'I've never experienced that before' - Blackmore and Honeysuckle send crowd wild

Sunday: Leopardstown

It was a landmark success that embellished her glorious legacy with another accolade but Honeysuckle’s third Irish Champion Hurdle under Rachael Blackmore felt more significant as the moment jump racing fans finally got to demonstrate their affection for one of the greatest race mares of all time.

There were no paying customers present when Henry de Bromhead’s fabulous animal claimed her second in 2021 and her seismic victory in the ultimate Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham last March was also played out in front of a desolate empty grandstand. Such sterile environments jarred with the seminal nature of her exploits.

3.00 Leopardstown: full result and replay

On Sunday, Honeysuckle and Blackmore, who are emerging as one of Irish sport’s definitive double acts, were accompanied on their way to the start by a boisterous soundtrack from the packed Leopardstown grandstand. It was as though their adoring public couldn’t wait to express how they’ve missed them, for it has been nearly two years of unrequited love.

Kenny Alexander's redoubtable eight-year-old lived up to her side of the bargain with an utterly dominant six-and-a-half-length defeat of Zanahiyr, with Echoes In Rain close up in third.

Then the famished fans did full justice to the regal duo by serenading them all the way back to the winner's enclosure. It was a suitably raucous welcome for such a historic occasion.

A perfect tenth Grade 1, it also amounted to Honeysuckle’s 14th triumph in all, allowing her to leapfrog Bula for the longest unbeaten run over jumps from debut. She also joined Hurricane Fly and Istabraq as the only horses to win the €200,000 showpiece more than twice, and the debate about where she stands among the pantheon of equine immortals will become even more intriguing now.

Unadulterated joy: an adoring Leopardstown crowd welcomes back Honeysuckle and Rachael BlackmoreCredit: Caroline Norris

That, though, feels like a discussion for another day. This was an occasion to savour for its sheer unadulterated glee.

“It’s phenomenal,” Blackmore beamed as she stood alongside De Bromhead after the Chanelle Pharma-sponsored contest. “I’m so happy the crowd was here today and got to enjoy her as much as the two of us and Kenny, and Peter Molony and all of the team in Knockeen have been enjoying her for the last two years.

“We got a massive cheer going down to the start and I have never experienced that before, so it’s brilliant to be here and have her winning. I’m just so lucky to be involved with her – it’s fantastic.”

De Bromhead’s string has struggled to hit the same dizzy heights of last spring. It has often been no more than the bounce of the ball, but Honeysuckle is proving a divine constant who defies the vagaries of fortune.

Blackmore dropped the 1-5 shot in and kept her wide here. They travelled powerfully through the race and Blackmore went with Zanahiyr when Jack Kennedy moved to join the pace-setting Heaven Help Us after three-out.

She matched his move there and then toyed with him a little after taking off with a fractional advantage two-out. When Blackmore gave her ally the order to go forward on the bend, the final execution was swift and unequivocal.

“I’ve seen the likes of Hurricane Fly get those sort of receptions and when he was doing it, I dreamed of having horses like him, and now we have something similar,” De Bromhead reflected after his fifth win in the race.

“It’s incredible to be associated with a mare like her, and Rachael. Both of them are just amazing and people appreciate them so much.”

De Bromhead also offered his appreciation to the Leopardstown officials for providing decent ground, which was changed from yielding to yielding to soft after further rainfall on Sunday.

“They did a great job with it,” he said. “It’s exactly what everyone was looking for, so Jim Ryan and his team here who did all the watering deserve to be acknowledged.”

All roads now lead back to Cheltenham for Honeysuckle, and the reigning title holder was tightened up across the board to as short as 1-2 to retain her crown. It’s something to look forward to and the devout Cotswolds congregation will want to voice their gratitude as well, but this was a spectacle to savour in the here and now. Sweet indeed.

Read more Sunday reports:

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'I would put this fella in a different league' - Chacun is Mullins' number one

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