IT was a case of keeping it in the family for County Durham trainer Michael Dods at York on Saturday as his daughter, Sophie, claimed her first victory as a jockey.

Sophie, who is 21 next month, partnered Mister Belvedere to victory in The Queen Mother’s Cup Handicap at odds of 20-1.

The four-year-old, who was named by Sophie and her twin sister, Chloe, as a yearling, stayed on strongly under a perfectly-timed ride to win by a neck from Pacify.

The win completed a double celebration for Sophie, who found out earlier this month she had achieved a first-class degree in bio-medical science.

Sophie said: “He jumped out well, but I wanted some cover but got pushed back a bit further than I wanted.

“When we came round the bend, I waited and thought a gap would come, and when it did, he just went for me.

“I didn’t think I’d won when we crossed the line, but I looked up at the big screen and saw I was in a photo and realised the cameras were following me, and when the result was announced, I was over the moon.

“It’s even more special because Chloe and I named him as a yearling. He’s just a lovely horse.”

As part of her prize, Sophie won her own weight in champagne, and the bottles of bubbly heading to Denton Hall were doubled when Chloe also leapt on the scales.

Sophie, who has had 14 rides so far, is hoping to have more success as the season progresses, and to complete a memorable day for the Dods family on the Knavesmire, star performer Get Knotted finished second in the Class Two JCB Handicap.