If you had written a movie script for Thursday at Cheltenham the Jack de Bromhead Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle would have been won by the deceased jockey’s father. But the best of Henry’s mounts in the race, Magical Zoe, finished second. “I think it would have been a terrible cliche if we won this race [named after Jack]. He doesn’t do cliches,” said Jack’s mother Heather de Bromhead.
Their son, who was killed on a beach race in Co Kerry last September, was to the fore of everyone’s thoughts on the penultimate day of the festival. And a de Bromhead win did come earlier in the day in the Ryanair Chase, a higher graded race. “I was just laughing saying Jack gave us the Grade One today,” said Heather.
Envoi Allen was the horse that earned that success. Inevitably Rachael Blackmore steered him home.
Hours before the race for Jack, the outpouring of love between Blackmore and the de Bromheads became the defining image of the day. After her memorable win on Honeysuckle on Tuesday, Blackmore didn’t have time to celebrate with the family as she rushed off for the next race. This time around, with Heather and Henry’s daughters Georgia and Mia joining them in the winner’s enclosure, everyone had time to enjoy it.
The year it all worked out: Brian Lohan on Clare’s All-Ireland deliverance
Mark O'Connell: The mystery is not why we Irish have responded to Israel’s barbarism. It’s why others have not
Eurovision boycott, Ozempic, bike shed: Here's what Irish Times readers searched for most in 2024
Tasty vegetarian options for Christmas dinner that can be prepared ahead of time
Watching Blackmore hit the line from the parade ring, Georgia and Mia de Bromhead could be heard boasting their prize. Not the trophies handed out, but an impending swimming date with their jockey pal. Asked to elaborate at the presentation, Blackmore gave the girls the honour as they stood on the podium alongside her, only for shyness to take over.
Instead their father Henry explained: “There’s an outdoor pool in the hotel we’re staying in. Georgia my daughter has been saying [to Rachael], ‘come on, you’ve to come swimming, you’ve to come swimming’, and it looks Baltic to me. Georgia said ‘Well, if you win this race you have to come swimming’, so that was the bet. Georgia only landed [in Cheltenham] today and she was very persistent.”
When not riding winners for their father Blackmore has clearly invested time in creating memories with the family away from the track. “Just to see her with the girls, she’s amazing to them,” said Henry. “She brings them off go-karting and all sorts of things. They’re very competitive the three of them!
“Even at Jack’s funeral around the time of his death, she was so good. The day after, 12 hours after Jack had died, this girl came out of one of the stables. Rachael lives an hour away from us, and it was her.”
The anecdotes reveal the close ties between Blackmore and the de Bromheads in a year of heartbreak.
“It’s a massive day for us, it’s a day to celebrate unfortunately his very short life,” said Henry. “The support we get is ridiculous. We’re so lucky because there are so many other people in our situation that don’t see this support, we’re extremely lucky in that sense.”
“All Jack’s friends have come,” said Heather. “They come stay with us every two or three weeks. They loved him so much the bond is still there. We live vicariously through them... Tuesday [when Honeysuckle won] was really beautiful. We got a beautiful rainbow and we got a rainbow at home. That always gives me great comfort that he’s really with us; parallel universe, but he is with us.”
