Cheltenham Festival
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Lizzie Kelly has been the only professional female riding at the Festival and her best so far was 5th. I suppose it is understandable that trainers ignore them but bear in mind that in both amateur races women have ridden the winner and Katie Walsh has a great chance of making it a clean sweep for them in the Foxhunters.
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I had overlooked Rachael Blackmore who is also professional and did well to finish fourth after being unseated on the way to post.
Lizzie Kelly didn't last long in the saddle, what was with her shushing the crowd in the paddock on the way to post? It was cringey to say the least,
If the horse is highly strung then use some ear plugs!
If the horse is highly strung then use some ear plugs!
Did have ear plugs, i didnt like her telling the crowd to be quiet either. She did well in Martin Pipe with her horse.
i have championed lizzie in a thread the other week . it was not not her day but she will learn big style i'm sure . hats off to gina andrews , who presents a horse at a fence better than a lot of pros i've seen , for a fantastic ride in the kim muir .
Andrews and Frost gave absolutely top grade rides. Lizzie Kelly would do well to take a note from their book than blowing her own trumpet to the media....
The Gold Cup was not her finest hour but a fourth and a fifth in handicaps was better than a lot of well established riders achieved.
Last year Lisa O'Neill won her first Festival race aboard Elliott's Tiger Roll in the National Hunt Challenge Cup. On Tuesday, she went to post in the same race on the highly-fancied (and fatally injured) Mossback.
THIS YEAR...
1. Lizzie Kelly took the Ultima Chase on Coo Star Sivola.
2. Katie Walsh won the Champion Bumper on Relegate.
3. Bridget Andrews steered 33/1 shot Mohaayed (for trainer Dan Skelton) to victory in the County Hurdle - Harry Skelton's girlfriend btw, as the couple hugged & kissed after the race.
"I think it's about time we stopped talking about lady jockeys and just call them jockeys." - Dan Skelton is quick to praise Bridget Andrews on RUK.
Sally Ann Grassick - "I had the exact same rant at dinner yesterday evening, well said @DSkeltonRacing and well done to you and Bridget yesterday."
4. Harriet Tucker in just her second ride under rules, won the Foxhunters Chase on Pacha Du Polder
THIS YEAR...
1. Lizzie Kelly took the Ultima Chase on Coo Star Sivola.
2. Katie Walsh won the Champion Bumper on Relegate.
3. Bridget Andrews steered 33/1 shot Mohaayed (for trainer Dan Skelton) to victory in the County Hurdle - Harry Skelton's girlfriend btw, as the couple hugged & kissed after the race.
"I think it's about time we stopped talking about lady jockeys and just call them jockeys." - Dan Skelton is quick to praise Bridget Andrews on RUK.
Sally Ann Grassick - "I had the exact same rant at dinner yesterday evening, well said @DSkeltonRacing and well done to you and Bridget yesterday."
4. Harriet Tucker in just her second ride under rules, won the Foxhunters Chase on Pacha Du Polder
I'm sure that women won on a greater percentage of rides than men at the Festival. If there was ever an example of the horse being more important than the rider it was Pacha du Polder. Not saying Harriet Tucker can't ride but the horse knew a lot more about how to win than she did.
https://www.independent.ie/sport/horse-racing/cheltenham/watch-harriet-tucker-incredibly-overcomes-dislocated-shoulder-to-win-the-foxhunters-with-pacha-du-polder-36712861.html
Think I'd look plainly ridiculous too riding out to the line if I was also putting my dislocated shoulder back in place. On a separate point, I thought Rachael Blackmore would have got more rides last week. From what I have seen of her, she's top class and has the potential to be one of the best out there.
Think I'd look plainly ridiculous too riding out to the line if I was also putting my dislocated shoulder back in place. On a separate point, I thought Rachael Blackmore would have got more rides last week. From what I have seen of her, she's top class and has the potential to be one of the best out there.
RACHAEL BLACKMORE to shine imho - she's on fav A Plus Tard at 4.50 - If Duc Des Genievres wins the 2.10 Arkle then it's all in ! 6 rides on Wednesday too.
I've had a few quid on Rachael Blackmore at 100/1 for top jockey as seemed over priced and is simply a very good jockey. She's got sporting chances in the 2 handicap hurdle races today I think, the rest today don't look likely, but a few fair rides tomorrow may give her a chance anyway.
