CLAIRE Hart enjoyed a successful day in and out of the saddle at the Vine & Craven meeting at Barbury racecourse on Sunday.

Hart enjoyed a training double with Argentato and Kazuri Kate, riding the mare herself on a busy day where she enjoyed six rides and trained four runners to go into the lead in the lady rider's championship with seven winners.

Argentato kicked off proceedings in the 14-runner Fullers Brewery Novice Riders Race under a canny front-running ride from Jordan Nailor, whose fourth success of the season makes him the leading national rovice rider.

The 17-year-old, who has just passed his driving test - appropriately for someone sponsored by Concourse Tyre International - was due for his first ride in a Hunter Chase this week and has ambitions to be champion male novice rider this season.

Double Olympic cycling champion Victoria Pendleton and her mount Working Title parted company at the 13th but both horse and rider returned unscathed.

The Thoroughbred Breeders Association Mares Race attracted just five runners, with the prolific winner Executive Benefit preferred in the market to the Hart-trained and ridden Kazuri Kate.

Lucy Wheeler sent the favourite off in front in the two-and-a-half miler but a mistake at the fourth-last soon saw Kazuri Kate close and going on to win comfortably by 10 lengths.

Part-owned by Hart's uncle, former jockey Simon Hart, the trainer-jockey said: “Bless her – she’s tough as nails.”

Feature event of the day was the Jockey Club Estates Mixed Open Race, which had a near-maximum field of 19.

Sam Waley-Cohen, on the well-backed Barrel Of Laughs made smooth progress through the field, jumping into the lead briefly at the 15th before taking it up again on the home bend.

The former Jim Culloty-trained chaser came home by 12 lengths from the fast-finishing Green Winter, with Stone keeping on for third.

The winner is owned by Peter and Trish Andrews, who also own Hennessy Gold Cup hero and leading Cheltenham Gold Cup fancy Smad Place, trained at Barbury by Alan King, who was in attendance at his local meeting.

The closest finish of the day was in the eight-runner Subaru Restricted Qualifier, where Spit, ridden by owner Lucy Turner, got the better of champion Will Biddick on Jack Barber’s Earthpower by a head.

Spit is trained by the Herefordshire-based Philip Turner, Lucy’s father.

His yard also includes the useful Petit Lord (sixth in the Mixed Open) and Pentiffic, as well as Richmond, who has finished second twice in Hunter Chases this season for Lucy.

“We’re hoping to go for the Walrus Hunter Chase at Haydock and we’re qualified for the Cheltenham Festival, so we may go there,” confirmed Philip.

There were three Maiden Races on the card, the first being for four, five and six-year-olds over two-and-a-half miles.

It was sponsored by Barbury International Horse Trials and acted as a qualifier for the DBS Spring Sales Point-to-Point Bumper.

Gustave Mahler started favourite of the 11 runners following his promising debut at Cottenham, and Leo Mahon employed similar tactics to Jordan Nailor in the opener, going straight into the lead from the off and held on to win cosily by a length.

The three-mile Ramsbury Vodka Open Maiden was split on the day, with 10 going to post in both divisions. The first division was incident-packed – Sophie Lacey’s Pinnacle Peter was odds-on but was never travelling well and Zac Baker pulled him up four out, Duke of Spain - under Stan Sheppard - winning by five lengths.

The second division produced the biggest cheer of the day as locally-owned and trained Island Cruise pulled off a gamble from 12/1 to 5/2 under Joe Quintin to win by three lengths.

It was a first winner for former professional Joe Quintin.

“I rode as a conditional for Charlie Mann for a year, then as an amateur – I had about 40 rides but this is my first winner. We were confident beforehand,” he admitted of Island Cruise, who runs for a family syndicate including dad Roger and is trained at home just over the border in East Garston in west Berkshire.

In the concluding Hunt Members race, sponsored by Penwood Racing. 2012 Grand National favourite Shakalakaboomboom cut out most of the running under Camilla Henderson, before being brushed aside by Page Fuller and Grand Gold at the 13th.

“I couldn’t tell if we were just hacking, but I got a good jump at the third last and then pressed the button,'' said Fuller.