Victoria Pendleton, the former Olympic cycling champion-turned jockey, recorded her first win in the latter sphere when piloting Paul Nicholls's Pacha Du Polder to win the Betfair Switching Saddles Hunters' Chase at Wincanton Wednesday. Pendleton had been unseated from Pacha Du Polder in her first start under National Hunt rules at Fakenham two weeks ago, but the pair made amends for that mishap Wednesday.
“It was fantastic,” said Pendleton. “I really just wanted a good round. I wanted to get round on the horse and give him a ride he deserved because he's Pacha Du Polder and he is a lovely horse.”
“I feel very honoured and lucky to be allowed to ride such a wonderful animal,” she added. “I was very frustrated [after Fakenham] but also I know that this sport is full of thrills and spills–that can happen, it's racing. When I started this challenge, people said, 'You know you're going to fall off, don't you?' and I said, 'Yes, I know,' but it's a very small price to pay for the joy you get in riding a Thoroughbred racehorse.”
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