Don't know Lizzie Kelly from adam but that girl can ride , very intelligent , respects the horse, very very good
One win on each day and all very competent. My order would be Blackmore, Frost then Kelly because Blackmore rides a lot of horses and wins plenty while the other 2 seem to be at their best on regular rides.
Bryony Frost became the first woman to ride a Grade One winner over jumps at the Cheltenham Festival after Frodon produced a tremendous front-running performance in the Ryanair Chase.
Already a four-time winner at Prestbury Park, Frodon was a 9-2 chance stepping up the highest level, with trainer Paul Nicholls eventually deciding to run in this event rather that Friday’s Magners Gold Cup. As is his wont, Frodon went straight to the front and produced some prodigious leaps under a swashbuckling ride from Frost.
The challengers were queuing up from the home turn, but one by one Frodon saw them off — battling all the way up the famous hill to prevail by a length and a quarter.
Aso ran a fine race to fill the runner-up spot, ahead of Road To Respect in third.
Frost said: “My god, he jumps and just at that minute when he got overtaken, most horses would quit, but he grabbed me by the hands and said, ‘don’t you dare give up, don’t you dare not send me into the last — I want this more than you, now come on, where are you’.
“Just look at what he’s done there — deny that he just loves racing. He’s unbelievable. “He just made the dream come true, it’s just incredible. He will deserve every single high five, pat and carrot.”
Frost, 23, was already a Festival-winning rider, having landed the 2017 Foxhunter Chase as an amateur aboard the Nicholls-trained Pacha Du Polder. She broke her Grade One duck later that year when steering Black Corton to success in the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day — emulating Lizzie Kelly, who became the first woman to ride a Grade One winner over fences on Tea For Two in the same race two years earlier.
Frost had steered Frodon to three previous wins at Cheltenham, as well as his victory in the Old Roan Chase at Aintree earlier this season. She went on: “He wasn’t for passing today, not Frodon, not today. He just gives his all and he knows this place so well. “The support we’ve had from the crowd, coming in, was amazing and he knows it’s all for him.
“There was a lot of talk about the Gold Cup, but I left that all to Paul, he’ll always do the right thing, my job is to ensure the horse has the most successful career possible.
“I must thank Paul and the owners Mr and Mrs Vogt for sticking by me once I’d lost my claim, it would have been easy to put someone else on. “This is a big team effort and I’m just so pleased it’s all come together.”
Nicholls said: “That was awesome, I’ve lost my voice a bit. She (Frost) deserves it. “He hasn’t been easy to get right, I knew he had to be 120 per cent and in the middle of last week me and Clifford (Baker, head man) felt he was a gallop short so we took him to Wincanton on Friday and that put the finishing touches on him.
“I said there was no point getting in behind, just make all and keep saving a fraction and have one go from the back of the last and that was brilliant. “He’s massively improved this year, we worked out how to get him right and it was perfect. “It wasn’t difficult to run in this (rather than the Gold Cup) after the rain, you need to stay three miles for this anyway. “Next year we might look at something different.”
Noel Meade, trainer of Road To Respect, said: “It is obviously disappointing to get beat. He ran a very good race. He made that mistake at the third-last and you would have to think it knocked the stuffing out of him. “If you are going to win a Ryanair you can’t make mistakes like that. I thought the trip and ground were fine and that we made the right decision not to go for the Gold Cup. “He didn’t get home in last year’s Gold Cup and all along we have thought about coming back for this. We thought we had him in tip top shape and he has run his race. “Hopefully his season is not finished. There are a couple of places he could go. He could go to Liverpool or there is a two-and-a-half-mile Grade Two at Fairyhouse, then there is Punchestown as well, so there are heaps of options.” ty Irish Racing
Already a four-time winner at Prestbury Park, Frodon was a 9-2 chance stepping up the highest level, with trainer Paul Nicholls eventually deciding to run in this event rather that Friday’s Magners Gold Cup. As is his wont, Frodon went straight to the front and produced some prodigious leaps under a swashbuckling ride from Frost.
The challengers were queuing up from the home turn, but one by one Frodon saw them off — battling all the way up the famous hill to prevail by a length and a quarter.
Aso ran a fine race to fill the runner-up spot, ahead of Road To Respect in third.
Frost said: “My god, he jumps and just at that minute when he got overtaken, most horses would quit, but he grabbed me by the hands and said, ‘don’t you dare give up, don’t you dare not send me into the last — I want this more than you, now come on, where are you’.
