Horse Racing

Rock star Rachael is pure gold per year Plus


CHELTENHAM, UK – Emotions soar at Cheltenham on Friday as Rachael Blackmore, the most successful National Hunt female rower of all time, continues to rewrite the history books, this time by becoming a woman. First female to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Her talented and well-intentioned partner is A Plus Tard (Fr) (Kapgarde {Fr}), who came in second with his partner Minella Indo (Ire) (Beat Hollow {GB}) last year, but this time it turned around. Beating the defending champions to take the lead over the final hurdle, 8-year-old A Plus Tard found an extra piece of equipment while doing light work on Cheltenham’s famous hill to win the race. 15 long way.

“It’s the closest thing to feeling like a rock star you’d ever feel without being able to sing,” Blackmore said. “It’s unbelievable to have everyone back and I feel very, very lucky.”

Twelve months ago, at a distinctly different Festival where not even owners were allowed in to see their horses, Blackmore ended the week as lead rider, setting a new week by how to win Champion Hurdle on Honeysuckle (GB) (Sulamani {Ire} ). A month later, another breakthrough moment was captured when Blackmore became the first woman to win the Grand National, marking an extraordinary season for coach Henry de Bromhead, of whom she was the helm. main driver.

Much of the pre-Festival conversation focused on de Bromhead’s lack of consistent form, but the Irishman has returned to Cheltenham with his big guns blazing. Honeysuckle won Champion Hurdle for the second time and Bob Olinger (Ire) (Sholokhov {Ire}) took advantage of the desperate final fence collapse of Galopin Des Champs (Fr) (Timos {Ger}) in G1 Turners Novices’ Chase, but the best was saved in the end with a repeat, albeit reversed, quinella in the blue ribbon of jump racing.

As Blackmore emotionally cried and struggled to find words to convey her reaction to her historic victory, thoughts also turned to the late David Thompson of Cheveley Park Stud, who decided to race a few runners The jumper for a little fun has been turned into a phenomenally successful project. Thompson passed away in December 2020 but his wife, Patricia, son Richard, and three grandsons were in Cheltenham enjoying robbing the National Hunt race’s biggest prize in their jersey, a prize that for decades has meant great fortunes. Top class flat runners.

Richard Thompson said: “My dad would love this. “He was behind the project and this horse was the first one he bought and the last one he saw win before he died. He’s been watching the Gold Cup for years, and to win it is unbelievable. It was a great day for the family. Those are all classes. We knew he had too much quality and Rachael drove the race perfectly. It’s the Gold Cup, anything can happen, but it looks so smooth.”

With Asterion Forlonge (Fr) (Coastal Road {GB}) surpasses most of the early runs and the previous Gold Cup runner-up Santini (GB) (Milan {GB}) and Aye Right (Ire) (Yeats {Ire}) held tight order for much of the first circuit, Blackmore buried A Plus Tard in the middle, giving their time before the main competitors began to pose serious challenges. important when the field goes down hill with three jumpers.

A Plus Tard began to argue, but at first there was no clear way through a packed convoy of horses ahead of him, including Minella Indo and a previous winner, Photo Al Boum (Fr) (Buck’s Boum {Fr}). As members of that lead group began to surrender, Blackmore’s patience paid off when a gap opened up for A Plus Tard to brag between. Protektorate (Fr) (Saint Des Saints {Fr}) and Al Boum Photo to kick off their quest for glory.

Blackmore said: “The wall of horses in front of me makes sure I don’t get there too soon. “He felt very happy throughout this year’s race and danced wonderfully, and I was able to bring him back a little bit everywhere.

“Fortunately he has really played well in the last two games and he has improved tremendously in the last one. It’s an unbelievable feeling when you do it in the last game at Cheltenham. I took my luck and we split the points. “

The humble racer frequently mentions luck, and indeed just as she was on Tuesday driving the peerless Honeysuckle to a second Champion Hurdle victory, Blackmore hit a tough floor in the race. next race when knocked down with Telmesomethinggirl (Ire) (Follow {Ire}).

Luck, like form, comes and goes in the race, but class, as it is said, is permanent. And it would be hard to find a classier action in the sport right now than Blackmore, 32. Worshiped and respected by her peers, a heroine who is watched by so many young people in the hope that they can follow her, she is everything racing needs, especially at a time when it regularly appears on the front page for all the wrong reasons.

