Henrietta Knight has plenty to celebrate with Fontwell winner

Motazzen provided Henrietta Knight with a first winner over jumps since Calgary Bay at Ascot in March 2015 when scoring at Fontwell on Tuesday.

Knight surprised the racing world when she announced in December last year that she was to take out her licence again.

Having so gloriously scaled the heights when training the likes of three-time Gold Cup hero Best Mate and champion chaser Edredon Bleu, Knight brought her career seemingly to an end in 2012, just overseeing the odd hunter chaser, such as Calgary Bay, after that.

The decision to retire was made as she chose to care for her late husband, former jockey Terry Biddlecombe, who died two years later following a long illness.

Knight sent out over 700 winners from her yard in Wantage, near Lambourn, and her first runner was even a winner at Wincanton in 1989. But success has been harder to come by this time.

Assisted by Grand National-winning rider Brendan Powell, Knight turns 78 later this month, but had a winner on the Flat in October when Cotswold Cottage scored at Windsor and was delighted to see Motazzen win the John And Maryanne Birch Memorial Handicap Hurdle.

Powell’s son, Brendan jnr, did the steering on the 4-1 winner.

“It’s a big relief to get a winner again, I can’t even remember when the last one was over jumps, but it was quite a while ago,” said Knight.

“It was lovely to be there, they are lovely joint-owners and I half own the horse myself.

“The horses have been running very well but just not getting their heads in front, fingers crossed there will be more.

“We’ve got some nice young horses that we haven’t run yet and other bits and pieces to run still.”