Poor Victoria P. Suffered Just Like Lulu on Strictly - But Massive Hit In Cheltenham in the 'foxhunter chase' classic race !

Back in a saddle this time on a horse after only a year of riding in contrast to her Strictly experience has been celebrated in the winners enclosure at Cheltenham for her amazing riding in the 'foxhunter chase' classic race.

It just goes to show how amazingly naturally talented Victoria is and how things could have been so different for her on Strictly Come Dancing if only she could of had some luck in the initial draw.


" “Her husband David told me: ‘Victoria never chokes on the big stage.’

“She’s a mighty atom. She may be small, but my god she’s tough.” "


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/racing/20...s-and-courage/


Congratulations and well done Victoria.

Just to clarify this for people who have no interest in National Hunt racing at all!

The Cheltenham National Hunt Festival, is for racing fans, a kind of annual equivalent of the Olympics.

The Foxhunter's Chase, which was the one race in which Victoria Pendelton took place, is the top race for amateur jockeys at the four day meeting. There has been much controversy in the racing world about her participation as she has been paid large sums to train for and ride in this race.

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blo...enius-disaster

The use of the phrase "winners enclosure at Cheltenham" is likely to be highly misleading to people who do not follow the sport, as Victoria did not win the race, but came a highly creditable fifth.

Normally, the first four horses would come into this unsaddling enclosure, which is the area where the leading finishers in a race are unsaddled in view of the spectators, (other horses in the same race are unsaddled elsewhere at the racecourse).

http://news.sky.com/story/1662724/pe...-at-cheltenham

Because of the huge media interest in Victoria Pendleton, - TalkSport radio said there were 19 more TV crews in attendance than would normally be there - the Cheltenham Racecourse Executive had allocated an additional place in the winner's enclosure for Victoria to unsaddle her horse which is why she was in the winner's enclosure after the race - it was not related to the performance of the racehorse she was riding in the race.

My personal opinion, (for what it is worth), is that she rode an excellent race on a horse which was an outsider in the race - in what is an extremely dangerous sport!

http://talksport.com/horse-racing/ch...chase-pacha-du

Ironically, Victoria has been quoted in the press as saying that she found Strictly more scary than riding in National Hunt races....

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/horse-...-scary-7579239

I always thought she was ill at ease on Strictly, it was not really something that fell within her comfort zone for me - irrespective of who she was partnered with.

However, I'm sure that if Anton du Beke, had been in the saddle of Pacha du Polde at Cheltenham, that the horse would have waltzed it in the Foxhunters!! (grooooooaaaan! ).

Actually, it would have been more interesting to see Pasha on Pacha!!

OK .... I'll get my coat

She did an awful lot better than i expected - I thought she was an accident waiting to happen. A shame that the attention focussed on her took away a little from an absolute stormer of a winning ride from the best lady jump jockey around, Nina Carberry..

I think she did brilliantly, but I take your point regarding the winner. Victoria has parachuted into the racing as though she is on some kind of reality show or fly on the wall "What Victoria did next" theme. Its a very modern media kind of project and her past success Im assuming has opened up many doors for her far quicker than would normally be the case?
I suppose interest is interest and cant be bad for Racing, she is living the dream constantly and is having quite a life.

I saw the interview with Nina Carberry on RUK just after the race and she didn't mind talking about VP........she said she met her for the first time that day, what a great girl she was, what a brilliant ride she'd given the horse,..........

I got the impression she didn't mind sharing the limelight at all.........

two classy girls !

I Agree with you and your post

I always said her hit and miss dancing was because her centre of gravity is her derriere 😁