'She’s an incredible lady, she's just class' - Henry De Bromhead in awe of Rachael Blackmore after huge Festival win

The Queen of Cheltenham is back. Back with a bang.

Ground-breaking Rachael Blackmore wrote another significant piece of history at Cheltenham on Thursday when completing the set of Championship races at the Festival by winning the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle on Bob Olinger (8/1).

His trainer Henry De Bromhead did the same having enjoyed an incredible run of success since they first teamed up.

Blackmore’s place in Festival legend has long been cemented, having become the first woman to win the Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle and Champion Chase here in recent years, but yesterday put the cherry on top of a remarkable career.

Indeed it’s quite unbelievable to think that the 35-year-old only rode her first winner here six years ago on A Plus Tard, but now that all-time tally stands on 18 and with her name on the the four trophies most coveted here this week.

It was the second leg of a third day double for the Killinaule lady, having earlier won the opening Mares Novices’ Hurdle on Air Of Entitlement, more than making up for the many months of this season where she was on the sidelines with a neck injury.

She’s now in with a shot of repeating her leading rider feat here in 2021 with no jockey having reached more than two winners this week so far.

It was also something of a return to glory for Bob Olinger, who was backed in from an opening show of 33-1 into 8-1 in the hours leading up to the race.

Written off as being way past his best, the two-time Festival winner completed a unique hat-trick of Grade 1 wins at Cheltenham having first won the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle at the behind closed doors meeting in 2021.

His one and three-quarter length victory over defending champion Teahupoo also completed a 1-2 in the race for owner Brian Acheson, who also owned the opening winner.

“I’m very lucky to get on these horses. He was brilliant. He has so much speed and was able to use it there today. We went a good gallop and he was still able to pick up off the back of it,” said Blackmore on the ten-year-old, who was a fortunate winner over Galopin Des Champs at the 2022 Festival.

“He’s unbeaten around here. I know one day it was a fortuitous win, but he’s got luck on his side around here. He’s a very, very good horse.

“We (the de Bromhead team) have had a quieter (first) two days. Walking home on Tuesday, I feel I’ve been spoiled the last couple of years getting to go home with a winner on the first day,” added Blackmore, who dedicated the two wins to her late cousin Robert Blackmore, who passed away this week.

“Henry just does such an incredible job with them when he brings them over here for Cheltenham, they all run above themselves and I’m very lucky to be on some of their backs.

“We were very hopeful coming here, but for him to do it is just fantastic. He’s a phenomenal horse.

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De Bromhead’s horses had been perceived to have been under something of a cloud for a big part of this season but, in reaching a quarter century of Festival wins, he produced one of the training performances of his career.

“I’m delighted for the horse, he’s an incredible horse, he had such a reputation a few years ago, things didn’t work out as well as we thought, but to see him come back and do that is amazing.

“Rachael gave him such a ride, she was brilliant on him. She’s an incredible lady, delighted for her as well, and the Achesons (owners Robcour), who are tremendous supporters of us and the game.

Bob Olinger’s form had tailed off significantly since his previous two Festival wins so much so that 12 months ago he went to Aintree instead of this meeting .

"To get him back and have him like that is incredible. He is just a class horse. I suppose you have to look at his record as he is unbeaten here.

“I remember I was at a preview a few weeks ago, and I wouldn’t look at the betting, but I was like ‘Oh my God’ he is 66-1 and I just couldn’t believe it.

“If he was 20-1 then fair enough, but Home By The Lee, who had beaten him, was just much shorter. It is brilliant and I’m delighted.

“The last few years we have always had Honeysuckle to get off the mark on the Tuesday so it was feeling a little bit lonely. They have all been running well and I’m delighted.

“He is such a dude and he likes the attention and he deserves every bit he gets. He comes alive here and he obviously just loves it here.He won the Ballymore then we had a couple of funny old years with him, but he is back now.

Back too is De Bromhead and Blackmore, the deadly duo who have come close to making this Festival their own in recent years.

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