No tragedy for Turner as she enjoys reappearance in Greece

Hayley Turner's return to the saddle in Greece on Thursday may not have yielded a winner, but the former jockey still enjoyed the experience immensely.

Turner was the star attraction at Markopoulos racecourse with three rides, having made the journey on behalf of GBI Racing to help promote British and Irish racing.

"Third was the closest I got but it went really well," reflected Turner on Friday. "It was a really good experience and everyone here has been really helpful and lovely."

Turner likened Markopoulos to the Fibresand at Southwell, although the surface is not as deep, and was pleased with how she performed having not ridden competitively since last August, when in action at the Shergar Cup.

"I've been in the gym a lot and I'm a qualified fitness instructor now so I've been able to transfer work from the gym to the track," she added. "I wasn't 100 per cent race-fit but I was able to get by without disgracing myself."

While no more one-off appearances are in the pipeline, Turner did get a big kick out of being back in the saddle, and she was also pleased to see Lizzie Kelly secure a big-race win aboard Tea For Two at Aintree the same afternoon.

"It's fantastic for racing and the girls in racing," Turner said. "They're really breaking the mould now and it's gradually getting better and better for the girls.

"Lizzie is doing well and so is Josephine Gordon, she really rides well and it would be good to see her on the bigger stage this year."