The double Olympic gold medallist, who turns 35 next month, partnered a 14-1-shot called Royal Etiquette in the last race of the day at Ripon racecourse in North Yorkshire.

The 13-runner flat race turned into a thriller, with Pendleton and her mount at one point hitting the front, before being denied what would have been a sensational victory by an outsider called Jordaura who got up in the final strides.

The performance will have earned the former sprint cyclist much respect as she pursues the still enormously challenging aim of riding at next year’s Cheltenham Festival, the pinnacle of the jump-racing year in Britain.

Pendleton retired from bike riding after London 2012, having been a key member, along with the likes of Sir Chris Hoy and Sir Bradley Wiggins, of the group which pedalled Great Britain to global dominance first in Beijing and then their home Olympic Games.

She won three Olympic medals in all - gold in the sprint in 2008 and keirin four years’ later, as well as silver in the sprint at London 2012 behind Australia’s Anna Meares, her great rival.

Pendleton had earlier ridden a horse called Mighty Mambo in a charity event at Newbury in early July.

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