LAST YEAR Rachael Blackmore took the horse racing world by storm with her exploits at Aintree and Cheltenham

She became festival’s leading rider with six winners and became the first female jockey to win the Champion Hurdle in a bumper year.

It's fair to say that the Tipperary native has had an excellent year

However he 32-year-old is not reflecting on her achievements and is now looking ahead to this years Cheltenham festival which starts on Tuesday

Despite winning, she said it'a about what comes next

She said:

"We’re already talking about Cheltenham and Aintree this year, so what happened last year seems to be fading a bit now. It’s probably something that will sink in when you’ve got grey hair and you can enjoy what happened.

"I suppose when I came home (from Aintree) and I was driving through my home town of Killenaule and I could see posters in the windows of people’s homes with my face on them, it really resonated then what my personal achievements meant to the people where I’m from.

"But it’s a constant, revolving wheel and as a jockey you’re looking forward. It’s always 'what’s next?'. That’s the way you’re looking as a jockey.

"I’m really looking forward to getting back to Cheltenham."

Last year she made history with Honeysuckle in the Champion Hurdle and returns on the same mare to defend her title

The horse and jockey pairing are being heavily backed by punters to make it two out of two.

Honeysuckle is unbeaten in 14 starts since then and the 32-year-old knows how special the horse is

"To win a Champion Hurdle on Honeysuckle was such a pinnacle for me. That was absolutely massive," said Blackmore.

"It’s a great help when something like that happens on the Tuesday as it takes a bit of pressure off for the rest of the week. We’ll be trying our best to do it again.

"Honeysuckle has never let me down to this day, so I can’t see why this year will be any different."

Cheltenham tips from Ruby Walsh can be found here.