Leading female jockey Rachael Blackmore is very excited about riding her partner in crime Honeysuckle at the Dublin Racing Festival this weekend, with the rider bullish about the mares chances of defending her Irish Champion Hurdle title.
Honeysuckle has a been a star for the yard over the last two years and on all four of her starts last term had been pretty much faultless by winning twice at Fairyhouse including in the Grade One Hatton's Grace Hurdle, she then narrowly stayed on to take the Irish Champion Hurdle before landing her first Cheltenham festival winner when seeing off Benie Des Dieux in the Mares Hurdle.
Overall the Kenneth Alexander-owned six-year-old has claimed 10 wins in a row, if including her point to point race aswell and this season has picked up from where she left off.
Just how impressive from Mares Hurdle winner HONEYSUCKLE yesterday! 😍
— The Winners Enclosure (@TWEnclosure) November 30, 2020
👏🏼 One of THEE toughest horses on the circuit. Heck of a Mare!
Can she win at Cheltenham next year once again?! 🤔
🎬 @RacingTV pic.twitter.com/69jt6VQmdE
She headed to Fairyhouse on her seasonal debut in defence of her Hatton's Grace title and in gritty and determined fashion she managed to hold on close to the line.
Her rider Rachael Blackmore believes she has been working well at home and will have improved for her first run, with her run in this event deciding what race she heads to at the Cheltenham festival.
“She seems well at home and was good in the Hatton’s Grace. There is no Grade One out there that is easy to win and she seems to have produced the goods every day, so I can’t fault her,” said the jockey.
“She’s definitely captured my imagination, anyway. She’s been fantastic to me and hopefully we can keep it going.”