There were emotional scenes at Cheltenham when queen of the jumps Honeysuckle ended her reign with victory in the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle on the final start of her career.
Jockey Rachael Blackmore, trainer Henry de Bromhead and owner Kenny Alexander were in tears after the superstar mare delivered the most popular victory on day one of the Cheltenham Festival.
Back in September De Bromhead and wife Heather were mourning the loss of their 13-year-old son Jack who died in a tragic pony riding accident.