Legendary jumps Jockey Rachael Blackmore has announced her retirement of the saddle.
The Grand-Winning Rider announced on her social media that she brought her shimmering 16-year career to an end.
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She became the first female jockey Win De Grand National in 2021 while driving on Minella Times At home at Aintree for old boss Henry de Bromhead.
Blackmore35, also became the first woman Win the Cheltenham Gold Cup on a Plus Tard in 2022, one of the 18 winners on the Cheltenham Festival.
She said: “My days of jockey have ended.
“I feel that time is good. I am sad, but I am also incredibly grateful for what my life has been in the last 16 years.
“I just feel so happy, I am stressed on the horses I have, and to have experienced success that I had never even dreamed, could be possible.
“It is discouraging, not being able to say that I am a jockey more … Who am I even now! But I feel so incredibly lucky that I have had the career I have had.
“To have been in the right place with the right people at the right time, and to have come to the right horses – because it doesn’t matter how good you are without them. They gave me the best days of my life and I am very grateful for them.”
The groundbreaking rider spent three months on the sidelines earlier this year with a neck injury and she struggled for form when she returned to the saddle.
Lowdown on her incredible career
History maker Rachael Blackmore MBE has recorded 18 Cheltenham Festival winners and a large national triumph.
But her 10 years of groundbreaking victory after the victory was so much more than that.
She was the first woman to triumph in the National – in 2021 on Henry de Bromhead -Trained Minella Times.
In the same year she also became the first woman to end as the leading jockey of the Cheltenham festival, with six wins, including the Honeysuckle champion on Honeysuckle.
It helped to become Blackmore both the 2021 RTé Sports Person of the Year and BBC World Sport Star of the Year.
The following year she again wrote history as the first woman to triumph
Cheltenham Gold Cup – on Favorite A Plus Tard – and accompany Honeysuckle to another Hindern Success Champion.
Here is a guide for some of its performance:
- March 2015 – Professional.sept 2015 – First victory..2018 – Grand National Debut.
- April 2019 – First class 1 victory.
- 2021 – First woman who wins the champion hinder and first woman who finished the Cheltenham festival as a leading jockey.
- April 2021 – First female winner of the Grand National.
- 2022 – Second consecutive champion Hurdle Win on Honeysuckle.
First woman who wins the Cheltenham Gold Cup, on favorite a plus tard.
But in the end she still had a hugely successful season and completed a clean sweep from the four flagship Cheltenham Festival races when winning the residence of stay at Bob Olinger in March.
She also won the champion Hurdle twice on the brilliant mare Honeysuckle and the Chase chase on Captain Guinness last year.
Ultimate Cheltenham Jockey Rich List revealed with Rachael Blackmore Third and surprise leader worth £ 20 million
She continued: “The people to thank are endless, it is not possible to name everyone.
“First, my parents who gave me the best youth, and a pony that I couldn’t hold! This put the seed for a life of racing.
“I rode on my first winner for Shark Hanlon, who then helped me to become a champion.
“I will be Shark forever because he comes behind me, supports me and believed in me while it would have been just as easy to look somewhere else. He was the catalyst for what would come.
“A conversation between Eddie O’Leary and Henry de Bromhead in a taxi on the way to Aintree brought my career to a whole new level.
“Eddie brought me to Knokkeen, and what came after was unimaginable: Honeysuckle, a Plus Tard, Minella Indo, Captain Guinness, Bob Olinger, Minella Times, among many others … All with one thing in common – Henry de Bromhead.
“He is a phenomenal trainer, who brought the best to me. Without Henry my story is very different.
“For all my great friends – you have made winning specially. Brian Hayes will not enjoy a mention, but he was more important for my career than I can ever thank him.”
More to follow …
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