Paddy Power have unveiled a 25ft (7.5m) statue entitled ‘Fearless Jockey’ at the Cheltenham Festival.
The giant statue was modeled after jockey Rachael Blackmore with the Tipperary rider turning up to Pinewood Studios to undergo 3D scanning to form the model of the statue.
The monument is located at the main entrance to Prestbury Park and weighs about 300kg with the inscription etched into the statue – “Some jockeys have big balls. Others are just great jockeys.”
Blackmore said of the statute: “To win the championship is every jockey’s dream. Being female no longer comes into it. The same goes for riding a winner here this week.
“When we walk out of the weighing room during the Cheltenham Festival, we all walk out shoulder to shoulder to compete as equals, regardless of which changing room we used.”
The “Fearless Jockey” statue will form part of a wider campaign by Paddy Power to celebrate and encourage gender equality in racing, the sport of kings – and queens.
A survey commissioned by Paddy Power found that 83% of racing fans believe it doesn’t matter what gender a jockey is.
