From humble beginnings to Grand National history and household name status: Rachael Blackmore's greatest moments
Catherine Macrae recaps the trailblazing jockey's major successes both in and out of the saddle
Rachael Blackmore announced her retirement on Monday with immediate effect after a groundbreaking career spanning over a decade. Here are some of her biggest moments. . .
Blackmore claims first professional win
Rachael Blackmore may have gone on to achieve global fame but her days as a jockey began in quieter fashion when she claimed her first win as a professional at Clonmel in 2015.
The success came as a 7lb claimer on Most Honourable in the 2m½f handicap hurdle for County Carlow trainer Shark Hanlon, who also provided Blackmore with her first win under rules as an amateur in February 2013.
Blackmore would acquire five more wins during the 2015-16 season before landing the Irish conditional jockeys' title the following campaign.
A Plus Tard delivers festival first
Blackmore's partnership with the brilliant A Plus Tard may not have reached its pinnacle in 2019 but it still made headlines when he delivered her a first Cheltenham Festival win in the Close Brothers Novices' Handicap Chase.
The five-year-old was the youngest in the field but still blew his rivals away with a 16-length romp, firmly putting Blackmore on the map on the opening day of the meeting.
The success was an early indicator of the fruitful partnership between Blackmore and trainer Henry de Bromhead, who would go on to provide the jockey with the lion's share of her career winners.
Grade 1 glory at last as Minella Indo strikes
Just three days after getting her first taste of Cheltenham Festival success, Blackmore was back for more and making headlines when she claimed her first Grade 1 victory in the 2019 Albert Bartlett.
Not only was Blackmore's breakthrough Grade 1 success achieved on jump racing's biggest stage, but it came at odds of 50-1 in the novice staying contest on future Gold Cup hero Minella Indo.
The winner would go on to show the success was no fluke by giving Allaho a thumping at the Punchestown festival two months later, but Blackmore would miss out the eventual Gold Cup triumph in 2021 when opting to ride runner-up A Plus Tard.
Honeysuckle dominates in the Champion Hurdle
Festival winners may have become the norm for Blackmore by 2021 but a history-making spring began auspiciously when she landed the Champion Hurdle for the first time.
The meeting was held behind doors due to the Covid pandemic but a lack of crowds would not take the shine off the dazzling success of wonder mare Honeysuckle.
Kenny Alexander's superstar mare had landed the previous season's Mares' Hurdle and delivered one of the best performances of her career to land an 11th straight win under Blackmore in the championship event, leaving Sharjah in the dust by six and a half lengths. She would go on to retain her title the following year.
"This was never even a dream," Blackmore said after becoming the first woman to win the contest. "It was so far from what I ever thought could happen in my life.
"Maybe there's a lesson in that for everyone out there. To young people out there, male, female or whatever, if you want to do something go and do it because to me standing here right now, literally anything can happen."
Minella Times brings the house down in the Grand National
One of the biggest dreams a jump jockey can have is to claim Grand National glory and Blackmore finally achieved the lifelong ambition with a perfect spin on Minella Times in 2021.
The De Bromhead-trained eight-year-old powered clear of stablemate Balko Des Flos to provide Blackmore with another milestone as she became the first woman to ride the winner of Aintree's famous chase.
"I don't feel male or female right now. I don't even feel human," she said after the landmark triumph. "This is just unbelievable."
Blackmore's Aintree heroics and her subsequent strike at the Punchestown festival on Honeysuckle capped off an outstanding season for the rider. Alongside her Grand National win, she also claimed the leading jockey accolade at the Cheltenham Festival and amassed a career-high seasonal tally of 92 winners.
Blackmore becomes star of the sports world
Blackmore's stunning season in 2020-21 was mostly achieved behind closed doors due to the pandemic, but the public were able to show their appreciation when voting took place in a series of national awards.
The jockey joined the likes of Lionel Messi, Simone Biles, Usain Bolt and Muhammad Ali in being awarded the prestigious BBC World Sport Star of the Year, a prize for non-British athletes handed out at the Sports Personality of the Year ceremony.
Blackmore received the honour just one day after claiming the 2021 RTÉ Sports Person of the Year, when she became the first jockey to win the award since AP McCoy in 2013.
A Plus Tard blazes home for Gold Cup glory
With the Grand National already to her name, Blackmore had one big race at the top of her bucket list and it took less than a year for her to cross it off when she claimed the 2022 Cheltenham Gold Cup on A Plus Tard.
The 32-year-old rider was emphatic as she ticked off another major career milestone, getting a sublime tune out of A Plus Tard up the Cheltenham hill to see off former winners Al Boum Photo and Minello Indo by a resounding 15 lengths.
It was redemption for Blackmore, who had to settle for second the previous year, and a career-best effort from A Plus Tard. The pair were in perfect unison in front of a packed crowd, allowing the jockey to finally soak up the public adoration she had missed out on the year before.
Honeysuckle bows out with fairytale win
The Cheltenham Festival has the habit of throwing up some magical successes but there have been few in recent years as poignant as Honeysuckle's victory in the 2023 Mares' Hurdle.
De Bromhead's stable star lost her unbeaten record at the start of the 2022-23 season and connections opted for the Mares' Hurdle over the Champion, declaring her bid to remain unbeaten at Cheltenham would be her final race.
The brave mare battled to a fourth festival victory under Blackmore and returned to an outpouring of emotion in the Cheltenham winner's enclosure, with the success coming just six months after the tragic death of De Bromhead's son Jack.
Captain Guinness causes Champion Chase upset
Blackmore clocked another major milestone in 2023 when she landed her first Champion Chase on Captain Guinness.
El Fabiolo was sent off the 2-9 favourite but was pulled up after a bad blunder at the fifth, paving the way for Blackmore to pull clear before holding off the dogged challenge of Gentleman De Mee to land the Grade 1 contest.
The length-and-a-half success added to Blackmore's extensive trophy haul at the Cheltenham Festival, which totalled 18 by her retirement.
Blackmore stays the distance with final Grade 1 success
After many years of forging new paths in the sport it was only fitting that Blackmore's final Grade 1 win resulted in another slice of history as she joined a select few riders to win the four major championship races at the Cheltenham Festival.
Bob Olinger's victory in the 2025 Stayers' Hurdle also completed Blackmore's quintet of the five major jumps racing prizes – the Champion Hurdle, Champion Chase, Stayers' Hurdle, Gold Cup, and Grand National – an accolade only previously achieved by Ruby Walsh and Barry Geraghty.
Blackmore signs off in style at Cork
Blackmore announced her immediate retirement on Monday afternoon, which came just two days after her final ride, and winner, at Cork.
The trailblazing jockey showed up for the one ride at the sunny Saturday meeting and ensured the journey was not wasted with victory on Ma Belle Etoile in the 2m1½f novice hurdle.
Her final win may have gone unheralded at the time but came by an impressive 12-length margin. It may not have been Grade 1 glory, but the result will be consigned to the history books all the same.
Read more:
Rachael Blackmore's heroes: the five horses who helped etch her name into greatness
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