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RACHAEL BLACKMORE CELEBRATED victory in the Stayers’ Hurdle at Cheltenham today with Bob Olinger, defeating favourite Teahupoo.
The result completed a double for Blackmore and trainer Henry De Bromhead after an inspired finish in the opening race of the day aboard Air Of Entitlement helped Blackmore secure her first win at the 2025 Festival.
Bob Olinger maintained his flawless Cheltenham record when storming up the hill to take the main race on the third day of the festival. Bob Olinger won the 2021 Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle and capitalised on the fall of Galopin Des Champs in the following year’s Turners Novices’ Chase.
The outcome sees Blackmore complete a brilliant set of Cheltenham wins after previously triumphing in the marquee Champion Hurdle, Champion Chase, Ryanair Chase, and Gold Cup races.
Henry de Bromhead’s 10-year-old was seemingly the second string for owners Robcour, with their reigning champion Teahupoo the 7-4 favourite for Gordon Elliott.
It was those two horses involved in the finish as Jack Kennedy rode the latter, but after they locked horns jumping the last, it was Bob Olinger who came out on top by a length and threequarters to triumph at 8-1.
Blackmore said: “We were very hopeful coming here, but for him to do it is fantastic.
“He’s a phenomenal horse and he’s unbeaten here. I know one day it was a fortuitous win after Galopin Des Champs fell at the last, but you need that bit of luck and today is a great day.
“He was a great ride everywhere today. He’s got speed and was able to use it at the end.
“When you’re riding for Henry, it’s a great help.
“It’s an incredible place, it’s where every jockey wants to be and I’ve been very lucky here. Any time you go up onto that podium, it’s very special.”
De Bromhead said: “It’s unbelievable, a super ride from Rachael and great work from all the team at home. To get him back like that is incredible and I’m delighted for everyone.
“Davy Roche, my assistant, he’d take a bullet for him – he adores him. He said he worked well the other day and he’ll be ecstatic.
“He’s just a class horse and he was unbeaten here. I was at a preview event a few weeks ago and I wasn’t looking at the betting, but he was 66-1 and I was thinking ‘oh my God’, I couldn’t believe it.
“He’s a bit of a poser and a dude who loves the attention and deserves every bit he gets. He comes alive here and obviously loves it here.
“We had a couple of funny years with him, but he’s back now. You always hope they’ll come back and win another big one, but I never foresee anything winning anything!
“You live the dream and you hope and try to maintain them as well as you can. It’s so hard to get a good horse, so when you get a good one, you want to try and maintain them for as long as you can and I really feel we try to do that.
“It’s brilliant for Rachael. She’s just so good and is such a professional who works so hard. When she came back from injury our horses hit a bad patch of form, but she just does what she does – she’s class.”
Owner Brian Acheson added: “To see Bob coming up the hill like that when I didn’t think he would stay well, it was a dream.
“We ran him at Navan and then decided to wait for Rachael, who gets on so well with him.
“He came out of the clouds today and I said here comes the dude, because that’s what he is – a dude.”
Prior to the Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle, Blackmore and de Bromhead had so far drawn a blank at this year’s showpiece meeting, with the Robcour-owned six-year-old Air Of Entitlement sent off a 16-1 chance to change matters.
There was early drama and after a false start, Maughreen – one of Willie Mullins’ fancied runners – whipped round and was left by the pack at the second attempt to get the race underway.
It was left to outsider Brendas Asking to lead the field along from Ben Pauling’s Diva Luna, with Gavin Cromwell’s 85-40 favourite Sixandahalf always close by and tracking the pace.
Keith Donoghue looked to be sitting pretty aboard Sixandahalf as the runners turned to face the Cheltenham hill and although beating off the challenge of Diva Luna after the final flight, Blackmore was conjuring every ounce of effort from her mount as the line approached, delivering Air Of Entitlement in a power-packed drive to edge a half-length victory over the market leader.
