BLACKMORE’S DAY OF UPS AND DOWNS
IT was quite literally an up-and-down day for Rachael Blackmore as she admitted struggling to take in the massive response to her historic victory on Honeysuckle in Tuesday’s Champion Hurdle. All started well with a sevenlength victory on Bob Olinger, trained by her boss Henry De Bromhead, in the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle. It ended well, too, as Blackmore poached a four-length lead on Sir Gerhard, a horse transferred to the Willie Mullins stable from Gordon Elliott in the aftermath of the infamous dead-horse picture, and then hung on by half a length from stablemate Kilcruit in the Champion Bumper. In between it was more bumpy as she was unseated from Eklat De Rire in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase and Balko Des Flos in the Cross Country Chase, as well as falling on Embittered in the Grand Annual Chase. On the blanket coverage of her Champion Hurdle win, Blackmore said: ‘Yesterday was massive. I am pinching myself over it. I don’t think I will get to reflect on it until the week is done.’ Blackmore rides A Plus Tard for De Bromhead in tomorrow’s Gold Cup. Both would make history if the horse wins. Blackmore would be the first female rider to win the race, while De Bromhead, who also runs Minella Indo, could become the first trainer to win the Champion Hurdle, Queen Mother Champion Chase, which he lifted with Put The Kettle On yesterday, and Gold Cup at the same meeting. Blackmore’s three wins mean she leads the race to be top Festival jockey.
UNSEATED