Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
BRYONY INSPIRED BY ‘MEGA’ RACHAEL
BRYONY FROST yesterday toasted Rachael Blackmore’s “mega moment” of history aboard Honeysuckle in Tuesday’s Champion Hurdle.
And Frost can’t wait for her chance to seek a place in the record books aboard Frodon in tomorrow’s Wellchild Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Blackmore’s Champion Hurdle success on Honeysuckle was the first by a female jockey in a championship event at Cheltenham.
And Frost said: “It was a mega moment for our sport.
“There have always been people in front of us who we aspire to, making history, and it was phenomenal to watch Rachael and her mare together yesterday.
“Those history-making moments — and those horses —give you goose bumps.”
Frost hit the headlines when Frodon, trained by her boss Paul Nicholls (above), captured the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival two years ago.
The ground-breaking feat was a first for a woman rider in a Grade 1 chase at the meeting, and the combination were back in the limelight when making all the running for a 20-1 triumph in the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park on Boxing Day.
The nine-year-old is as short as 10-1 to carry Frost to a sixth win at the track — and glory in steeplechasing’s ultimate prize.
“We have three races on our calendar — the King George, the Gold Cup and the Grand National,” added Frost.
“To say that we have won the King George and are going for the Gold Cup is huge.”
Frodon has yet to tackle the Gold Cup’s extended three-and-a-quartermile trip, but the 25-year-old went on: “The nature of horses is that when they get older they strengthen. They see out their races further.
“This year, he’s really proved that three miles is very much in his reach.
“He knows his way round here better than me and we want to try to grab Gold.”