Rachael makes it five wins this week
ALLAHO ran his rivals ragged in the Ryanair Chase to give Rachael Blackmore another Grade One winner.
Having become the first female rider to win the Champion Hurdle on Tuesday with Henry De Bromhead’s Honeysuckle, Blackmore grabbed a fourth Grade One win of the week with a supreme front-running performance in the extended 2m4f contest.
It was also a fourth win of the week for trainer De Bromhead – who saddled the Blackmore-ridden Honeysuckle and Bob Olinger – and a 13th for the Irish in a phenomenal few days for the Emerald Isle.
De Bromhead – and owners Cheveley Park Stud – quickly bounced back from the fall of hot favourite Envoi Allen in the opener on the third day to secure another Grade One winner.
Blackmore had also partnered the owner’s Willie Mullins-trained
Sir Gerhard to win the Weatherbys Champion Bumper – the final race on Wednesday.
And on a week that just keeps getting better for the Tipperary-born rider, she led almost from start to finish aboard Allaho, with only the Mullins-trained Min able to get close to them early on.
Blackmore, who is on course to become this year’s Festival top jockey after she also landed a fifth win on Telme something girl later on, said: “It’s incredible! I’m very grateful to be getting these opportunities. He put in a fair performance, he jumped and galloped everywhere. I never felt like I was out of my comfort zone anywhere. It was fantastic.
“I was happy to let my lad gallop and jump and it worked. He was happy, travelling underneath me and comfortable. When they aren’t comfortable and you are forcing them, that’s when you are maybe going too quick.
“Every horse is different and I was just letting him gallop and jump at the speed he wanted and trying to get breathers into him in a few places. I got a great thrill riding him. It takes a lot of the complication out of it, I suppose, with instructions like that. It’s fairly black and white and if it comes off, it’s fantastic.
“When you are riding for two powerful stables it makes a jockey’s job a lot easier, and I can’t tell you how grateful I am to be in this position and be getting these types of chances. You have to have the engine underneath you – it’s very hard to do it up that hill without the engine. How would I describe this week? Out of this world.”
Blackmore added: “For a jockey, when you’re getting legged-up on these kind of horses for Willie Mullins and Henry De Bromhead, they just know their job, it’s fantastic.”
With 4-9 favourite Envoi Allen falling, Chantry House (9-1) provided Nicky Henderson with a 70th Cheltenham Festival winner when landing the Marsh Novices’ Chase, under Nico De Boinville.
Formerly trained by the disgraced and banned Gordon Elliott and now with De Bromhead, the sevenyear-old Envoi Allen was an early casualty, coming down at the fourth fence under Jack Kennedy.
But Chantry House took full advantage, jumping superbly to land the Grade One opener to the third day by three lengths from stablemate Fusil Raffles (14-1) – adding to Henderson’s milestone.
Only Mullins – who had his 75th Festival winner with Sir Gerhard in the last race on Wednesday – has tasted more glory than the Seven Barrows handler.
Chantry House may next head to the Randox Grand National Festival at Aintree Racecourse.