Rachael's ready for new role at festival

RETIRED JOCKEY IS CHAMPION OF REVIVED CHELTENHAM LADIES DAY

- By MOLLY HUNTER

RACHAEL Blackmore is fully embracing her role as Head of Ladies Day at Cheltenham Racecourse as the track prepares for the return of the traditional Wednesday feature at the Festival.

Blackmore saw her name in lights on multiple occasions at National Hunt racing’s biggest and most prestigious meeting, riding 18 winners including victory aboard A Plus Tard in the pinnacle of the season, the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

After a groundbreaking career that also saw her become the first female jockey to win the Grand National, Blackmore quietly announced her retirement last May. But Cheltenham has clearly never strayed far from her thoughts, and in November she began a new role.

Cheltenham Racecourse had previously shelved the idea of a specified Ladies Day, which is a racing tradition most courses partake in, but having analysed data on the gender of ticket purchasers the concept has been revived and actively promoted for the first time 2018, with Blackmore, who recently announced she is expecting her first child, at the helm.