Perfect start for Du Plessis came as no surprise to those in the know

It may be old-fashioned and very British, but if Jackie Du Plessis sticks with the expression "Start as you mean to go on", she could well find herself turning away new owners.

The Saltash trainer has had a fairytale start to her professional training career with her first two runners winning easily.

But for those who follow the point-to-point and hunter chase scene, her success has come as no surprise.

Widely regarded as one of the best in the business, wins have come frequently to her yard and her reputation for saddling horses blooming with health, vitality and a desire to win has earned her a loyal following.

But had it not been for pressure from her owners, including Robin Reip, owner breeder of Cool George, a 33-1 winner at Exeter on New Year's Day, and Triple Bluff, owned by Geoff Martin and Brian Wenmouth, who won at Taunton in December, Jackie admits she would never have taken out her professional licence.

"I was going to take out my permit to run my own horses, but they kept going on so in the end, I gave in.

"It's a little surreal really. We knew the horses were well, fit and we thought we had them in the right races, but to both win was incredible.

"Triple Bluff had gone up nearly a stone since hunter chasing in the spring. But we knew he had the ability as he was third in the two-mile half a furlong hunter chase at Cheltenham's hunter chase meeting. We broke Cool George as a two-year-old and he's always been held in high regard by his owner.

"He's by Pastoral Pursuits and bred to be a sprinter but he stayed every bit of the 2m1f. He was a bit of a monkey at first as he was chucking people off but last year he was different and much better behaved."

But win they did and now with a yard of nine pointers and hunter chasers and three to run under Rules, some may revert to the professional code as summer jumping approaches, if they prove good enough for the game.

"We may swap over some of the pointers, depending on the ground and how they get on," she said. "I'd quite like to run Theatre Diva under Rules before she retires.

"I'd hope to run some of our home breds too but it depends if they are good enough."

For now, Jackie's partner Nigel Edmonds will be concentrating on the point to pointers, namely Armenian Boy, bought from David Pipe and a winner at Ideford Arch in December, St Georgina, Diddy Purptoon, Long John and three un-named five-year-olds.

Waiting in the wings with the option to race under either code are a team of home-breds, mostly derived from a half-sister to her father David's successful horse Transmitter from which the winning pointers Tamar Lass, Kingsmill Lass, Kingsmill Lake and Walter De Wodeland derive.

"We have a filly foal out of Kingsmill Lake although we are trying to be more commercial about it now by breeding less ourselves and buying one or two from the sales.

"We've had a lot of fun with the likes of Theatre Diva and Armenian Boy and it works for us."

If prospective owners start noticing the talents of Cornwall's only woman National Hunt trainer, she could soon find herself training a few more.