Trailblazing jockey Rachael Blackmore said she had fulfilled an “impossible dream” by becoming the first female cyclist to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
The 32-year-old Irish cyclist, who won the Grand National last year, added to a series of historic victories with victory over 3-1 favorite A Plus Tard.
“You can never dream too big because this is something I never thought would be possible,” he said.
A Plus Tard won by 15 lengths from 2021 winner and stablemate Minella Indo.
It was a reversal of the result in last year’s big race, with Bromhead manager Henry taking it 1-2 again. Protektorat was third for Dan Skelton.
“Rachael is a great person. She has great skill and is just a wild rider and a great horsewoman,” De Bromhead said.
- Listen: All about… Blackmore’s historic Gold Cup win
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A year in the life of Rachael Blackmore
- March 2021: First female jockey to win Champion Hurdle, at Honesyuckle; first to be best cyclist at the Cheltenham Festival
- April 2021: First woman to ride grand national winner, at Minella Times in Aintree
- December 2021: voted bbc world sports star of the year
- March 2022: First female cyclist to land cheltenham Gold Cup, in A Plus Tard
Blackmore ‘feeling like a rock star’
Victory showcased Blackmore’s skills in the saddle, showing patience when sitting behind a group of horses and using her mount’s rhythm to perfection, jumping forward on the last one and clearing.
It was the longest winning distance since Master Oats in 1995.
The Festival’s all-time leading female rider Ruby Walsh said Blackmore was an inspiration to young female riders.
“She’s the kind of role model the sport needs,” Walsh said. “She is the box office.”
Blackmore had followed up last year’s historic Champion Hurdle win at Honeysuckle with a Second success on Tuesday.
While last year’s reunion was held behind closed doors due to COVID-19, this year it was greeted with raucous cheers from a crowd of 70,000.
“Getting that roar back and walking again when you can’t see space, and you can only see bodies, it’s just amazing,” he said.
“It’s the closest thing to feeling like a rock star that you’ll ever feel without being able to sing. It’s just amazing to have people back and I feel very, very lucky.”
The strides Blackmore and other women have made are illustrated by the fact that in 2017 Lizzy Kelly was the first female cyclist in 33 years to compete in the Gold Cup.
“When I got my licence, I didn’t think I’d be racing at Cheltenham, let alone as a Gold Cup favourite,” said Blackmore.
“I’m so lucky to have the opportunity to ride a horse in these kinds of races. This is the Gold Cup, you know what I mean?”
- April 2021: Blackmore: the modest pioneer
Blackmore, the daughter of a dairy farmer and a schoolteacher, rode ponies as a child near her home in Killenaule, County Tipperary.
She had once hoped to become a veterinarian, earn a degree in equine science and combine her studies with riding and racing as an amateur before turning professional when she was 20 in 2015.
De Bromhead said the jockey was “extremely professional” and worked very hard.
“If a mistake is made, she learns from it and corrects it right away and is a joy to work with. Everyone loves her on the yard and she just does things you don’t see everyone do,” he said.
“She’s not hard on the horses if she feels like they’re beaten and she’s always thinking about the next day and makes them want to race for her.
“The other day I was teaching ‘Honey’ about obstacles in the field, she jumped brilliantly and before she even stopped she was giving her big pats on the neck. She’s a real horsewoman.”
Analysis: ‘another great moment for women in sport’
Former jockey Katie Walsh on BBC Radio 5 Live
It was absolutely brilliant. It was fantastic: she gave him an absolute peach of the trip. That’s what makes it sweeter. When the gap opened around the home curve, it was all over.
Rachael is just phenomenal. She is as cool as cucumber. It’s just the decisions that she makes, she’s very tactically aware. It was an absolute delight to watch.
“It’s another great moment for women in racing, sports and business. She is an absolute star.”
‘Green sweep’ for Ireland
More history was created at Cheltenham on Friday, with all seven races won by Irish-trained runners in the so-called “green sweep”.
Five of them went to Willie Mullins, who finished the meeting as top trainer for the ninth time with a record 10 wins.
His stable jockey, Paul Townend, was the leading jockey of the meeting and Ireland retained the Prestbury Cup with an 18-10 win over Great Britain.
There was bad news on the final day with Ginto, trained by Gordon Elliott, dropped after sustaining an injury in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle. He was the fourth equine fatality of the encounter.
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