What happened to the 'Rachael Blackmore effect'?

Rachael Blackmore inspired a new generation by smashing glass ceilings in a maledominated, physically punishing sport. So where are jump racing's next female superstars? Jennifer Donald explores

- Jennifer Donald

OVER the past decade, the trailblazing queen of jump racing Rachael Blackmore cemented her status as the most successful female jump jockey of all time. The pioneering athlete delivered a string of seminal triumphs, most notably in her historic 2021 Grand National victory. Aged 35, Rachael completed her legacy when she hung up her boots at the end of last season. She had proved to an adoring new audience that, with a generous dose of talent and ambition, a jockey's gender is irrelevant and anything is possible.

“I don't feel male or female – I don't even feel human,” she said after winning Aintree's showpiece on the Henry de Bromhead-trained Minella Times. Rachael spearheaded a wealth of inspirational female talent, which started with Lorna Vincent becoming the first female professional to win against male counterparts in 1978. It has since included the likes of inaugural Grade One-winning Lizzie Kelly and Bryony Frost, the first female jockey to win a Grade One race at the Cheltenham Festival.

Statistics from the University of Liverpool in conjunction with the Racing Post a few years ago revealed that female jockeys actually outperformed their male counterparts in four of the previous five seasons.

So, why aren't today's racecards bursting with successful female jump jockeys?

Figures issued by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) reveal the stark reality, with just nine fully fledged female professional jump jockeys riding in Britain today, versus 97 men (see charts, next page).

At the 2025 Cheltenham Festival, the only female jockey aside from Rachael to be welcomed back to the winner's enclosure was Irish amateur Jody Townend. Isabel Williams was the sole other professional female jump jockey in action.