How Eddie O'Leary's taxi journey set Rachael Blackmore on the path to greatness

Back to that Liverpool taxi in April 2018, just four years and a revolution ago. Henry de Bromhead was restless, frustrated by the knowledge he had quality horses at his County Waterford yard and no one to ride them, or at least not a committed jockey who he really trusted to do the job well.

With him in the taxi was Eddie O'Leary of the much-maligned Gigginstown operation, about to play a decisive part in shaping the immediate future of jump racing in Britain and Ireland. "You should consider using Rachael Blackmore," he said. "She's a brilliant rider and works so hard."

Blackmore had made a significant mark by then, having been champion conditional in Ireland the year before and ridden out her claim soon after. She was on her way to finishing 11th in the jockeys' table. In Britain, her name wouldn't ring much of a bell with anyone outside hardcore racing fans.