Rachael Blackmore announced her racing retirement on Monday to bring to an end an illustrious career in the sport.
The Irish jockey was a trailblazer throughout a competitive career which saw 575 winners from 4,566 races ran.
Her retirement at 35 was unexpected for many but she believes she is heading off into the sunset when the time is right.
Blackmore went out in fine fashion as she rode Ma Belle Etoile to victory at Cork last Saturday before confirming retirement with immediate effect at the beginning of the week.
‘I feel the time is right,’ Blackmore said in her retirement statement. ‘I’m sad but I’m also incredibly grateful for what my life has been for the past 16 years.
‘It is daunting, not being able to say that I am a jockey anymore. Who even am I now! But I feel so incredibly lucky to have had the career I’ve had.’
Her enviable racing CV boasts a multitude; in 2021 she became the first female to win the Grand National in the 182-year history of the famed steeplechase on Minella Times before she became the first female lead jockey at Cheltenham the following year.
The feats didn’t end there that year as Blackmore also became the first female Gold Cup winner when coming home first aboard A Plus Tard in 2022.
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While Blackmore is stepping away from racing itself, she will still be surrounded by the sport through others in her circle.
Her boyfriend is fellow jockey Brian Hayes, with Blackmore revealing back in 2021 that they were living together in Carlow along with another jockey, Patrick Mullins.
Blackmore’s retirement statement also paid tribute to Hayes, who she said was “more important to my career than I’ll ever be able to thank him for”.
Punditry
With some more free time on her hands, Blackmore would be a shoo-in for a top punditry job either in Ireland or the UK, where she was awarded an honorary MBE in 2023.
Examples exist in the racing world of a number of ex-jockeys carving out a stable post-racing career providing their comments and insights on TV.
Irish legends AP McCoy and Ruby Walsh have appeared for numerous years on racing coverage in both Ireland and the UK and Blackmore would undoubtedly make for an intriguing and fresh new voice.