Zara Tindall has spoken about her “hopes and dreams” in horse racing in a rare interview.
The King’s niece, 43, will appear in a new documentary providing insight into the final day of the Cheltenham Festival, one of the UK’s most eagerly awaited horse racing events.
In a clip, obtained exclusively by Femail, former Olympian Zara tells ITV’s Champions: Full Gallop: “There’s a lot of hope. There are a lot of dreams that people want to achieve.
“Everyone wants to win at Cheltenham, and the Gold Cup is obviously the most important.”
The former world eventing champion has a successful career in the field and was the first member of the Royal Family to win an Olympic medal as part of Team Great Britain in 2012.
Her love of horses was passed down through the generations, and her late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, was renowned for her strong connection to horse racing.
Zara, who is married to former rugby star Mike Tindall, explained that when it comes to the Cheltenham Festival, held annually in March, “there are so many hopes, there are so many dreams to try and achieve” for jockeys.
Zara Tindall has shared insight into the Cheltenham Festival while starring in ITV’s Champion: Full Gallop
He explained that the Gold Cup, which is the final race of the event, is “obviously” the most coveted trophy for jockeys.
It’s a sentiment echoed by ITV Racing presenter Oli Bell on the show, adding: “The Gold Cup is the pinnacle of jumps racing, it’s the race everyone wants to win.”
Known for her sporting prowess, Zara regularly attends equestrian events around the world, both as a formidable athlete when competing and a trendsetting fashionista when spectating.
ITV Racing presenter Alice Plunkett discusses how the Gold Cup event on day four of the Cheltenham Festival attracts a range of celebrities.
Speaking to the show, she said: “It’s a very celebrity-friendly affair.” Alice jokingly added: “Last year, I nearly fainted because I bumped into Idris Elba… (and) Zara and Mike Tindall are very involved.”
Zara’s illustrious equestrian career includes a gold medal at the European Eventing Championships in 2005 and a silver medal at the World Equestrian Games in 2006.
The love and passion for horses runs deep in the royal family, with the late Queen Elizabeth and Princess Anne learning to ride from an early age.
Zara has also previously been crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year and has been given the nickname ‘Royal Olympian’.
Zara and her rugby star ex-husband Mike Tindall, 45, are familiar faces at the Cheltenham Festival
ITV Racing presenter Oli Bell (pictured) agreed with Zara, explaining that the Gold Cup is the most coveted prize at the Cheltenham Festival.
Champions: Full Gallop is described as horse racing’s answer to Drive to Survive, revealing a behind-the-scenes look at the popular sport.
In addition to Zara, other notable guests will also be in attendance, including Harry Cobden, Sean Bowen, Megan Nicholls and Ed Chamberlin.
This comes after Princess Eugenie shared a touching post on social media in which she called the Olympics “one of the best things in the world” and credited her cousin, Zara Tindall, for her silver medal in 2012.
The 34-year-old took to Instagram to recall her cousin Zara Tindall’s performance at the London 2012 games, where the rider took silver for Team GB, saying it was “one of her favourite memories”.
The mother-of-two affectionately referred to Zara as ‘Z’, alongside the post where she shared several photos from the games where she is seen cheering alongside her sister, Princess Beatrice, 35.
In a gushing post on social media, Prince Andrew’s daughter wrote: ‘The Olympics are one of the best things in our world.
‘It’s a very special moment to see superhuman athletes representing their countries, uniting people and inspiring generations.
Zara Tindall, pictured, of the British Equestrian Team shows off her silver medal in Hyde Park in London in 2012
Zara Tindall competing at the 2012 Olympic Games in Greenwich Park, London. Zara made her family proud when she and her 11-year-old horse, High Kingdom, brought home a medal for the British team
‘Not to mention the best moment of all, watching my family win silver in eventing, goooo Z!
‘Tag me in your Olympic photos. I LOVE seeing and sharing them.’
In Eugenie’s post, she shared a selection of images from the 2012 games where she and Beatrice can be seen clapping and cheering as they watch Team Great Britain compete in the swimming at the games on home soil.
The young Yorks would have been just 20 years old when they arrived in the United Kingdom: Eugenie was just 22 and Beatrice 23.
The sisters watched several events alongside their cousins, including watching the British team swim and perform in one of their most successful sports, cycling.
In a snap from the games, Eugenie and Beatrice can be seen watching alongside their mother, Sarah Ferguson, as they enjoyed the athletes’ cycling competitions.
Princess Anne, mother of Zara Tindall, was the first member of the British royal family to compete in the Olympic Games.
Known for her love of horses, she took her passion to the highest level and rode the Queen’s horse, Goodwill, in the three-day equestrian event.
He finished 13th in the jumping section and placed 24th overall.
Despite not winning any medals, the Princess Royal was appointed to the International Olympic Committee in 1988 and even accepted the Olympic flame in Athens ahead of the 2012 games.
The mother of three has enjoyed a successful career, winning a silver medal at the Olympics as part of Team Great Britain.
Zara likely acquired her love of horses from her mother, Princess Anne, and grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II (seen in Classicals Euro Star at Tweseldown Horse Trials, 2023).
The princess was due to compete at the 1972 Munich Games, but her hopes were dashed when her horse Doublet was injured during a training race.
Fortunately, Anne was able to pass the torch to her daughter, Zara, who won a silver medal when she competed in London in 2012.
She missed the 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing Games due to injuries, but made up for her past absence when the competition came to England.
But Zara made her family proud when she and her 11-year-old horse, High Kingdom, brought home a medal for the British team.
Her proud husband Mike Tindall said at the time: ‘That Olympic silver, in my opinion, is right up there with my World Cup medal, if not above it, because it was won at the London Games with so much expectation and pressure.
“When England won the World Cup, we were the favourites. We didn’t expect the British team to win silver in eventing, so to achieve that collective performance was exceptional.
‘Of course, there were small margins between gold and silver, just as Jonny Wilkinson’s drop goal turned out to be the small margin that won the World Cup.
But for me the Olympic Games are the number one sporting event in the world and Zara and her team did a great job.”
Champions: Full Gallop airs on Friday at 9pm on ITV1. Streaming on ITVX.
