How horse racing could do with Rachael Blackmore’s golden moment at Cheltenham
PERFECT HARMONY: A Plus Tard and Rachael Blackmore en route to winning the Close Brothers Novices’ Handicap Chase at the 2019 Cheltenham Festival. Will this year deliver a historic Gold Cup win for the pair? Picture: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
Given recent high-profile controversies, the image of racing could properly do with a positive news story. Something that would generate interest beyond the confines of the racing pages. Something with the broader appeal to showcase the sport in a positive light. Something historic.
That’s quite a wishlist but the good news is it is possible that this year’s Cheltenham may yet be remembered as something other than the pandemic Festival. It might just be the Festival where the most prestigious race of the week, the Wellchild Cheltenham Gold Cup, is won by a female jockey for the first time.
