Bridges back on track

Amateur rider and permit-holder Lucy Bridges made a welcome return to the racecourse as Hever Road took the feature race at Exeter.

Bridges spent weeks in hospital after being injured in a fall at Silverton Hunt point-to-point meeting at Black Forest Gate in January.

But the rider went racing for the first time since at the Devon track and proved a lucky omen for the chances of the Martin Pipe-trained 16-1 winner, who took the SiS Handicap Chase by a length from Holy Joe.

“Lucy’s progress has amazed the doctors and it is great to see her back on the racecourse,” said her partner David Pipe, son of the winning trainer.

“If this horse hadn’t shown anything today then we would have sent him back to his owner for the summer but he has done it well, although he thinks he has done enough when he hits the front.”

Chilling Place (11-10 favourite) returned to form after finishing well beaten at the Cheltenham Festival when taking the Percy Browne Memorial Novices’ Chase.

That victory completed a near 14-1 double for Richard Johnson who had struck earlier aboard struck aboard In Accord (6-1) in the Kenmart Ltd Handicap Hurdle.