunningham-Brown, will go well in a handicap at Newbury on Friday.