“Just look at what he’s done there — deny that he just loves racing. He’s unbelievable. “He just made the dream come true, it’s just incredible. He will deserve every single high five, pat and carrot.”
Frost, 23, was already a Festival-winning rider, having landed the 2017 Foxhunter Chase as an amateur aboard the Nicholls-trained Pacha Du Polder. She broke her Grade One duck later that year when steering Black Corton to success in the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day — emulating Lizzie Kelly, who became the first woman to ride a Grade One winner over fences on Tea For Two in the same race two years earlier.
Frost had steered Frodon to three previous wins at Cheltenham, as well as his victory in the Old Roan Chase at Aintree earlier this season. She went on: “He wasn’t for passing today, not Frodon, not today. He just gives his all and he knows this place so well. “The support we’ve had from the crowd, coming in, was amazing and he knows it’s all for him.
“There was a lot of talk about the Gold Cup, but I left that all to Paul, he’ll always do the right thing, my job is to ensure the horse has the most successful career possible.
“I must thank Paul and the owners Mr and Mrs Vogt for sticking by me once I’d lost my claim, it would have been easy to put someone else on. “This is a big team effort and I’m just so pleased it’s all come together.”
Nicholls said: “That was awesome, I’ve lost my voice a bit. She (Frost) deserves it. “He hasn’t been easy to get right, I knew he had to be 120 per cent and in the middle of last week me and Clifford (Baker, head man) felt he was a gallop short so we took him to Wincanton on Friday and that put the finishing touches on him.
“I said there was no point getting in behind, just make all and keep saving a fraction and have one go from the back of the last and that was brilliant. “He’s massively improved this year, we worked out how to get him right and it was perfect. “It wasn’t difficult to run in this (rather than the Gold Cup) after the rain, you need to stay three miles for this anyway. “Next year we might look at something different.”
Noel Meade, trainer of Road To Respect, said: “It is obviously disappointing to get beat. He ran a very good race. He made that mistake at the third-last and you would have to think it knocked the stuffing out of him. “If you are going to win a Ryanair you can’t make mistakes like that. I thought the trip and ground were fine and that we made the right decision not to go for the Gold Cup. “He didn’t get home in last year’s Gold Cup and all along we have thought about coming back for this. We thought we had him in tip top shape and he has run his race. “Hopefully his season is not finished. There are a couple of places he could go. He could go to Liverpool or there is a two-and-a-half-mile Grade Two at Fairyhouse, then there is Punchestown as well, so there are heaps of options.” ty Irish Racing
Sky/Whilly/OKorral bet
Paul Townend 15/8
Davy Russell 10/3
Barry Geraghty 6
RACHEL BLACKMORE 6 skyhigh.....8's gone obviously, must have a chance, for Gordon +others.
Nico De Boinville 12
Robbie Power 14
Mark Walsh 25
33's bar (Bryony Frost 100)
Paul Townend 15/8
Davy Russell 10/3
Barry Geraghty 6
RACHEL BLACKMORE 6 skyhigh.....8's gone obviously, must have a chance, for Gordon +others.
Nico De Boinville 12
Robbie Power 14
Mark Walsh 25
33's bar (Bryony Frost 100)
I’m always less inclined to back a female jockey over hurdles than fences.
Most seem to meet fences on a good stride and jump well, but make more mistakes over hurdles.
Maybe this is down to experience, and point to pointing?
Most seem to meet fences on a good stride and jump well, but make more mistakes over hurdles.
Maybe this is down to experience, and point to pointing?
Imo RB is amongst the very best there is male or female. I think she is an outstanding jockey.
Agree RB, LK and BF when chasing, still not so sure hurdling though.
I recall looking at the strikerate of LK a few years ago for both hurdling and chasing, and was surprised by the big % difference.
Those stats may of course been similar to the trainers stats aswell, who may just be better chasing?
I recall looking at the strikerate of LK a few years ago for both hurdling and chasing, and was surprised by the big % difference.
Those stats may of course been similar to the trainers stats aswell, who may just be better chasing?
I think BF gets her horses doing too much. Think she is one dimensional personally
RB is a complete head job. Broke her wrist couple of years back at galway. Given the choice between an x ray at the galway clinic within 5 minutes of the track she chose to ride in the last two races . She's a bit older now , hasnt lost the hunger and is well respected in the weighing room, even by davy, who cut the snot off her face .
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