'Victory was down to stickability and the fear of a rollicking if she'd fallen off!'

It's often said point-to-pointing and hunter chasing can revive a horse’s fortunes and give racing experience to novice riders.

Those theories combined at Hereford on Monday when Heidi Palin rode Bennys King to win the hunter chase after a good scrap with Olive Nicholls on Magic Saint.

Both women are in their second season of racing and Palin’s CV involved just nine rides and three wins on the point-to-point circuit, and two previous spins under Rules, yet she gave Bennys King a ride that was nothing if not positive.