Diva Luna held off Mullins’ Karoline Banbou for third, a further six lengths adrift.
De Bromhead said: “We knew we had the stamina and obviously the New course suits. We always worry about being too handy in this race and Rachael got it spot-on. I thought they went a really good gallop and she gave her some spin.
“She stayed on really well. I thought when we winged the last we had a chance and I knew Keith (Donoghue, riding Sixandahalf) was up there the whole way, which historically hasn’t worked.
“It’s a long way up that straight, I thought we had a chance after jumping the last and I’m delighted.”
Air Of Entitlement was having just her second start and De Bromhead added: “It’s funny but I always say I much prefer coming here fresh and happy than feeling like I need to give them runs for experience.
“She was in Colin Bowe’s as a point-to-pointer, so she’ll have jumped more fences than most of the fillies in that field. It’s always a concern, but I wouldn’t be me if I wasn’t concerned about something!”
Blackmore, riding her 17th Festival winner, said: “It’s an incredible feeling. I read an interview recently with JP McManus when he said some people are born luckier than others and I definitely feel like I was born luckier for going round here anyway.
“I’ve been so lucky with the horses I’ve got to ride and this mare is another one. Henry brings his horses over here in such incredible form and she was just phenomenal there. She travelled through the race and jumped well and got her head in front at the right time.”
On having to wait until day three of the Festival for a winner, Blackmore said: “You can’t lose faith, we’re only halfway through the week. We’ve been a bit spoilt in the last few years as every Tuesday I’ve walked home with a winner under our belt. It wasn’t the case this year but I’m so grateful to get one today.
“I missed three months before Christmas and Cheltenham is the main thing to be back for. It was so difficult to watch all these horses you should have been riding, but I’m grateful the injury didn’t happen the other side of Christmas because this is the most important place to be for all us jockeys.”
Written by Press Association and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.
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€30 for a haircut!
@Aideen Pollard: how much do women spend on haircuts?
@Aideen Pollard:
It IS a southside haircut.
Mine costs a tenner
@Aideen Pollard: and €20 for a puncture!
@Aideen Pollard: €100 on gloves…..GLOVES!!
@RogerRamjet: and 10 euro for a taxi when he lives in rathmines which is less than a 20min walk from town.
@Aideen Pollard: Must have been at Sams, only place that charges 30!
@brian oconnell: G.Male!
You’ll learn lad. You’re spending too much money and not planning for the future.
You’ve an excellent salary & you’re blowing a huge percentage of it.
You should be able to cut your discretionary spending In half without noticing at your rate and be able to save that balance.
Saving €800 a month on €75k a year is pitiful.
@sequoia: god your a dry shape
@sequoia: god your a dull motherfupper
@sequoia: god your a dull
@sequoia: god, hate to be married or end up married to you.
@sequoia: for the love of god, there is a thing called FUN!
@Micko: Come back when you’re sober
@Micko: you alright there pal? Few valium wouldn’t go astray.
@sequoia: He doesn’t realise he could be set for life if he managed his money right. As in multi millionaire come retirement.
If you could put an old head on young shoulders.
Check out a guy called Dave Ramsey on you tube. Take his advice .
@Micko:
Sure kid. Whatever gets you through the night.
@Micko: well Micko, you must be exhausted from delivering all his food. Bless.
I wish I got as much sleep as this lad
Not a penny into your pension looking at your numbers. Deferred income buddy, worth it’s weight if done right. You should rethink your strategy, being a data analyst and all.
@iohanx: have you seen what his job gives him. They definitely have a decent pension there.
@Ali Ní Dhomhnaill: more likely no pension
You sound like good craic I have to say, and don’t take things seriously.
Nothing at all wrong with it, you seem happy out – best of luck
How about doing a story about someone living on the minimum wage or someone living in the west of Ireland that’s not galway that would be great
@Ronan fowley: I live in Mayo, I’m on the dole and I’m stone broke. Ask me anything…
@Tweety McTweeter: Question 1. How come you are on the dole? What sort of job have you tried to look for?
