Honeysuckle and Rachael Blackmore retain Champion Hurdle crown

There was a moment just after the field jumped the third-last in the Champion Hurdle on Tuesday when Honeysuckle and Rachael Blackmore’s pale blue silks were out of sight on the big screen, as Appreciate It, the second-favourite, pounded down the hill on the inside. Two strides later, with an actor’s sense of timing, they entered stage right, pulling out from Appreciate It’s slipstream to sit on his shoulder, and Blackmore heard the first rumblings of the noise that would carry them all the way back to the winners’ enclosure.

It was the perfect antidote to the sound of silence 12 months ago, when horse and rider climbed the hill in front of an official attendance of only 41 people. The roar went up another notch as they cleared the second-last, and towards a crescendo when Blackmore sent Honeysuckle bounding into the lead around the home turn. As soon as the odds-on favourite was safely over the last, the celebrations could begin.

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“It was incredible, walking back down that chute,” Blackmore said. “The reception we got the whole way down, this is such a special place and we missed the crowds last year. To have them back this year is just unbelievable. We were just buzzing. Last year was fantastic, but Cheltenham is about the people and they really didn’t let us down.”

This was the 15th victory of Honeysuckle’s unbeaten career, and she is the first mare to win the Champion Hurdle twice. Some may claim that she is just the best of a moderate bunch, or complain about the 7lb mares’ allowance she receives from male horses, but she was dominant and her partnership with Blackmore is a delight to watch.

“I was kind of wider than