THE Exmoor racing community is cheering loudly after Golden Ace, trained by JeremyScott at Brompton Regis, won a second Grade 1 event when she triumphed in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle under Lorcan Williams, netting the winning connections a cool £66,500.

In the early stages the much fancied Constitution Hill that went off 6-4 favourite led but then fell at the second, leaving second favourite The New Lion (15-8) ridden by Harry Skelton in the lead.

The Skelton horse then led all of the way until the penultimate jump when he, too, fell leaving the way clear for Golden Ace who went off at 20-1 to take up the running and win by one and a half lengths.

Meanwhile, West Somerset trainers Philip Hobbs and Johnson White have started the 2025-26 season where they left they last off the last one - on a winning roll, and at the time of writing they have notched up 16 winners and 21 horses placed.

Over the space of the last 14 days the pair, who train at Sandhill Racing Stables close to the A39 at Bilbrook, have saddled six winners, which includes an across the card double last weekend.

Johnson said: “Things are going pretty well for us at the moment thankfully. The horses are running well and they are healthy and winning some nice races for us. We really couldn’t be happier with the way that the season has started and coming into the autumn. We just pray that it continues for as long as possible.”

With the majority of the 2025-26 national hunt season still ahead and the conditions underfoot improving with every shower of rain who is to say that the Bilbrook pairing won’t top their 58 winners last campaign.