Rachael Blackmore will miss Cheltenham’s two-day Showcase meeting this weekend – the home of jump racing’s first meeting of the season – after a schooling fall.
The 33-year-old jockey, who secured the Champion Hurdle and Cheltenham Gold Cup double aboard Honeysuckle and A Plus Tard last March, was due to ride Champagne Gold for boss Henry de Bromhead in the 888Sport Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase and the Norman Lee-trained She Is Electric in the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle on Friday.
But Blackmore, who was also booked for two mounts at Cheltenham on Saturday, was stood down at Thurles on Thursday – de Bromhead’s Secret She Keeps and Still Ciel scored at the Co Tipperary track – and is expected to be out of action until next week.
“Unfortunately for Rachael, she just got a bang schooling yesterday so she couldn’t ride,” said de Bromhead.
“She’ll be out for a few days.”
Meanwhile, De Bromhead also revealed Bob Olinger is set to return to timber for the Lismullen Hurdle at Navan on November 13.
The seven-year-old was set to finish a distant second in the Turners Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham last March before presented with the Grade 1 prize by the last-fence fall of Galopin Des Champs, and was pulled up at the Punchestown Festival.
“‘Bob’ will go back hurdling,” said the trainer. “We will start in the Lismullen Hurdle at Navan.
“I don’t know what happened from Cheltenham onwards – obviously that was a big mistake by me, running him at Punchestown.
“Maybe it’s just fences. I hope it is – his work is so high class.”
