Rachael Blackmore closing in on riding return

Henry de Bromhead hopes to see Rachael Blackmore return to the saddle in the “next few weeks”.

The record-breaking Cheltenham Gold Cup and Grand National-winning rider has been sidelined since suffering a neck injury in a fall at Downpatrick in late September.

In her absence, Darragh O’Keeffe has come in for the majority of the rides aboard De Bromhead’s horses, enjoying big-race success with the likes of Envoi Allen at Down Royal and Quilixios at Naas, as well as steering this weekend’s Coral Gold Cup contender Senior Chief to a lucrative victory at Cheltenham.

The trainer has now issued a positive update on his stable jockey’s recovery, with a return to saddle expected before Christmas.

“She (Blackmore) was here the other day, it was great to see her, she looked great and seemed in really good form,” he told Sky Sports Racing.

“She’s obviously a bit frustrated, but it was great to see her down here. I think she is aiming for mid to end of December, I’m not quite sure yet – there’s no firm plans.

“She’s working really hard to get back and as far as she’s concerned she could have come back about a month ago! But quite rightly, she’s taken the advice of all the doctors and hopefully she’ll be back in the next few weeks.”

De Bromhead also confirmed the King George VI Chase as the likely next port of call for Envoi Allen.

The 10-year-old proved the fire still burns bright when regaining his crown in the Ladbrokes Champion Chase earlier this month and now looks set for a second shot at Kempton’s Boxing Day showpiece, having disappointed as a leading contender two years ago.

De Bromhead said: “He was brilliant (at Down Royal), he’s got some attitude and the way he keeps coming back is amazing.

“He’s been in great form since and we’re leaning strongly towards the King George. We haven’t firmed anything up as yet, but we weren’t right when he went two years ago – he didn’t run his race at all – and we’d love to have another crack at it. He’s definitely got the profile for it.”