He was born to do it - Joy of proud parents after Jack Kennedy s Cheltenham Gold Cup glory independent.ie - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from independent.ie Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Jockey Rachael Blackmore made history at Cheltenham today as she became the first woman to win the Champion Hurdle.
The daughter of a dairy farmer and a teacher, the jockey, 31, from Killenuale in County Tipperary, was not reared in a racing family but has been competing professionally in horse racing since 2015.
Today Rachael, who has been described as a reluctant heroine , couldn t hide her delight as she became the first female jockey to win the Unibet Champion Hurdle as she guided Honeysuckle to a brilliant victory at Cheltenham.
She produced the heavily-backed 11-10 favourite to lead between the final two flights and she bounded up the hill to go on and win in impressive fashion, bagging the £180,000 prize.
Cork s 96FM By Jamie Glass Image from Getty. This year for International Women s Day, we are shining the spotlight on some notable Women from across the island of Ireland.
When it comes to sporting legends from Northern Ireland the top names that always appear include, footballing stars George Best and Pat Jennings, Golfers Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell and Darren Clarke, Boxing World Champions Carl The Jackal Frampton, Rinty Monaghan and Barry McGuigan, Champion Jockey Sir Tony JP McCoy and Snooker World Champions Alex Hurricane Higgins and Dennis Taylor. Indeed we re a small country with some big names.
However, when it comes to professional achievements both professionally and through ongoing charitable endeavours, Olympian and pentathlon gold medallist
Lady Mary Peters: Celebrating a sporting icon fm104.ie - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from fm104.ie Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
EJ Bass, from Eynesbury, pictured in 1899.
- Credit: St Neots Museum
St Neots has a proud sporting heritage that is celebrated in the St Neots Museum with displays about some of the town’s sporting heroes.
Until the industrial revolution of the early 1800s everyday life was strenuous enough to keep most working people fit. Many local men were farm workers and women’s lives before the invention of the washing machine and vacuum cleaner involved daily heavy labour. It was during the early Victorian period, as the population increased dramatically and people began to move away from the land and into towns that organised team games for men.