“I just feel so lucky. I just don’t know how or why I’m so lucky to be in the position I’m in,” she said as she stood still in the victor’s encirclement. “Not every jockey is in this position. Last year, I had a choice between first and second place horses in the Gold Cup – who was that runner to do it? Thankfully this year I was on the right track.”

Blackmore continued, “I am very fortunate to have ridden these types of horses. Henry is just an incredible coach and he’s got one of two more Gold Cups, it’s unbelievable.

“I can’t believe it’s been less than 12 months since the Grand National, and with Honeysuckle winning the Championship this week, I wish I had better English to express how I feel, honestly. I mean, because it’s so overwhelming. This is truly a magical place.”

Describing his steady racing player as a “savage racer”, de Bromhead added, “It was incredible to be involved and I’m so happy for her.

“Rachael told me about three weeks ago that she was kicking herself [about last year’s Gold Cup] and she wants to ride him to use his speed. I told her to do whatever she wanted, and she started talking about what she was doing as we were about to pull her up. I just said ‘you’re the boss’. That’s it, and going down the hill and I think she’s very brave and smart. It was an amazing trip. ”

He continued, “It was a ridiculous year. Everyone told me how bad my horses were, so we had a bad couple of months too. Even a few runners this week made me wonder if that matters, but then you see Honey and this guy – they’re not real.

“One thing I have to say is that it’s been amazing to have such a great achievement this year. It was great to win it last year but with the crowd here, it’s just another tournament. ”

Beauty…

It was Ireland day on Friday, with all seven races falling into the hands of visiting coaches. Henry de Bromhead may have claimed the headlines by hitting the grand prix in his second year of running, but most of the day went to Willie Mullins, who celebrated five winners to lift his record. to 10 for the 2022 Festival. Mullins is already the most winning coach at Cheltenham and his incredible Festival record is now 88 winners.

The first blood drawn by the burgeoning young talent of Vauban (Fr) in the JCB Triumph Hurdle, now the hurdler double 1st place winner for his young Galiway (GB) sire, who has yet to return to the Flat, with the Melbourne Cup considered by owner Rich Ricci as the goal. possible goals after the race.

Next, State Man (Fr) (Dr. Dino {Fr}) justified bias in the fierce McCoy G3 Contractor County Race, claiming Paul Townend’s top driver title for the Festival with five wins.

Mullins isn’t over yet, but three different jockey games are on the way to his next three wins: Sean O’Keeffe scored his first Festival success on a horse that can be placed name for his trainer, Kind People (Ire) (Fame And Glory {GB}), in G1 Albert Bartlett Novices ‘Hurdle’. The race has brought joy to owner Malcolm Denmark, celebrating his first Festival winner since Monsignor (Ire) won the G1 Royal & SunAlliance Novices’ Hurdle in 2000, but it was ruined by fatal injuries between the last two flights for Ginto (Fr) (Walking in the park {Ire}).

Patrick, son of Mullins, one of Ireland’s top amateur racers, claims victory in the final steps on board Billaway (Ire) (Good pick {Ire}) in an important race hitherto lacking his impressive record, St James’s Place Foxhunters Chase, known informally as the Amateur Gold Cup. Finally, it’s Mark Walsh’s turn to ride the gray horse in the game Elimay (Fr) (Montmartre {Fr}) home of glory in G2’s Mrs Paddy Power Mares Competition, in which she finished second last year.

Wipe Out of Ireland Completed by Trained Joseph O’Brien Banbridge (Ire) (Doyen {GB}) win the Martin Pipe Conditional Boat Race in the hands of Mark McDonagh to National Hunt lead backer Ronnie Bartlett, whose Galvin (Ire) (Gold Well {GB}) had previously placed fourth in the Gold Cup.

While Irish-trained horses appear most prominently on the final day of the Festival, several major winning horses have been bred in France. Notably, the A Plus Tard was bred by Henri and Antonia Devin at their hugely successful Haras du Mesnil near Le Mans. They have an extra reason to enjoy their day at Cheltenham as the County Hurdle State Man winner is the son of their resident stallion Dr. Dino, the most sought-after jumping male in France, as well as the runner-up to Triumph Hurdle Fil Dor (Fr), also a Devinian.





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