Victoria Pendleton aiming to prove critics wrong ahead of Cheltenham Festival debut: ‘For me to get round the course would be winning… I feel honoured to be part of this’

Victoria Pendleton is preparing to race at Cheltenham Festival on Friday
The Olympic medallist will ride Paul Nicholls-trained Pacha Du Polder
Pendleton’s personal target is to get round the course unscathed
Many have doubted Pendleton but she wants to prove doubters wrong
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Published:
10:30 GMT, 14 March 2016

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Updated:
19:30 GMT, 14 March 2016

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Victoria Pendleton could hardly contain her excitement ahead of her Cheltenham Festival debut, with finishing the race unscathed the main target for the former cyclist.

The three-time Olympic medallist is to mount Pacha Du Polder for the Foxhunter Chase on Friday, the Paul Nicholls-trained horse she rode to her first amateur victory at Wincanton.

Pendleton, who was speaking on Good Morning Britain, believes being able to finish the race will be a victory in itself.

Victoria Pendleton was a guest on Good Morning Britain and spoke about her Cheltenham Festival debut

The 35-year-old was optimistic about the Festival as she spoke to Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid

Pendleton says that finishing the race would be a victory for her as she aims to prove critics wrong

She said: ‘Oh no [on expecting to win], ultimately there are going to be some very experienced amateur jockeys in that race.

‘For me to get round would be winning, I mean I feel I’ve already won in some respects because I found a sport I absolutely adore and feel I’ve been given a second chance to really love something, when the cycling was over I thought, ‘that’s it.’

‘But the chance to do it at a major sporting festival and be part of something to remember for the rest of my days, I feel honoured to be given a second chance.’

Back in February, John Francome was critical of Pendleton’s attempts to ride at Cheltenham following her unseating at Fakenham, labelling the star as ‘an accident waiting to happen.’

But while the 35-year-old insisted the former National Hunt champion was entitled to his thoughts, she feels she has enough ability to get around the testing course.

John Francome was critical of the 35-year-old’s attempts to ride at Cheltenham Festival back in February

The former jockey labelled Pendleton as ‘an accident waiting to happen’ after her fall at Fakenham

‘Everyone is entitled to their opinion at the end of the day,’ she claimed.

‘Look at the race at Fakenham, I was unseated and didn’t look competent and I didn’t do my best job and do myself justice. So I worked hard on that and came back two weeks later to ride my first winner.

‘I’m not planning on being the most stylish amateur out there in 12 months; that’s impossible but competent enough to compete in that race.’

But the Olympic medallist bounced back two weeks later to ride Pacha Du Polder to victory at Wincanton

The Festival is notoriously one of the racing’s toughest but Pendleton admitted she’s thrived under the pressure of learning a completely different sport.

She said: ‘People would say to me, ‘you’re going to become an absolute novice after being the best in the world at something?’ And I was like, ‘it didn’t even cross my mind.’

‘For me the opportunity to learn something new and do something I’ve never done before just to see what I’m capable of. That was enough of a draw and appeal that I don’t really care ultimately starting at the beginning.’