LAWNEY Hill was delighted with Victoria Pendleton’s debut as a jockey at Newbury on Thursday night, writes MARK EDWARDS.

The 34-year-old double Olympic champion finished eighth on Mighty Mambo, trained by Hill at her Aston Rowant yard.

It was a major step for Pendleton, who lives in Moreton, near Thame as she attempts to compete in the Foxhunter Chase at next year’s Cheltenham Festival.

Although the jockey admitted she has plenty to work on, it was a very accomplished first public performance.

“I loved every minute of it,” she said.

“My aim was to get through the race, not look out of place or fall off, and to get to the end in one piece.”

She added: “You don’t get to push a horse at home, so I don’t know if I was doing it right.

“We’ll have a look at the replays and look at my technique in training.”

Hill, who with husband Alan have played a huge role in Pendleton’s development, was both delighted and relieved with her performance.

“It was typical Victoria, she came in and the first thing she said was ‘I’m sorry’ – she is just so competitive,” Lawney commented.

“But I thought she did wonderfully well, and when you consider she has only been riding for just over four months and was competing against people who have been riding for years and years.

“I thought it was fabulous and am so relieved it went well – she will have learnt so much from it all.”

Pendleton added: “My amateur licence assessment is in August. The idea of going point-to-pointing looks good fun and it’s low key.”