Blackmore puts it up to the boys once again
WHEN Rachael Blackmore first went to the Cheltenham Festival, she pretended to be a jockey and blagged her way in.
Last week, she held the Gold Cup trophy in the parade, surrounded by jockeys who’d won jump racing’s most coveted prize, first competed for 100 years ago.
Blackmore was keeping legendary company, such as John Francome, AP McCoy, Ruby Walsh and Barry Geraghty, for a special preFestival photograph.
And she wasn’t out of place either.
By the time the Festival decks were cleared on Friday, the 34-year-old had embossed her CV further with first time wins in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (Slade Steel) and the Champion Chase (Captain Guinness).
Those successes took her to 16 Festival wins, one behind Fred Winter and Charlie Swan.
She also had four second places finishes and a third to fill the bronze medal position in the leading rider’s table, behind Paul Townend, her contemporary and good friend, and Harry Skelton. And no one in racing was the slightest bit taken aback because Blackmore is every bit as good as anyone in the weigh-room.
That she’s a woman is irrelevant. She’s judged on her ability to deliver in the heat of battle, whether that’s at Clonmel or Cheltenham.
Yet, Blackmore has cracked the code at Prestbury Park in a way that has won the admiration of many.
In 2017, she rode at the Festival for the first time, finishing 11th of 14 on Shark Hanlon-trained Magna Cartor in the ‘Supreme’.
That same year, Robbie Power won the Gold Cup on Sizing John. Now part of the team for Henry De Bromhead, Power is an excellent judge of horse and rider. ‘There’s no one better round Cheltenham than Rachael,’ he said on Friday.
There are 14 grade one races at the meeting and since 2020, she has picked off 11 of them, while also crowned leading rider in 2021.
Only three grade ones remain to conquer – the Arkle Trophy Chase, the Brown Advisory Chase and the Stayers Hurdle.
Few would bet against Blackmore completing the set.