Rivals stars Victoria Smurfit, Luke Pasqualino and producer Felicity Blunt attend the unveiling of the Jilly Cooper memorial bench at Cheltenham and say 'she would have been having an utterly riotous time today'

Rivals stars Victoria Smurfit and Luke Pasqualino attended the Jilly Cooper memorial bench at Cheltenham Racecourse on Friday. Cast members from the TV show – which is based on Jilly's 1988 novel of the same name – joined family and friends to celebrate the author's life and legacy.The horseracing fan, who died last October aged 88, was a regular at the track and spent many days with friends at The Festival every March. Victoria, 52, who plays Maud O'Hara, said: 'It is extraordinary weather. In my head Jilly sorted this. She was like, "Now big fella in your big, old chair. Here is a glass of champagne, what we need is a bit of sunshine". I think that's what she's gone and done.'You don't turn Jilly Cooper down. She would have adored this. She would have tried not to make it about her, and yet relish in the fact that people she loved and everybody around her was here and that there was champagne flowing, and love, joy, and sunshine.'She would have loved all that. She was the greatest cheerleader on the planet I've ever come across. No better woman for sprinkling fairy dust. Rivals stars Victoria Smurfit and Luke Pasqualino attended the Jilly Cooper memorial bench at Cheltenham Racecourse on Friday alongside literary agent Felicty Blunt The horseracing fan, who died last October aged 88, was a regular at the track and spent many days with friends at The Festival every March'And then you have the gee-gees. She knew her stuff. I sort of feel like she's here to be honest, which is nice.'Speaking about what Jilly was like on the Rivals set, she said: 'She was ever-present, she was always there, and she'd be hilarious, because she'd come to set and about 11am go, "But where's the champagne, darling?"'This is a working environment, Jilly. But we'd always find some for her, and, actually, when we found out that she had gone to the sky at the end of our day's work, our fabulous producers had organised champagne glasses and bottles of champagne to be able to toast it.'Because that's what she would have wanted, and not in any plastic tumblers. In a proper glass. Jilly okayed everything that was going into season three. That's important.'A toast was then raised across the racecourse in Jilly's memory, just as the eight runners in the Jilly Cooper Veterans' Handicap Chase – won by Thunder Rock – went to post at 2.55pm. The memorial bench is on the Crescent Walkway.Victoria, who was dressed by Holland Cooper and wearing Boodles jewellery, sat next to producer Felicity Blunt and Luke, 36, who plays Bas Baddingham, in Rivals. Rufus Jones, 51, who plays Paul Stratton, was also present. Cast members from the TV show – which is based on Jilly's 1988 novel of the same name – joined family and friends (pictured) to celebrate the author's life and legacy The family of Dame Jilly Cooper pose on the memorial bench after it is unveiled Actor Hugh Bonneville, 63, and his girlfriend Heidi Kadlecova were also in attendance The memorial bench is on the Crescent Walkway Felicity Blunt and husband Stanley Tucci were also in attendance at the racing fixture held at Cheltenham racecourse A toast was then raised across the racecourse in Jilly's memory, just as the eight runners in the Jilly Cooper Veterans' Handicap Chase – won by Thunder Rock – went to post at 2.55pm Victoria, 52, who plays Maud O'Hara, said: She was the greatest cheerleader on the planet I've ever come across. No better woman for sprinkling fairy dust' (pictured with Aida Turner) Actor Hugh Bonneville, 63, Jilly's literary agent Felicity, 45, and her husband, Hollywood actor Stanley Tucci, 66, were also in attendance on Countryside Day to pay tribute to the star.Hugh, who was also dressed in Holland Cooper, said: 'Jilly would have loved today. She was very passionate about horses in general, and this place in particular, and she wrote about it.'To have this bench unveiling today with some of her family here. I actually played Felix, her son, in a show called The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous, which was one of her books, and there's a great family feeling here.'I think that's true of the whole Festival. You feel you've got the Irish family coming together to see their English counterparts. And we're blessed today with this amazing sunshine.'It's my first visit to Cheltenham, so I'm really excited, and it's a great tribute that there's a race in her honour today, this bench, and so many of her friends and family here to celebrate.'I think she shone a light, in a very fun and twinkly way, on racing, and horses in general, in so many of her books, and she was known as such a warm-hearted person who saw the good and the naughtiness in everyone. And so she wrote about us all.'Felicity added: 'She would have been having an utterly riotous time today. I wish this could have happened within her lifetime, but these things never do, understandably.'I feel like she's here, she feels really here. One - it's sunny, and that's a miracle. We've got to thank somebody for that, and it should be Jilly.'To have a bench here at Cheltenham, a place that she came so often and loved and was thrilled to spend time at, they were her people, I don't think she ever would have imagined such a thing would have been in the world's gift to give her.'This is a lovely, special Jilly-filled day. We're all going to want to go and sit on Jilly, right?! If you were going to choose any bench to sit on would it not be the Jilly Cooper bench? Because you just know there's probably a fairy-tale ending.'Stanley – who was introduced to Jilly through Felicity – admitted he had 'never met anyone quite like' Jilly.He said: 'Jilly would have been so honoured and thrilled. I loved meeting her. I'd never met anyone quite like her. She was funny, irreverent, and brilliant. And still so beautiful even at a ripe old age.'She loved being with people. She loved drinking champagne and talking to everyone no matter what time of the day it was. She was indefatigable.'