AN EXHILARATING day’s racing at Milborne St Andrew saw former Olympic cycling champion Victoria Pendleton denied her first winner as an amateur jockey.

The highlight of the meeting was the tremendous battle for the Ladies’ Open race won by Bryony Frost aboard Queens Bay, the middle leg of a treble for trainer Jack Barber.

Will Biddick rode the other two winners for Barber’s stable, keeping up his momentum to retain his Championship title.

The ladies’ race became a two-horse contest from some way out, with Queens Bay leading until being headed by Pacha Du Polder, ridden by Pendleton, at the 10th fence.

Pendleton’s mount jumped superbly for her and she led until after the second last.

On the downhill run to the final bend, Frost had made up the four-lengths deficit and secured the inner line — this proved significant.

Pendleton, on the instructions of Paul Nicholls, Pacha Du Polder’s former trainer, came wider seeking better ground and there was little between them at the last fence.

Both horses and riders gave their best efforts on the run-in, with Queens Bay prevailing by a head.

The Men’s Open proved little more than a schooling exercise for Chapoturgeon, ridden by Biddick.

Opposed by only Latalanta, Biddick made all the running and, after being left solo by his rival pulling up after the 13th fence, was able to come home in his own time.

This was a confidence-booster for the popular grey after his recent fall at Larkhill.

Biddick’s other winner came from the promising Bill And Barn in Division One of the 2m 4f Maiden.

Surviving a bad mistake at the last, the five-year-old presenting gelding held off the attentions of Woodfleet, ridden by Claire Hart, by ¾ of a length.

Division Two was an all the way success for Tommo, ridden by Oz Wedmore and trained by Bill Smith. The gelding established a clear lead during the race and although both The Oppidan (Claire Hart) and Brice Canyon (David Maxwell) closed on the run-in, Tommo held on to win by half a length.

The Hunt race proved to be a tremendous training success for George Hiscock and his partner, Charlotte Brown, of Plush.

Riding the 10-year-old Tin Pot Man for owner Carol Sevenoaks, Hiscock was able to dominate the race from the final circuit and eventually won by a distance.

The Open Maiden proved a gruelling event, with only three of the 16 starters completing.

The Jacquie McCullough-owned and Jo Buck-ridden Master Baker drew right away from In The Tub (Biddick) to record a comprehensive victory.

The Restricted was a high class affair, with Kernel Victor getting the better of Innocent Girl by 2½ lengths.

The final race of the day proved a triumph for the Simon Gilmore-trained Jakros ridden by his owner James Jackson-Stops.

Instructed by his trainer to ‘go hunting and give the outside to no one’, Jackson-Stops followed instructions to the letter and gradually picked off his rivals one by one until taking it up on the descent after the second last.

His main rival, Imperial Circus (Nick Lawton) had every chance but went down by three lengths.