Rachael Blackmore: The Rise of a National Hunt Icon
There are jockeys and then there's Rachael Blackmore. Born in rural Killenaule, County Tipperary, in 1989, she would go from modest beginnings to rewriting what was possible in the male-dominated world of jump racing. Her name will forever be linked to moments that sent shockwaves through the sport.
Blackmore’s rise didn’t look destined from the start. Growing up on a dairy farm, she took to riding early but didn’t dream of top-level racing stardom. Yet, through determination and resilience, she entered the professional ranks—against the odds for a woman in National Hunt.
Her record speaks for itself: first female jockey to win the Grand National in 2021 onboard Minella Times, making headlines around the globe. Just a year later at Cheltenham, she became the first woman to get her hands on the prestigious Gold Cup aboard A Plus Tard. And at the 2021 Cheltenham Festival, she stunned the sport with six victories, emerging as the festival's top jockey—a feat that turned her into an instant sporting superstar.
But it wasn’t only those headline events. She racked up major wins: the Champion Hurdle on Honeysuckle (2021, 2022), three straight Irish Champion Hurdle victories, and finally, as her career reached its summit in 2025, she added both the Champion Chase and Stayers' Hurdle to her glittering haul. That final tally—575 victories—came after tenacious years travelling racetracks across Ireland and Britain, often battling serious injury, unrelenting competition, and the constant physical demands of the job.
Private Life in the Public Eye
For all the fanfare, Blackmore has guarded her personal life from the endless gaze of fans and journalists. Her relationship with fellow jockey Brian Hayes isn’t a piece of racing gossip she hawks for headlines. The two, often seen at the stables and on course, keep things exceptionally low-key—no flashy social media posts and no interviews about their time outside racing. In an era where sharing is the norm, her insistence on privacy feels almost old-fashioned, yet it’s become a defining part of her public persona.
While little is known about their domestic arrangement, there’s no doubt that having another rider as a partner probably helped Blackmore stay sharp. Traveling to meets, dealing with pressure and injury, training in all conditions—Hayes has lived it, too. That quiet support system seems to have offered her the stability to push boundaries on the track, while avoiding the distractions that sideline so many in the spotlight.
As she steps away from professional racing, Blackmore’s list of honors looks almost overwhelming: the Honorary MBE in 2023, RTÉ Sports Person of the Year and BBC World Sport Star in 2021, besides the adulation of her peers and the countless young girls who saw her smashing through barriers. Her legacy isn’t just in her results, but in how she reimagined what success looks like in one of the hardest, most unforgiving sports there is.
