Six star performers for Rachael Blackmore
Rachael Blackmore aboard Honeysuckle after winning the Mares' Hurdle (David Davies/PA)
Honeysuckle and Blackmore were quite simply a match made in heaven. If one horse elevated the rider's career above all others, it was surely Kenny Alexander's magnificent mare, with the pair combining for a staggering haul of 17 wins from 19 starts over hurdles. She did not taste defeat in her first 16 outings, a run which included back-to-back victories in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham – and while her powers appeared to be on the wane after being beaten in her first two races of her final season, she brought the house down on her return to the Cotswolds when landing her second Mares' Hurdle on her swansong in 2023. Honeysuckle was immediately retired after going out in a blaze of glory.
Minella Times
Minella Times and Rachael Blackmore on their way to Grand National glory (Tim Goode/PA)
Blackmore was already firmly established among National Hunt racing's elite riders ahead of the 2021 Grand National, but victory aboard Minella Times took her profile to another level, as her achievement in becoming the first female rider to win the world's most famous steeplechase made headlines around the world. Minella Times was brought down in his bid for back-to-back wins at Aintree the following season and was retired after three more outings, but his place in racing history is cemented.
Minella Indo
Minella Indo (left) winning the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle (Julian Herbert/PA)
It may be hard to believe it now, but at the start of 2019, Rachael Blackmore had not even ridden a Grade One winner. Minella Indo set that particular record straight at that year's Cheltenham Festival as he ran out a shock 50-1 scorer in the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle. He went on to prove that was no fluke when doubling his top-level tally at Punchestown the following month and Blackmore would steer him to three chase wins in 2020. She did, of course, miss his big day when winning the 2021 Cheltenham Gold Cup after siding with his stablemate A Plus Tard, but we all know what happened 12 months later.
A Plus Tard
Rachael Blackmore and A Plus Tard after winning the 2022 Cheltenham Gold Cup (Tim Goode/PA)
A Plus Tard provided Blackmore with her first Cheltenham Festival success when absolutely annihilating his rivals in the Close Brothers Novices' Handicap Chase in 2019 – three days prior to Minella Indo's Albert Barlett win. Blackmore and A Plus Tard subsequently combined for just three further wins, but they were all big ones – the 2020 Savills Chase, the 2021 Betfair Chase and that historic Gold Cup triumph at Cheltenham. Having picked the wrong one a year earlier, Blackmore stuck with A Plus Tard and was rewarded in sensational style as he accelerated up the Cheltenham hill to seal a 15-length verdict over Minella Indo to ensure Blackmore became the first woman to ride the winner of the blue riband.
Envoi Allen
Rachael Blackmore celebrates after winning the Ryanair Chase aboard Envoi Allen (Mike Egerton/PA)
Envoi Allen went unbeaten in his first 11 races for Gordon Elliott, but fell on his first start after joining Henry de Bromhead when bidding for a third Cheltenham Festival win back in 2021. It is fair to say results have been mixed for the Cheveley Park-owned gelding since, but Blackmore steered him to a trio of Grade One wins, including a brilliant victory in the 2023 Ryanair Chase.
Allaho
Rachael Blackmore celebrates after steering Allaho to win the Ryanair Chase (Alan Crowhurst/PA)
Blackmore's association with the Willie Mullins-trained Allaho was short and sweet – but equally brilliant. Another ace in the Cheveley Park pack, the nine-year-old was passed over by stable jockey Paul Townend in the 2021 Ryanair Chase in favour of stablemate Min. Despite that, strong market support for Allaho saw him sent off the 3-1 favourite and what followed was a demolition job as he devoured the fences from the front on his way to a 12-length success. Blackmore was again on board when he came off second best in a clash with another Mullins star in Chacun Pour Soi at Punchestown the following month, but Patrick Mullins and Townend subsequently steered him to big-race success.
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