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“I don’t feel male or female right now. I don’t even feel human.”
A memorable line from Rachael Blackmore after she became the first female jockey to win the Grand National when triumphing on Minella Times in 2021.
As she retires from the saddle aged 35, Blackmore can rightly be called a game changer who was among the best of her generation.
In a sport in which male and female riders compete on a level playing field, punters did not focus on whether she was a man or woman. She was just a top jockey.
The self-effacing pioneer went about setting landmarks with a quiet humility as the first woman to:
The daughter of a dairy farmer and a school teacher, she rode ponies as a child near her home in Killenaule, County Tipperary, in the Republic of Ireland.
Blackmore gained a degree in equine science with hopes of becoming a vet but combined her studies with riding out and competing as an amateur.
Her first winner came aboard Stowaway Pearl for John ‘Shark’ Hanlon at Thurles in 2011, and she turned professional four years later.
Much of her success came through an association with trainer Henry de Bromhead, while some of her early opportunities can be attributed to Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary and his Gigginstown House Stud team.
“We identified Rachael early on as a very good jockey – not a female jockey – and we put her on all the Gigginstown Horses with Henry and Joseph [O’Brien],” he said after her National victory.
Instinct, timing, tactical awareness and strength all played a part in her story. But also the ability to bounce back from falls and injury, plus sheer hard graft.
When she rode six winners to be leading jockey at the 2021 Cheltenham Festival, she may not have returned to grand fanfare at a meeting held behind closed doors because of Covid-19 restrictions, but the impact was still felt. Her tally was more than the entire British training contingent.
Before Blackmore, and fellow jockeys Lizzie Kelly and Bryony Frost, successes for female jockeys at Cheltenham were a rarity and largely came through amateur riders Katie Walsh and Nina Carberry.
With Walsh, Carberry and Kelly now retired and Frost moving to France after finding opportunities limited since winning a bullying case against fellow jockey Robbie Dunne, it will be interesting to see if other women can rise to the fore in jump racing.
While Blackmore has not outlined the reasons for her retirement, Walsh and Carberry stopped at similar ages.
They ended their careers with winners at Ireland’s showpiece Punchestown Festival and maybe Blackmore intended to do the same, but she unusually ended the recent meeting without a victory.
She suffered a bad neck injury in a fall earlier this season and only returned to action in December after three months out.
Blackmore took success for women to another level, competing for a historic Irish champion jockey title before twice finishing runner-up to Paul Townend.
Her achievements transcended racing. Victory in the National, watched by an estimated 500 million people worldwide, made headlines around the globe, and she was voted World Sport Star at the 2021 BBC Sports Personality awards.
“The support has been incredible. I got such a kick out of being on that list of nominees,” she said.
Those nominees included tennis star Novak Djokovic, boxing great Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and American football quarterback Tom Brady.
Blackmore, whose partner Brian Hayes is also a jockey, did not revel in the limelight – she preferred to get on with the business of riding winners – but spoke thoughtfully when interviewed.
De Bromhead said she was a great support after his 13-year-old son Jack died in a riding accident in September 2022.
The pair’s victory with Honeysuckle in the horse’s swansong in the Mares’ Hurdle at Cheltenham in March 2023 sparked jubilant and emotional scenes.
Spectators grabbed every vantage point to cheer the winner into the paddock. The roars were for the trainer and horse, but the rider too. Just mention the name ‘Rachael’ at the races, and everyone knew who you meant.
With Honeysuckle in the winner’s enclosure, a rainbow appeared on the horizon.
“We all wish a very special kid could be here today but he’s watching down on us,” said Blackmore.
Her partnership with Honeysuckle was a great match. Seventeen wins from 19 races, including four at the Cheltenham Festival. All with the same jockey on board.
Blackmore will be remembered for a series of firsts, and potentially paving the way for others.
“Ah, look, it’s brilliant, but I won’t be the last. I’m delighted for myself anyway,” she said after winning the National.
“I just hope it shows it doesn’t matter, male or female. Plenty of people have gone before me and done that – Katie Walsh was third here on Seabass. All those things help girls coming along, but I don’t think it’s a major talking point any more.”
When Blackmore won the Gold Cup on A Plus Tard, she earned praise from the Cheltenham Festival’s all-time leading rider Ruby Walsh.
“She’s inspiring kids everywhere. It’s incredible the interest she’s driving in the sport. You need role models like that for the sport and the industry, she’s box office,” he said.
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