Killenaule's Rachael Blackmore has made history again by becoming the first woman to win the Gold Cup and she steered A Plus Tard to a famous win today at Chelteneham.
The Gold Cup was the one that got away from Blackmore during her famous Cheltenham romp last year. She opted to ride A Plus Tard Photo and finished a close second to Minella Indo.
History seemed poised to repeat itself as Minella Indo pulled ahead in the race's final furlongs. However, Blackmore savvily pounced at the perfect time and romped home to victory.
Rachael Blackmore wins the Gold Cup
🔴🔵 A Plus Tard - a brilliant winner of the @Boodles @CheltenhamRaces Gold Cup@rachaelblackmor is a Gold Cup heroine with a sensational victory in the Blue Riband event, leading home a 1-2 for @HenrydeBromhead #TheFestival pic.twitter.com/ayBLdt8Bzx
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) March 18, 2022
In doing so, Blackmore has become the first jockey since AP McCoy twenty-five years ago to win the Champion Hurdle and the Gold Cup in the same year.
You could see the emotion ripple through the Tipp jockey as the winning horse was paraded past the crowd.
👊 What it means to win the @Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup
An adoring crowd salute @rachaelblackmor & A Plus Tard @CPStudOfficial
A Plus Tard's #TheFestival record: 1123 pic.twitter.com/CmfI9NpwAJ— Racing TV (@RacingTV) March 18, 2022
When asked after the race about her message for young sportswomen, Blackmore said you can never dream too big.
"I never even dreamt I could be doing this, and I am. What I am doing now is a dream I could never allow myself to have because this dream wasn't in my reality. You can never really dream too big."
Last year, Blackmore became the first woman to win the Cheltenham champion jockey prize and the first woman jockey to win the Grand National.
There was a time when it was hard to imagine that a woman jockey would ride in the Gold Cup. Blackmore has smashed through another glass ceiling this week, and done so in an incredibly modest and measured way.
She learned from her defeats and got better. She is a true champion. After today, she is cementing her status as an icon of the sport.
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