Support for Rachael Blackmore to be crowned the first female champion jockey at the Cheltenham festival next week has started to pick up pace.
Champion Hurdle favourite Honeysuckle (9/4) and Gold Cup contender A Plus Tard (5/1) look set to feature on a stellar book of rides for the jockey who is now being backed to emerge with most winners come the end of the week.
Blackmore has been cut into 12/1 from 16/1 by BoyleSports to win top jockey honours, leaving only two ahead of her in the market. Willie Mullins’ stable jockey Paul Townend leads the way at 4/11, with Jack Kennedy, who will partner the likes of the 8/11 favourite Envoi Allen in the Marsh and Minella Indo (10/1) in the Gold Cup, the 3/1 second favourite. Nico De Boinville is 12/1 alongside Blackmore with Altior hoping to give him a good spin in the Champion Chase and Shishkin in the Arkle.
Sarah Kinsella, spokesperson for BoyleSports said: “It looks like it’s Paul Townends’ Top Jockey title to lose this year as he has an incredible book of rides with the likes of Monkfish, Al Boum Photo and Chacun Pour Soi, to mention a few. Townend won the title last year at odds of 6/4 so it’s no surprise to see his odds this year at 4/11. Rachael Blackmore is 12/1 from 16/1 with Honeysuckle and A Plus Tard lining up to try and give the jockey another stellar Cheltenham Festival.”
Cheltenham Top Festival Jockey
4-11
3
12
12
16
20
20
20
33
33
50
66
66
66
100