Luke Dace is now the happiest trainer in Sussex thanks to one horse.

Just 13 days after giving the Pulborough trainer his first flat race winner at Brighton, Scenic Lady followed up at Lingfield on Wednesday in the hands of in-form leading apprentice Joanna Badger.

Dace said: "Chris Catlin, who rode her at Brighton, had to ride Bonnie Flora in the race.

"But Joanna is riding with tremendous confidence at present, so I chose her as a replacement and she gave the mare a wonderful ride.

"In fact they made it look so easy that Scenic Lady could run again at Brighton next Wednesday."

There was added relief for the trainer as he did not have to suffer a post-race auction as he did at Brighton earlier in the month.

On that occasion Scenic Lady's success was in a selling race and some joker rang Dace up by £700 which took the gilt off the gingerbread.

But only a little gilt.

Dace said: "I had won my first flat race and, although it wasn't much fun for me to have to bid for my own horse, I was just so chuffed to have trained a winner."

Owner Eddie Davess, a retired insurance broker from Keston in Kent, was a happy man as well.

He backed his five-year-old mare down to 5-1 favourite at Brighton and heaped on again at an astonishing 8-1 at Lingfield.

Dace has struggled long and hard to make his way as a trainer after a modest career as a jump jockey.

He said: "I do believe that if it all comes easily when you start off, you don't necessarily learn very much.

"Last year we didn't have a winner but I gained so much knowledge.

"It was a tough time, so many horses finished second, some in quite good races, but we lacked that little bit of luck.

"Now things are coming right and I am feeling more confident."

When Luke uses the word "we", he is referring to his mum and dad and the voluntary riders who turn up at his Pulborough stables every morning.

There are just four flat horses in the yard and he expects to train around the same number of jumpers through the winter.

At Lingfield, it was dad who led up Scenic Lady while Dace himself made his way to the start to make certain his runner stayed calm before going into the stalls.

He said: "I didn't see the race as I was I was doing that.

"I just heard the commentator begin to call her in the straight."

Dace explained why he takes no chances with the mare at the starts.

He said: "A couple of years ago she panicked in the stalls and scrambled out, so I like to go to the start with her.

"Joanna dismounted as the others were loaded and this kept her relaxed.

"She went into the stalls very quietly and all was well.

"I really did fancy the mare but I didn't back her.

"I'm just so happy to have had another winner."

The style of Scenic Lady's win on Wednesday suggested she could complete a hat-trick next time out.

Dace said: "She loves firm ground. She just bounces off it and is in great form just now.

"I don't need to do much with her between races and she won pretty easily at Lingfield because Joanna gave her such a relaxed ride."

Dace's biggest short-term problem will be in deciding who should ride Scenic Lady next time out, Badger or Catlin, a difficult choice between two good three pound claimers.

At Pulborough, Dace uses the Harwood gallops at Amanda Perrett's Coombelands stables.

But he has 50 acres of his own as well as his own horsebox and it doesn't take long to go down to the seaside for a change of scene.