Rachael Blackmore is reflecting on Cheltenham firsts, of which there have been many, but one in particular makes her laugh.
It involves a little subterfuge, a bewildered parking attendant and memories of a wild night, but through it all, the essence of what makes this a sporting occasion like no other shines through. After all, this is the racecourse where ambition takes flight and dreams can soar.
“I was 20 and I went with three of my friends,” recalls Blackmore, now 34. “I was practically on the other side of the ring. We would have gone out that night to Club 21 and let’s just say it was a very different experience to what Cheltenham is like now for me.
‘You feel it when you walk: the atmosphere, the buzz. Oh, it’s just class! I knew all about Cheltenham growing up and my first real memory was when War Of Attrition won the Gold Cup for Mouse Morris in 2006. But being there for the first time, everything surprises you.
‘I remember when we arrived, one of the girls had a helmet in the back of her car. She held him out the window and said to the door boy, “Oh, we’re horsemen!” So we have to park in the jockey’s parking lot! She had a pink hat over her helmet, whatever she did worked.
Rachael Blackmore celebrates riding ‘A Plus Tard’ after winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup
Anyway it saved us a two mile walk to get in! I remember when we got there, I looked at the parade ring and thought, “God, it would be cool to ride here”… I was dreaming of riding a winner, but I never expected it.’
How things change. Here she is, sitting in Betfair’s plush offices on the outskirts of Dublin as arguably the most famous jump jockey in the business; The excitement about going to Cheltenham may be the same as it was 14 years ago, but her journey has been such that she is now on track to become a serial winner. Blackmore would find that description uncomfortable, but the numbers bear it out.
Since his first ride at the Festival, when he guided the 200/1 shot Magna Cartor to finish 11th of 14 for Shark Hanlon in the 2017 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, Blackmore has galloped relentlessly through the record books.
First woman to lead the meeting; First woman to ride the Gold Cup winner.
A partnership with Honeysuckle, the wonderful mare who achieved celebrity status, who will stand the test of time. This, without a doubt, is a race that shines like a starburst. His Cheltenham win total stands at 14 and, with a book of excellent runs to come, that figure will almost certainly be added before play closes on Friday. Every journey begins somewhere and tomorrow will clearly mark the fifth anniversary of his first success.
‘Look at it!’ says Blackmore, smiling, as we watch her jump up the hill in A Plus Tard in the Close Brothers Novices Handicap. The association would win the biggest race of all three years later, but this success is no less special.
“The way he accelerated after the last one was incredible. Look, look at it! It was an incredible feeling but you never take it for granted. How often have you seen the dynamics of an uphill race change? Yes, he was by far the best horse, but it meant a lot because Henry (De Bromhead, the trainer) was putting a lot of faith in me. So to ride a winner for him was just amazing. At that time, being a Cheltenham Festival-winning jockey…’
Blackmore has galloped relentlessly through the record books at the Cheltenham Festival
He pauses momentarily, but what follows leads to an even more pronounced silence. If you have only a passing interest in racing, 14 successes at Cheltenham may not seem like a lot, but this should give context to what Blackmore has achieved.
Charlie Swan, Istabraq’s partner and nine-time Irish champion, retired with 17 Festival wins; Richard Dunwoody, one of the all-time greats, had 18 victories.
“That’s crazy,” he says. “Honeysuckle has been a big part of that and it seems like I’ve been very lucky. I just hope she continues.” There will be a time to reflect on it when I’m done, but I’m still on that wheel.’
And that wheel will turn tomorrow starting at 1:30 pm, when I ride Slade Steel on the Supreme.
“It’s great to be a part of all this, but then the competitor in you takes over,” he says. You want to participate in the big races, you want to compete with winners.
‘Everyone talks about it all year round. If you say to a jockey, “You’ll only ride one winner this season,” each and every one of them will reply, “Let it be at Cheltenham.” That’s how important it is.’
BETFAIR has challenged Rachael Blackmore to raise up to £250,000 by April 13 for the Irish and British Injured Jockeys Fund. He has so far won £185,000, and each winner is worth £5,000. During Cheltenham, they will pay £10k for every success she enjoys.