THE achievements of Rachael Blackmore in recent seasons is being cited as one of the main reasons behind a sudden surge in the number of licensed female jockeys in Ireland.

Within the past year the number of female amateur riders has jumped from 61 to 86. There are a further 32 female professional or apprentice jockeys with licences.

Lisa O’Neill, chairperson for the Lady Riders Association, said: “Every day you see new girls coming along or hear of them applying for licences. It’s noticeable that lady rider races are now attracting full fields and even the reserves are jocked up.”

O’Neill, along with Nina Carberry and Katie Walsh, has done plenty to raise the profile of female amateurs herself but acknowledges that Rachael Blackmore has taken things to a another level. “Rachael has broken the glass ceiling. The bias against females has definitely evaporated in recent years. Initiatives such as the Connolly’s Red Mills series of hurdle races have also helped girls make contacts. Maxine O’Sullivan rode Dreal Deal in one of those races and retained the ride.”

The work done behind the scenes by people such as point-to-point regional secretary Frankie Ward to promote lady riders was also highlighted by O’Neill. “Frankie does massive work to pull in sponsors for these races. Rachael Blackmore started in points, as did I. They are a great stepping stone.”

Keith Rowe, director of the Racing Academy and Centre of Education, confirmed that more and more young women are applying for the trainee jockey course each year.

“We would see it in the number of applications we receive and the those selected for the course,” he said. “Over the years the ratio of boys to girls has flipped. Not so long ago it would have been 80% male but the balance has just tipped in favour of females now. We are actually just following the international trend.”

Last year’s RACE graduates were almost exactly evenly split between the genders but, importantly, Rowe says that more of the female graduates are now going on to apply for apprentice licences, which was not always the case. “The phrase ‘If you can’t see it, you can’t be it’ rings true. The girls can now see an opportunity if they take out a licence. Whatever perceived biases there were against female jockeys are gradually being eroded. Sports science findings have also led people to question whether there is any difference in the effectiveness of males versus females as jockeys.”