Ruby Walsh: Rachael Blackmore proved what we already knew - there's no gender separation in racing
Blackmore And Healy De Honeysuckle Picture: And Bromhead Henry Trainer Rachael Kenny Alexander Racing Owner Win For
There is no doubt about who was the star of day one of the Festival: it was Rachael Blackmore, on Honeysuckle. It was an incredible performance from the two of them in the Champion Hurdle.
It doesn’t make Rachael any different a person to the one she was on Monday but, in her quest to be seen by the wider world as a jockey and not a female jockey or a woman jockey, she proved on the biggest stage that she is just that.
We all know that it in racing, and have done for a considerable time, but it is the outside world that needed to see it. There is no gender separation in racing, men and women are the same, and Rachael Blackmore proved that on Honeysuckle.
What a performance also from Henry de Bromhead to progress this mare through the ranks. It hasn’t been a sprint, it has been the proper management of a horse’s career and he has done a wonderful job with her. He had her in terrific order.
Appreciate It was spectacular in the first, and oh what the future holds for him. It was sad there was no Energumene in the Arkle but Shishkin delivered and now we can start looking to next year. Will Chacun Pour Soi win today? Will Shishkin take him on next year?
Outside of that, there was a great winner for Sean Flanagan, who flew himself over here to ride Jeff Kidder in the Boodles – and that is incredible.
Jack Kennedy got the better of Paul Townend in the Mares’ Hurdle. What a head-bobber that was, with Black Tears just getting there for Sneezy Foster. And then Jack finished the day with an incredible ride aboard Galvin in the National Hunt Chase. It was just a joy to watch from a terrific talent.
Looking ahead to today, there are very few races here that Willie Mullins has failed to win – actually, that’s a lie because he hasn’t yet won any of the three handicap chases, the Cross country, the Pertemps Final or the Fred Winter either - but the glaring omission from his ever-growing tally of victories here is the Champion Chase, the feature on this afternoon’s card.
At different times, Un De Sceaux, Min and Douvan have all been thwarted but today presents his best chance yet, and Chacun Pour Soi really ought to deliver. He has had three starts this season and has improved with each outing, sprinting away from Fakir D’Oudairies at the Dublin Racing Festival last time out.
The key to every horse’s chance on any given day is the opposition and when you study the Champion Chase it is really quite difficult to pick a horse at Chacun Pour Soi’s level. Altior undoubtedly was but he was ruled out of Tuesday morning. First Flow looks as though he needs to go the other way around, and Nube Negra’s best form is on flat tracks.
It all points to the very skinny - from a price point of view – Chacun, but that price can be bettered by simply doubling him with Monkfish in the Brown Advisory Festival Novices’ Chase.
As hard as I believe it will be for the opposition to beat Chacun, it is only bad luck that will beat Monkfish in this race. He looks to have it all and is already favourite for the 2022 Gold Cup. He should, with any normal luck, add a second Festival victory to his CV, having won the Albert Bartlett here in 2020.
The day begins with Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle, with two crack Irish novices taking on Paul Nicholls’ Bravemansgame. I should be in the Gaillard Du Mesnil camp, but I am with the opposition here and think Henry de Bromhead’s Bob Olinger is the one to beat. His defeat of Blue Lord at Naas is the strongest form on offer.
Paul (Gaillard Du Mesnil) and Rachael (Bob Olinger) both had a good day yesterday – Paul a winner and two seconds, and Rachael winning the Champion Hurdle. Henry’s horses are in good form and so are Willie’s, but I just prefer Bob Olinger.
The Coral Cup is a race I never had any luck in as a jockey and I don’t expect my relationship with it to change much as a tipster either, so I will just skip blissfully over that and put it in a double with the Grand Annual, filed under ‘best left alone unless you feel compelled to pick a name’.
The Cross Country Chase will return to Chantilly and the care of David Cottin’s Easysland again this year before Willie wins the bumper, but “with which one?” I hear you ask.
For all we know, Sir Gerhard could be the next Envoi Allen, but we don’t have him long enough to be able to tell anyone much. The yard judges are all in the Kilcruit camp, and I am with Ramillies, purely because I think he is overpriced. Either way, I hope WP is not waiting until this to open his account today.
Chacun Pour Soi, 3:05
Bob Olinger, 1:20