Rachael Blackmore has been renowned as the Queen of the Cheltenham Festival in recent years and is synonymous with rewriting the sporting history books. She defied the odds to become the first female jockey to be heralded as the leading rider at the meeting in 2021 with six victories. Three weeks later, Blackmore stamped further authority in the racing canon in becoming the first female rider to land the Grand National when winning on Minella Times.
Those unprecedented triumphs saw her collect the prestigious accolade of the BBC Sport’s Personality World Sport Star of the Year, and a year later, she became the first female rider to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup under A Plus Tard, and the first jockey since Tony McCoy in 1997 to win the Champion Hurdle and the Gold Cup in the same festival, cementing herself as one of the leading pioneers in Horse Racing and the wider sporting world in general.
Currently standing with sixteen Cheltenham Festival winners, Rachael Blackmore is second to only Paul Townend with a present jockey boasting a better return. Her first success only came in 2019 when landing the Chase Brothers Novices’ Handicap Chase under A Plus Tard, and doubled up later on with her first Grade One victory on Minella Indo at 50/1 in the Albert Bartlett. The modern thoroughbred Queen Honeysuckle gave Blackmore her third festival winner with success in the Mares Hurdle, before that historic sextet in 2021 propelled Rachael Blackmore into equine stardom.
Bob Olinger, Sir Gerhard, Honeysuckle, Telmesomethinggirl, Allaho and Quilixios proved the immense versatility of Blackmore, completing the six timer over a range of trips and across the three National Hunt spheres. Rather than resting on her laurels, Blackmore strived for further success when landing the Turner’s Chase on Bob Olinger for all it was fortunate, but there was certainly nothing fortuitous regarding her second Champion Hurdle victory on Honeysuckle, nor her Gold Cup triumph on A Plus Tard, who went one better than the previous years’ second to stablemate Minello Indo.
The latter two festivals were matched with a Blackmore double, with Honeysuckle bowing out with an emotional victory in the 2023 Mares Hurdle to record her second success in that contest along with her fourth festival win in total, followed by a masterful ride on Envoi Allen to land the Ryanair.
Further Grade One success was acquired by Rachael Blackmore last year, with Slade Steel opening proceedings with Supreme success, and Captain Guinness capitalising on a weak Champion Chase to give Blackmore her fourteenth Grade One at the festival. The championship races are where Blackmore plies her trade in, with her record away from them reading just 1-39, for all she is profitable to follow in general at the course with her all time record reading 124-20-16 (£13.91+).
Lighting To Strike Twice In The Supreme
Blackmore might not have a standout performer this time around, but Workahead shouldn’t be underestimated in the opener to land successive Supreme Novice Hurdles. The Workforce gelding came on from his debut when bolting up seven lengths at Leopardstown on Boxing Day to fend off William Munny, who franked that form generously with a second to Kawamboomga and a facile 15-length success last time out now rated 142. The Cragmore P2P winner is a half brother to Bronn and shapes as if a strongly run, stamina laden Supreme can give Blackmore yet another winner in the curtain raiser.
Flower To Bloom In The Mares
Honeysuckle bookended her Cheltenham career with Mares Hurdle victories and while Kenny Alexander has a potential three to claw back the prize, Rachael Blackmore has her sights set on regaining the Mares success with July Flower. She remains in the ‘could be anything’ category given we’ve only seen her once this season with a comfortable success G3 company, but her latest French form reads strongly and she’s evidently been kept fresh for this, with form figures returning from a break reading 19121.
Westerner Has A Big Chance
Six years on from Blackmore’s inaugural success in the Albert Bartlett, she returns with another strong chance with The Big Westerner. Unbeaten in three starts over obstacles including a P2P, she cosily took a limerick G2 over 2m7f on Boxing Day which put her in pole position for Albert Bartlett glory. She’d have to become the first mare to win the race, but no pilot knows more about warping history than Rachael Blackmore.
There’s been some murmurs regarding Rachael Blackmore’s immediate future in the game with her potentially bowing out at the Festival. Whether that day comes next week or in the near years to come, there’s unlikely to ever be another jockey who has achieved so much in such a short space of time than Rachael Blackmore both on a personal level, and covering the sport in a positive limelight across the world. A true inspiration to young women dreaming of their own equine glory.