Rachael Blackmore’s historic high

Tipperary jockey Rachael Blackmore secured her place as the first female jockey to win the Champion Hurdle, and came close to taking the double

Take a moment to appreciate the incredible feat achieved for Irish women in sport this week. Tipperary jockey Rachael Blackmore has had an incredible six wins already this week at Cheltenham. This includes a history making win as the first female jockey to win the Champion Hurdle on Honeysuckle. But not only that, if she had won the Gold Cup today, she would have been the first woman to ever win the Cheltenham double. It has been 24 years since a jockey has completed the double. Unfortunately she and A Plus Tard couldn’t catch the winner and favourite Minella Indo in the Gold Cup. Regardless, Blackmore’s impact in this gruelling sport is undeniable.
The rider has been dubbed ‘the Queen of Cheltenham’ by friends and family in her home place of Killenaule, Co Tipperary. Her mother Eimer told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland that Rachael’s wins this week are the lift the horse riding industry needs after such a challenging year.