She's come a long way from Tipperary

AFTER jumping over the hurdles of the male dominated horse racing industry, Rachael Blackmore roared across the finish line with her Grand National win in 2021 on Minella Times - making her the first woman ever to do so in the sport's 186-year history.

- By Samantha Wostear

Her game-changing achievement shattered the glass ceiling but went beyond gender. Asked by an interviewer how she felt, she replied: "I don't feel male or female right now. I don't even feel human."

As jump racing's queen, Blackmore had no rival. During her 16 groundbreaking years in the saddle, the trailblazing Irish rider came and won it all good enough to beat the men, brave enough to be a woman in a man's world, she was considered an outstanding jockey in her own right.

Before her Grand National win, Blackmore had already ridden to victory at Cheltenham in the Champion Hurdle on Honeysuckle and became the Cheltenham Festival's leading rider with six victories. In 2022, she landed the Cheltenham Gold Cup with A Plus Tard, galloping clear to the finish after waiting behind a group of horses for the right moment to shine.

On that occasion, remarking on the jubilant crowds excited to see her at the first public meet following the pandemic, she said: "To have that roar back and to get to walk back in when you can't see space and you can just see bodies is just incredible. It is the closest thing to feeling like a rock star you will ever feel without being able to sing."

Yet despite her achievements, Blackmore remained utterly self-effacing. She didn't seek attention and preferred to let her riding do the talking rather than resort to arrogant rhetoric.

Even while making her surprise retirement announcement on Monday, Blackmore, 35, mainly used her words to praise others. In a statement posted on social media, she said: "I feel the time is right. 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 any more. Who even am I now! But I feel so incredibly lucky to have had the career I've had."