Jockey Rachael Blackmore’s brilliance in saddle earns unlikely Cheltenham win for Gin on Lime

The drama happened at the penultimate fence when champion jockey Harry Skelton came to grief from the highy-regarded chase debutant My Drogo in the SSS Super Alloys Novices’ Chase.

Yet, as they came down, the pursuing Gin On Lime slithered to a halt on landing under Blackmore who managed – against the odds – to defy gravity and stay in the saddle. If either of her feet had touched the ground, she would have been required to pull up under racing’s rules.

Instead Blackmore was given a rapturous ovation by the crowd at Cheltenham for her horsemanship.

Explaining her own mount’s mistake two fences from home, Blackmore said: “She just crumpled under me and it was quite a slow motion thing I suppose. She’s an extremely honest mare to go down and jump the last and canter over the line.”

Winning trainer, Ireland’s Henry de Bromhead, who was also returning to the scene of his six winners during this year’s Cheltenham Festival, added: “I can’t say I’ve been involved in a race like that before!

“I remember years ago when I was a kid my father had a horse called Quarter Bridge.

“It was a three-horse race and he looked beaten and the other two fell at the second last and he ended up winning it.

“The owner said it was such a shame that they didn’t stand up as I would have liked to have seen more of a race and my father was going ‘no, no no we won!’ You don’t like to see it happen. “I thought the favourite jumped brilliantly throughout today.

“The way Rachael sat on – she just clung to her.

“Maybe ours was a slightly slower fall, I don’t know.

“It’s just jump racing,” added the Waterford handler.