CHAMPION Westcountry jockey Polly Gundry raced her way into the record books in heart-stopping style by notching up a career record of 288 point-to-point winners.

The elated seven-times lady champion jockey equalled the existing record, then set a new one in the thrilling final race at Wadebridge on Saturday, saying it was "quite a relief to get it done in a day".

After a tantalising third and second-place in the first two races at Wadebridge, an easy win on Mulligan's Pet in the intermediate put her on level pegging with the now-retired Alison Dare's record of 287. Her only other ride was in the final race of the day on six-year-old Ned the Post,

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Victory looked likely to elude her as she languished in fourth place with a circuit to go.

But Polly pushed for glory at the last minute, galloping past two others before the final fence then nosing ahead of the leader in the dying strides of the race for a crowd-pleasing win.

Polly had been on the cusp of taking the record for a while, but the wins came in a burst for the Ottery St Mary-based rider and trainer.

In fact, the whole weekend proved to be flushed with success as she went on to notch up another two wins at Buckfastleigh yesterday, taking her record-breaking career tally on to 290 victories.

After the race, Polly said she had ridden tactically – but admitted she feared she had left the final push a little late.

"I thought they went too fast early on and sat out the back with (fellow jockey) Neil Harris," she said.

"I said to him after halfway, 'We might have left it a bit late', but the leaders began to tire and I knew we had a chance.

"We still had four lengths' catch-up at the last."

The 34-year-old ladies champion won her first race in 1994 and now trains 30 point-to-pointers alongside her partner, Ed Walker, at Ottery St Mary.

But he missed her celebratory champagne shower in the winner's enclosure as he was saddling up at another venue.