Rachael Blackmore savours 'dream' Cheltenham Gold Cup win
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Cheltenham Gold Cup win is 'magic' - Blackmore
Pioneering jockey Rachael Blackmore said she had fulfilled an "impossible dream" by becoming the first female rider to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
The 32-year-old Irish rider, who landed the Grand National last year, added to a series of landmark wins with victory on 3-1 favourite A Plus Tard.
"You can never dream too big because this is something I never thought would be possible," she 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 trainer Henry de Bromhead having the 1-2 again. Protektorat was third for Dan Skelton.
"Rachael's a great person. She's got a huge amount of ability and is just a savage rider and a great horsewoman," said De Bromhead.
A year in the life of Rachael Blackmore
March 2021: First female jockey to win Champion Hurdle, on Honesyuckle; first to be top rider at Cheltenham Festival
April 2021: First woman to ride Grand National winner, on Minella Times at Aintree
December 2021: Voted BBC World Sport Star of the Year
March 2022: First female rider to land Cheltenham Gold Cup, on A Plus Tard
Blackmore went one better than last year in the Cheltnham Gold Cup on A Plus Tard
Blackmore 'feeling like a rock star'
Victory showcased Blackmore's skills in the saddle, showing patience when sat behind a group of horses and using her mount's pace to perfection, jumping to the front over the last and powering clear.
It was the biggest winning distance since Master Oats in 1995.
The Festival's all-time leading jockey, Ruby Walsh, said Blackmore was an inspiration to young female riders.
"She is the type of role model the sport needs," said Walsh. "She is box office."
Blackmore had followed up last year's historic Champion Hurdle victory on Honeysuckle with a second success on Tuesday.
While last year's meeting was held behind closed doors because of Covid-19, this year she was greeted by raucous cheers from a sell-out 70,000 crowd.
"To have that roar back and to get to walk back in when you can't see space, and you can just see bodies, is just incredible," she said.
"It is the closest thing to feeling like a rock star you will ever feel without being able to sing. It is just incredible 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 rider for 33 years to compete in the Gold Cup.
"When I took out my licence, I didn't think I would be riding at Cheltenham, let alone a favourite in the Gold Cup," said Blackmore.
"I'm so lucky to be getting the chance to ride horses in these kinds of races. This is the Gold Cup, you know what I mean?"
De Bromhead and Blackmore take in their triumph
The daughter of a dairy farmer and a school teacher, Blackmore rode ponies as a child near her home in Killenaule, County Tipperary.
She had once hoped to become a vet, gaining a degree in equine science and combining her studies with riding out and competing as an amateur before only turning professional in her 20s in 2015.
De Bromhead said the jockey was "extremely professional" and worked really hard.
"If a mistake is made she learns from it and rectifies it straight away and she's just a joy to work with. Everyone loves her in the yard and she just does things that you don't see everyone doing," he said.
"She's not hard on horses if she feels they're beaten and she's always thinking about the next day and she makes them want to run for her.
"The other day she was schooling 'Honey' over hurdles out in the field, she jumped brilliant and before she even went to pull up she was giving her big pats down the neck. She's just a real horsewoman."
Analysis - 'another big 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 ride. That is what makes it sweeter. When the gap opened up round the home bend it was all over.
Rachael is just phenomenal. She is as cool as cucumber. It is just the decisions that she makes - she is so tactically aware. It was just an absolute pleasure to watch.
It is another big moment for women in racing, sport and business. She is an absolute star.
'Green sweep' for Ireland
More history was created at Cheltenham on Friday, with all seven races being won by Irish-trained runners in a so-called 'green sweep".
Five of those came for Willie Mullins, who ended the meeting as the top trainer for a ninth time with a record 10 victories.
His stable jockey Paul Townend was the meeting's leading rider with five victories and Ireland retained the Prestbury Cup with an 18-10 win over Great Britain.
There was sad news on the final day with Ginto, trained by Gordon Elliott, put down after suffering an injury in the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle. It was the fourth equine fatality of the meeting.
