Rachael Blackmore rides Honeysuckle to historic Champion Hurdle win at the Cheltenham Festival

Rachael Blackmore made history aboard Honeysuckle in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham
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Rachael Blackmore became the first female winner of the Champion Hurdle as Honeysuckle maintained an 11-race winning streak on day one of the Cheltenham Festival.

The 11-10 favourite looked a class apart in jumping into contention at the penultimate fence and was five lengths clear by the finish.

Honeysuckle, a winner in the Mares Hurdle at Cheltenham a year ago, earned the clear favourite’s tag after sealing last month’s Irish Champion Hurdle and never looked like not giving Blackmore a fourth Festival win of her career.

The 31-year-old is in contention to become the first female winner of the Irish jockey championship but downplayed her gender in her historic win at Cheltenham.

She said: “It doesn’t matter what you are. We’re jockeys and we’re winning races. It’s just a privilege.”

The only real threat to Honeysuckle looked to be a wayward Goshen, who Jamie Moore, now recovered from a broken back, did well to keep on the racecourse after he had veered wildly off course.

Another potential challenger in Abacadabras, previously trained by the disgraced Gordon Elliott and now under the tutelage of Denise Foster, was the race’s only faller with five hurdles left.

And last year’s Champion Hurdle winner Epatante was among the frontrunners but faded at the last to finish third behind Sharjah.

After the win, Blackmore said: “I’m speechless, I really am. I can’t believe we just won the Champion Hurdle. It’s unbelievable for everyone in the yard. They all work so hard.

“She’s so straightforward to ride. When you know you’ve an engine under you it’s very easy to do things in a race.”

Trainer Henry de Bromhead described the result as “the stuff you dream of” and both he and Blackmore have the chance to add Gold Cup glory on Friday with A Plus Tard.

AP McCoy was full of praise for Blackmore’s ride on board Honeysuckle, tipping her to emulate him as jockey’s leading force in the future.

“She could very easily be champion jockey,” he said. “She’s as good as I’ve ever seen. She’s got it all.”

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