Rachael Blackmore took the 2021 Cheltenham Festival by storm – and is back to do it all over again.
The Grand National-winning jockey finished top of the charts with six winners at last year's flagship fixture.
Blackmore became the first female rider to win the Champion Hurdle and will bid to double up in the same race on Honeysuckle.
Then in the feature contest of the week, which gets underway on March 15, she goes for the Gold Cup on 2021 second A Plus Tard.
Second favourite to retain her Cheltenham jockeys' title, behind Paul Townend, Blackmore has some big chances on the novice front too.
Here we have picked out four horses that could star over the four days for an accumulator, which would pay out at 55-1 on current Grovesnor Sport odds.
Honeysuckle (Champion Hurdle) – 1-2
Honeysuckle will rightly be the cornerstone of many a Cheltenham Festival acca bet because she has everything in her favour for her Champion Hurdle double bid. The unbeaten mare should get Rachael Blackmore backers off to a flyer on the opening day.
A Plus Tard (Gold Cup) – 3-1
A Plus Tard found only stablemate Minella Indo too strong in the 2021 Gold Cup but Blackmore may feel that she is on the best horse this time around. The Cheveley Park-owned chaser won this season's Betfair Chase in a hack canter and backers are hopeful he can reverse Savills Chase form with Galvin with a better-timed challenge.
Journey With Me (Ballymore Novices' Hurdle) – 7-2
Blackmore teamed up with Henry de Bromhead to take last year's Ballymore Novices' Hurdle with Bob Olinger and the team appear to have a great chance of following up with the unbeaten Journey With Me. This talented six-year-old wasn't at his best when he won at Naas last time, hampered by the farcical early gallop and his greenness out in front. It is likely that fans will see a much improved version of him at Prestbury Park. He'll go off shorter than his current 7-2 odds in the betting if Sir Gerhard heads to the Supreme Novices' Hurdle, which looks likely.
Bob Olinger (Turners Novices' Chase) – 11-10
Bob Olinger is regarded by many as one of the Irish bankers in the Turners Novices' Chase. Last year's impressive Ballymore scorer has long been touted as a potential future Gold Cup winner and his chasing career is off to a perfect start. His task in the Turners will be made more difficult if Galopin Des Champs also turns up for the gig. Yet Willie Mullins' star novice might just meet his match here – and Bob Olinger won't mind which way the ground goes at Prestbury Park.
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