Aston Rowant trainer Lawney Hill’s challenging season has finished with a flourish thanks to the veteran chaser Bertenbar.

The 12-year-old completed a quick-fire hat-trick of Fontwell wins when battling home by two and a quarter lengths from the only other finisher, Withy Mills, in a handicap chase over an extended two miles and a furlong.

Bertenbar’s success also took jockey Andrew Thornton to within nine winners of his target of 1,000 career victories before he retires.

Hill, who was recording just her fifth winner of the campaign, said: “It has not been the greatest of seasons, but three wins like that have grabbed the imagination.

“He has to go right-handed and because Fontwell is a figure-of-eight he never feels he is going left-handed. The twists and turns keep a horse like that on the go.

“Bertenbar and I have come to each other’s rescue.”

Hill also reported that Quinz had been retired after being found to have a fibrillating heart when being pulled up at Exeter.

Winner of the 2011 Racing Post Chase at Kempton when with Philip Hobbs, the 12-year-old gave Hill’s amateur-rider son, Joe, a night to remember by landing the Bonhams Men’s Open Point-to-Point Championship Final Hunters’ Chase at Cheltenham two years ago when trained by her husband, Alan.

Meanwhile, Alex Hales’s Edgcote yard, near Banbury, celebrated a Cheltenham winner last week with Minellaforleisure.

The eight-year-old was produced by Harry Bannister to join Vosne Romanee at the last flight in a handicap hurdle over two miles and a furlong for conditional and amateur riders, before galloping up the hill to score by half a length.

Fellow Edgcote trainer Ben Case sent out First Drift (10-1) to make a successful debut in this country at Southwell.

The five-year-old, bought after winning an Irish point-to-point last month, galloped clear to take a two-mile bumper by three lengths under Max Kendrick.

Chastleton trainer John Gallagher has hit the ground running at the start of the new Flat turf season.

He bagged two winners in the space of as many days last week with Ladweb scoring at Ripon, before Pusey’s Secret broke her duck at Bath.