Rachael Blackmore caps stellar Cheltenham Festival with top jockey title

A stunning week for Rachael Blackmore at the Cheltenham Festival was completed on Friday as she became the first woman to secure the coveted top jockeys' award.

Six wins – including a history-making victory aboard Honeysuckle in the Champion Hurdle on Tuesday – have seen the 31-year-old from Tipperary rocket to the summit of the sport, earning plaudits from the likes of Tony McCoy and Ruby Walsh.

Her final afternoon started in a similar vein to the previous three days, as she steered the Henry de Bromhead-trained Quilixios to victory in the JCB Triumph Hurdle and it so nearly climaxed with glory in the Gold Cup through A Plus Tard, who found only stablemate Minella Indo too good.