A horse trainer has described her first victory on a national racetrack as "a special win" and "a real achievement".

Karen Jewell, who is based at Eyehorn Farm near Sittingbourne, won her first race at well-known Plumpton Racecourse in the South Downs Cider Novices' Handicap Chase on Sunday.

Coming just four weeks after gaining her sole training licence and going it alone, the triumph at the Sussex track near Brighton came courtesy of her six-year-old horse, Pleasure Garden, and jockey Tom Cannon.

The horse is also owned by Ashford residents Hugh and Pat Jarvis in Ruckinge, and Ms Jewell, who used to live in Sutton Valence near Maidstone, insists winning with such a local team made the accomplishment even more rewarding.

The 40-year-old said: "Pleasure Garden was having his first run over bigger obstacles like the steeplechase and he won during his first outing.

"He showed a spectacular display of jumping and so I was very pleased with him and the fact that the win was at a local track with local owners.

"It was my first run with him over the fences, and only our sixth run since we changed the licence over, so it's great to get that first win under your belt and make it such a real achievement.

"I used to train on a joint licence with a person called John Best, but now I've gone it alone and I've only been doing that less than a month.

"So I'm very fond of Pleasure Garden - he was one of the horses that my mother bought for us.

"I used to live and train with my mum in Sutton Valence for 22 years, who herself trained for 30 years, so it was lovely that my first winner was a horse that my mum purchased for us and that made it a really special win.

"Pleasure Garden is a fond favourite of mine as he is incredibly laid-back and the most kind, gentle and straightforward horse to deal with on the yard, but a great character too and quite often the class clown.

"I just feel very grateful to all the team at home in the yard who worked so hard over the Bank Holiday weekend, because anything can happen in racing and it's not very often that everything goes right."

Miss Jewell and her team at Munsgore Lane near Oad Street in Borden, will look to make it another memorable outing next time out when they participate in some more local races at all-weather tracks Kempton and Lingfield.

They follow this up with trips to Plumpton and Fenton where they will look to replicate their national success.