Willie Young: Overton founder with an eye for diversification

Willie Young, who founded the Overton point-to-point course in South Lanarkshire, died peacefully at home on Boxing Day morning at the age of 84.

He owned horses for more than 50 years, often home-breds, before Ardera Cross really put his colours on the map in recent years. Bought for just £1,000 at Doncaster Sales in May 2019 out of Dan Skelton’s yard, he won 11 races and £100,000 in prize-money while trained by Young’s son William Jnr, who is known as Wassels, and who took over the permit at Overton Farm, Crossford, 11 years ago.

His father farmed nearly 1,000 acres and that was always his main priority with the horses a secondary passion in the background. Keen to diversify and develop other income streams for the business, Young opened a farm shop in 1988 followed in the early 1990s by a lucrative car boot sale which took place every Sunday and Bank Holiday from Easter to October and carried on until the onset of Covid. These were subsequently supplemented by a butchery and coffee shop/restaurant with plans in place for an extension to the latter.

He always dreamed of having a racecourse at Overton and the point-to-point track duly opened on March 27, 2004, with 60 runners in seven races for the Lanarkshire & Renfrewshire and Eglinton fixture. It has proved to be the most popular venue on the Northern Area circuit, attracting crowds of up to 5,000, and the aforementioned meeting is a huge social event in the Clyde Valley with hospitality tents catering for 1,000 people always sold out.

After a few lean years as a permit holder, Lord Of The Loch got things rolling again for Young with the first of four wins over hurdles at Perth in May 1999. His last winner with the permit was Ethan’s Star, who landed a valuable Sedgefield Selling Handicap Hurdle Final in 2009.

Young loved to have a winner in his colours at Overton and Raifteiri came up trumps in consecutive seasons. The Galileo gelding won a maiden under Nick Orpwood in March 2013 and a restricted race under John Dixon in March 2014 before providing Wassels with his first winner under Rules as a permit holder at Cartmel in August 2014.

Young said to me at the time: “I sent my son to Doncaster Sales in November with a £4,000 budget and expected him to come back with three or four horses, but only Raifteiri [£4,200] arrived. However his previous trainer Neil King did say that point-to-pointing and a change of scenery was all he needed.”

A great supporter of hunt racing over the years, he was also instrumental in hosting the Dumfriesshire & Stewartry fixture for a time after Netherby Park closed and, most recently, the Fife meeting relocated to Overton last year following the demise of Balcormo Mains.

Appropriately, the last point-to-point winner in Young’s colours was Gripper who landed the Fife Conditions Race at Overton in April last year. He treasured the memories of being in the winners enclosure that day surrounded by his grandchildren and other family members (main picture above, with Young in a mobility scooter, his wife Liz and son Wassels to his right and rider Jack Holliday).

In recent years his electric buggy enabled him to keep an eye on things around the farm. He still liked nothing better than counting a pile of cash from the tills in the coffee shop, but couldn’t work out how contactless card payments went straight into the farm bank account.

He leaves wife Liz, sons William (Wassels) and John (Poppers) and daughter Mary Anne as well as eight grandchildren.

A shrewd businessman and a canny Scotsman, he was always looking for a good deal and value for money. It’s fair to say he couldn’t have been prouder of Ardera Cross – the best £1,000 he’s ever spent.

Wassels said: ”He lived a very full life, he lived to a fair age and he died in his sleep – what a way to go.”

Willie Young, farmer with a love of horses, who has died aged 84  ** Carl Evans