DWTS star Nina Carberry hoping for Irish winner at Cheltenham’s Gold Cup

The former jockey, who is currently competing on RTE’s Dancing With The Stars said she is backing an Irish horse to win the race.

“It's gonna be brilliant, the Irish have got a big chance,” she told reporters.

“We've got Minella Indo (jockeyed by Robbie Power) going again for a second and Al Boum Photo (jockeyed by Paul Townend) is going for his second win so we've got a really good Irish contingent for the Gold Cup, hopefully we get a winner.”

As she enters the semi-final of Dancing With The Stars, Nina is favourite to win, and with her eyes firmly on the prize she’ll be watching the race from her phone at training.

“I might be watching it on my phone somewhere I don't know where I’ll be,” she said.

Irish jockey Rachael Blackmore will jockey second favourite to win, French horse A Plus Tard, for the 3.30pm race.

Blackmore won the Champion Hurdle earlier this week riding favourite to win Honeysuckle.

Admiring her fellow jockey, Nina said Blackmore is “an incredible woman.”

“I got to watch the Champion Hurdle. She is an incredible woman.”

“What she done, [on Tuesday] was just pure class, she rode an incredible tactical race and with so much confidence it was great that the crowd was there to cheer her on.”

“It was unbelievable to watch that and see her win and achieve so much.”

Carberry, who hails from Ashbourne Co Meath got her first win at Cheltenham in 2005.

She was the first woman in 18 years to win a race at the festival.

In February 2012, she wed former jockey Ted Walsh, the brother of top jockeys Ruby Walsh and Katie Walsh.

The couple got tied the knot at The Church of the Holy Trinity in Ratoath, Co. Meath and had their reception in the nearby Tayto Park.

The couple welcomed their first child Rosie in May 2017. After Nina’s retirement in 2018, their second baby, Holly, came along in 2020.