@Tweety McTweeter: Question 2. What retraining have you taken to obtain a job?
@John Horan: Ahh forget it. Didn’t realise it would be like the Spanish Inquisition
@Tweety McTweeter: Q3. Is there still people in mayo thinking this could be their year.
@ooh ahh: Reckon they have more chance of Sam 2018 than 2019 ;-)
@Tweety McTweeter: Leo still has his stooges about from his time in Social ‘Protection’ out looking to rat ppl out Tweety. Say nothin!
@Tweety McTweeter: you said ask me anything?!?!?!
Fair play to this lad in many ways, but as a data analyst, he could analyse his own data a bit more. He says transport costs are zero since work pays for public transport, but yet he owns a car too…And even put 20 quid petrol into it in the week he’s writing about? So why isn’t there a figure for car running costs and maintenance in his monthly outgoings?
After reading these diaries for weeks now, I have come to the conclusion that the sole purpose of 50% of them is marketing orientated. 50% seem to plug products/apps/whatever else they may throw in and the rest just seems unrealistic to me. Disappointing.
@Laura Byrne: What products have you seen being plugged in this series? Any examples…
@Peter Heylin: I got the useful advice to boil eggs in the kettle at work at least…
Long hours, take aways and pints. I wouldn’t worry about having to pay back the mortgage!
This lad lives in D6 has all his transport paid off and has a car.
Get rid of the car and you will save thousands per year.
Your welcome
It’s a 100 euro on the joint account so nothing from me
You do remember you pay into the joint account?
Makes the analysis pointless, pretending your not spending as much as you are
@Nicholas Kelly: joint account payment is a seperate bank account so hes not including it in his personal deductions…..not exactly rocket science
Sounds like an ad for deliveroo
Two free tickets for the Ireland v New Zealand match. It is good for some!
Sure glad I’m not employing you
@Angus Stening: why? Horrible thing to say.
@Angus Stening: why?
@Angus Stening: it’s the most interesting account I’ve read so far. He sounds like a great asset to an office, can’t understand your comment ?
Nice gig, plenty of perks, decent social life.
Crikey this could be me if I didn’t have 4 kids!!
Absolutely f@@king love this guy!
“It’s €16.30 on the joint account, so €0 from me” haha… Interesting scheme, incredible what else could be saved with a few tweaks here and there, however I guess different strokes for different folks.
=)
@Joe Knows: think I’ll start throwing €500 a week into the joint account here. Then I’ll get nearly everything for ‘free’.
I loved that read . Gew on ya good thing. 2400 a year on gym. Brilliant. Mans gotta do ………
This is laughable. I accept his point about not stopping life to save. Fine. Two hundred a month for CrossFit ? Join a gym for forty. Ditch the coffees at three euro a pop, another joke. Taxis instead of a few minute walk! Unless your parents have money to throw you for a deposit , you’re going to be in the f*cked position a lot of people are now !
@Shane Murphy: one of my luxuries is spending similar amount on crossfit style program. Commercial gyms are boring and unsimulating so I eventually pack in in. You can’t put a price on your health.
“30 from the joint account, so that’s nothing from me” … (“.
Sounds like a terrible data analyst with a drink problem.
Is it just me or does he sound like a real peach of a boyfriend
@Amanda Baker: Sounds like a Fionn to me. I bet he wears shoes with no socks and rolls up his jeans.
Amanda, you seem keen!
30 quid for a haircut is outrageous. If I want a decent one its 17, if I just want it cut it’s 13.
29 on 74,000 is this for real
Is it just me or does he sound like a real peach of a boyfriend
Is it just me or is this guy a reall peach of a boyfriend
@Amanda Baker: You’re keen
Is it just me or is this guy a reall peach of a boyfriend
I bet Friday felt a bit like this: https://youtu.be/kfchvCyHmsc
I wouldn’t worry though, it was Friday after all
have your say