THE exact timing caught many by surprise, but Rachael Blackmore’s retirement announcement on Monday afternoon arguably came in the most Rachael Blackmore style possible.

Black typed text on a plain white note, posted on social media without comment. No signalling of a months-long, Frankie Dettori-style farewell tour. No signing off in the spotlight of a marquee meeting in front of heaving crowds. No attempt to talk up her outstanding array of achievements. That has never been her style.

What instead emerged on Monday from one of the most iconic riders to ever put on a pair of boots was the deflection of praise to a lengthy list of humans and horses who played a part in her career. That career was one that only the absolute elite of National Hunt riders could have dreamed of carving out - in any generation. Male or female.

It was built on hard graft and supreme talent, and what a joy it’s been for us all to follow the journey.

Rachael Blackmore was essentially the definition of a jockey who let their riding do the talking. Yet, regardless of whether or not she wanted to avoid any fanfare surrounding her retirement, there was always going to be an almighty outpouring of tributes once the news emerged. The great and the good of racing and beyond have been heard from, and that is only fitting.

Her impact on women’s sport in the country will continue to be felt through the coming generations, even if she has never been inclined to make a song and dance about her groundbreaking feats.

That remained the same only last Sunday when interviewed about her new book on The Brendan O’Connor Show on RTÉ Radio 1.

BO’C: “You don’t really like when people make a big deal of you becoming the first woman to win the Grand National, do you?”

RB: “No. I think when I crossed the line, it wasn’t something that hit me. But that’s because of all the incredible work of the women who went before me to put me in a position that when I won the race, that didn’t come into my head. It’s a privilege and very special to be the first woman to do anything. I completely appreciate that.”

Fittingly, what would prove to be her final Cheltenham Festival still saw her operating at the peak of her powers, riding a double for her old allies Henry de Bromhead and Robcour on day three. Both rides were top drawer, but her Stayers’ Hurdle success on Bob Olinger was something really special in the treasure trove of big-race-winning rides she’s conjured up. Confidence, coolness and a sublime timing knack for knowing when to break the hearts of her rivals on a veteran, suspect stayer. It was an awesome watch.

Having spent significant time on the sidelines this season, and perhaps with the private realisation of retirement looming, you could sense she got immense satisfaction from this winner. Looking back now, what a way it was to bow out from the grandest stage of all.

There are 13 Grade 1s on the programme at the Cheltenham Festival. Blackmore won 11 of them at least once. Her Stayers’ Hurdle strike this spring saw her complete the full set of championship races and - perhaps most impressive in the context of her impact at the meeting - it put her level on Cheltenham Festival wins (18) with the legendary Richard Dunwoody.

She retires with more Festival winners ridden than Charlie Swan, Fred Winter, Paul Carberry, Mick Fitzgerald and Peter Scudamore. Rare air indeed.

Those sort of accomplishments from Ireland’s first female champion conditional will ensure she is remembered in the history books long after all of us have gone. Crucially, though, one thing that will also stand out is the impression she left on the hordes of young children asking for autographs and pictures ever since her explosion into the mainstream as a rider.

No matter how much pressure there appeared to be on a given day, no matter how many were pulling out of her in moments when she’d surely have preferred to be simply getting on with the day job, it always appeared as though she found the time to create moments and memories for the young people eager to meet her. I have personally seen her walking back to the weighing room after the disappointment of getting beaten on an odds-on favourite or hitting the deck, yet it would never get in the way of making an interaction of warmth, with what were often young girls. Any racing frustration could be put to one side to crack a smile with those who wanted to meet her. That is most admirable.

Many young female riders trying to get a foothold in the game could reach out to her for guidance too.

It all points to someone of real substance behind the groundbreaking achievements on the racecourse.

Blackmore was largely selective with her media engagements, but what an ambassador she has been for racing. There has never even been a hint of a personal controversy linked to her, and her biggest successes in 2021 came at a time when the sport badly needed positive PR.

Don’t forget, only a year earlier it felt at times that any Irish person who went to Cheltenham at the beginning of the pandemic was to be treated as a leper upon returning home! If you were to believe some people, the Festival was seemingly the only large-scale event that might have spread Covid-19 in March 2020...

Rachael’s sensational six-timer when the meeting next came around in 2021 put a whole different look on proceedings for the wider world, and that was at a time when there were a host of passing viewers tuning in during lockdown.

Her legacy is about so much more than that spectacular spring, but make no mistake, racing is in a much better place for having Rachael Blackmore in it - and she did it all in her own style. Right to the end.

Monday’s announcement went out of its way to thank others, but we owe her a great debt of gratitude.

AS Rachael Blackmore exits the stage, a major hole has been left in the female riding ranks.

Given her greatest feats only came in recent years, it will surely take a few years to see if a ‘Blackmore Effect’ can take shape in terms of a new group of young women being inspired by her exploits.

Still, for the immediate future at least, it looks as though there will be a distinct lack of female jockey participation at the top-level of National Hunt racing, and that has to be a negative for the sport.

Addressing that imbalance is anything but a straightforward challenge, but the conversation is one well worth having for the next generation.