Lizzie Kelly: 'I wished I could go back out there now and copy Rachael'

The common thread among all the praise heaped on Rachael Blackmore throughout her dream Cheltenham Festival has been her tactical acumen, and Lizzie Kelly believes that is what is putting her "a few steps ahead" of nearly every other member of the weighing room.

Kelly enjoyed a privileged perch high in the deserted Cheltenham grandstand last week as part of talkSPORT's commentary team and was astonished by what she saw unfolding, as Blackmore raced to the leading jockey title with six winners.

"I don't watch Rachael all that much when she's riding in Ireland," said Kelly, a dual festival winner with Coo Star Sivola and Siruh Du Lac. "I'll watch the best of the Irish racing but not the day-to-day stuff. So I haven't really examined her riding since last year and I just feel that she's got really tactical.