Sophie Leech has fulfilled a dream after becoming the latest addition to the training ranks in Oxfordshire.

The 30-year-old mother-of-two has taken out a dual-purpose licence to train at White Shoot stables at Blewbury.

She is being assisted by her husband Christian, the former British Horseracing Authority handicapper and racecourse manager at Warwick.

The pair, who met while they were working at Warwick, initially trained point-to-pointers.

And for the last two years they have run a satellite yard at Marlborough in Wiltshire for Milton Harris, who trains at Edgcote, near Banbury, Sophie, who has a degree in equine business management from the Warwickshire College of Agriculture, said: "It has been Christian's dream to train since he was a child.

"Since we met and did point-to-pointing it has been a real team effort and it has been our dream for quite a long time to progress to training."

Having moved to the 18-box White Shoot yard - which they rent from the Johnson Houghton family - Leech had her first runners at Cheltenham last Friday.

And she almost made a dream start when Silmi finished second to Sainte Kadette in a juvenile novices' hurdle.

"He never quite got there," she said.

"I thought coming down the hill he might, but the other horse got away from him. It was a pleasing start."

Leech's other runner, Croc An Oir, had the misfortune to be brought down in the following handicap chase.

As well as that pair, she has high hopes of Chamacco, who won twice for Harris last season, and new purchase King's Story among the 12 horses she has in training.

Having set a target of ten winners for her first season, Leech, who hails from Ulceby, near Grimsby, added: "During the operation of the satellite yard we were successful with purchases from major owners such as JP McManus, Sir Robert Ogden and Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum.

"Their results demonstrate our strong belief that horses require an individual approach to realise their full potential.

"We have a great hunger to succeed and this, coupled with fantastic facilities to train from, makes us confident our venture will be a success."