Monmouthshire trainer Christopher Mason is closing on his most prolific campaign after another winner at Wolverhampton last week.
Mason started having runners in 2011 and last season was his best with 14 winners and £102,185 banked in prize-money.
He has already surpassed that figure in this term, having pocketed £124,428 and took his tally for 2025 to 12 after Gilt Edge was on the mark last Tuesday.
Ridden by promising apprentice jockey Jack Callan, the son of top rider Neil, the mare was drawn in stall 11, which might explain why she was allowed to go off a 16-1 chance.
Despite that wide draw, she was soon able to press the leaders and led three furlongs from home.
The daughter of Havana Gold then picked up strongly in the closing stages to win by a length and a quarter.
She has been a credit to Mason, who bred her and has saddled her to win ten races from 59 starts. She has also been placed 12 times.
Based not far from Caerwent, Mason will no doubt be keen to beat last year’s tally of 14 before the end of the year.
Two jumps meetings took place in Wales last week with Bangor racing on Monday and Ffos Las in action on Tuesday and a Welsh winner featured at the former with Doctor Kildare emerging on top for Sam Thomas in a handicap hurdle.
It was the five-year-old’s first start for Thomas, who trains in Lisvane, and he made no mistake, scoring by a cosy two lengths.
He was well regarded by Nicky Henderson before being switched to Thomas by owner Dai Walters, who founded Ffos Las.
And it was at that venue where Carmarthen-born Ben Jones struck in the first division of the maiden hurdle on Kalkbrenner.
Jones had his best season last term and bagged two nice prizes at Ascot on Saturday for Kalkbrenner’s trainer Ben Pauling, whose link with the rider goes from strength to strength.
The other Welsh winner on the Ffos Las card came for James Bowen, who steered Holokea to success in the 3m1½f handicap chase. The gelding is trained by Bowen’s brother Mickey in Pembrokeshire, but the performance of the afternoon came from Starzand in division two of the maiden hurdle.
Johnson White, who trains the talented individual with Philip Hobbs, said: “He looked very exciting when he won his bumper here last season and it's been a long, exciting summer waiting for this horse, hoping it all comes into fruition.
“It was a hot race but he won it well and we've got a lot to look forward to.”
Chepstow stages its military raceday on Wednesday when the gates open at 11.30am with the first race due off at 1.30pm.
Military personnel with a valid ID can enter for free, while Ffos Las hosts a seven-race jumps card on Sunday, which starts at 12.40pm.
