Blackmore wins the Champion Hurdle for the second year in a row

Blackmore wins the Champion Hurdle for the second year in a row. 

CHELTENHAM, England: On the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival, the ‘Dream Team’ of Rachael Blackmore and unbeaten mare Honeysuckle won the Champion Hurdle for the second year in a row as roaring audiences turned up the volume.

The 8-11 favorite, trained by Henry de Bromhead, finished ahead of Aidan Coleman’s 2020 winner Epatante (16-1) and Zanahiyr (28-1) in third.

Last year, Grand National champion Blackmore became the first female jockey to win the Champion Hurdle. The Irish rider became the festival’s outstanding jockey for the first time, but there was no crowd.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Honeysuckle’s victory was held behind closed doors.

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Still, there was plenty of cheering on Tuesday when she won her 11th Grade One race and 15th in 15 races in front of 70,000 people.

She also made history by being the first mare to win the Champion Hurdle on two occasions.

“Obviously, with the crowd here, it’s better than last year,” De Bromhead added. “It’s incredible. It’s like being in the middle of a never-ending fairytale. Simply amazing.

“I had hoped she’d be able to capture the Cheltenham roar, and, amazingly, she has.

“It’s incredible and no more than they deserve for her to win with the fans here cheering her and Rachael on.”