TO be honest, I was shocked when I got the call to say she was calling time on riding - stuck to the chair! But that’s just Rachael, weighing up that the day of a nice, quiet Killarney on a Monday was the right way to go out. A moment when nobody was expecting it. I have to say, I’m ridiculously proud of her.

I can remember back in her amateur days having the conversation with Shark [Hanlon] about the possibility of her turning professional, and then obviously speaking to Rachael on her ambitions for it too. She turned conditional in 2015 and the rest is history. She went from strength to strength, and just never stopped.

There were a couple of seasons where she had more rides than any other National Hunt jockey in Ireland [615 in 2018/’19 and 570 in 2020/’21], and what she did was just remarkable from where she started out.

I think back to the summer of 2015 when she was building up a few rides on a horse called Personal Shopper, trained by Harry Smyth, and I was asking and asking Harry would he ever please give her a chance to keep the ride when the horse was running well without winning. Once she got one winner on the board as a conditional, it all rolled from there. There were monumental goals and she kept ticking them off one by one.

Incredible

If I had to pick out something that set her apart, I think it’s her passion and enthusiasm for the sport. It’s incredible. Right from the word go, it was always evident to me how much passion she had. And despite everything and anything that was thrown at her, she remained focused and completely modest at every step.

She’d always praise the trainer, the horse - everyone but herself. Her humility constantly stood out. She rewrote every history book you could imagine and still never changed who she is.

I was thinking back after getting off the phone with her the other day, and I don’t think we ever had a cross word in all our time working together. She trusted me with what I put her on and never questioned me about a ride. I have to say, that always meant an awful lot.

Ever since I’ve been a jockeys’ agent, my dream has been to have a jockey win the Grand National and I never miss being at Aintree. The one year I couldn’t get there with the pandemic, she goes and wins it, but the neighbours would have heard me roaring from miles away that day. It meant everything to see her achieve that.

It’s a highly emotional moment to see her retiring. It absolutely is. But at the end of the day, the biggest feeling is that I’m immensely proud of her for everything she’s done. Worldwide, her achievements have been recognised and it can never be underestimated what she’s done for racing in Ireland.

Nobody deserves success more than her. She’s been a leader and a true champion.

I’M so proud of Rachael. She got to somewhere the rest of us dreamt of.

Ginger McCain once said “horses ridden by women do not win Grand Nationals” and Rachael proved him wrong. When she got the opportunities she delivered and that is testament to the hard worker she is.

Rachael is a competitive person and humble, both in victory and defeat. She never sought the limelight and remained level-headed throughout her career. Being able to handle the highs and lows, to handle the pressure of riding a horse like Honeysuckle, helped her to become the person she is.

Being a jump jockey is not an easy game. I’ve seen Rachael take some heavy falls and couldn’t believe she walked away unhurt. I got injured every time I fell! I know Rachael had a bad neck injury last year but overall she had very few injuries and that’s something you can’t take for granted, even with better access to physios and conditioning coaches.

It takes a special person to have both the physical and mental strength to do what Rachael has done. She has normalised women competing at the very top level of sport.

Rachael took a leap of faith in turning professional – very few women had done that before her. Can we keep it going? We all have a role to play to bring on the next generation. Rachael is already a role model for women in sport but I’d say she has a lot more to give.

I am excited to see what’s next for her. The world is her oyster. I don’t know if Rachael will follow me into politics but I did text her to say I am available to give her dancing lessons!

Rachael has changed many people’s perceptions of what female jockeys can achieve. There hadn’t been a professional female jump jockey for years before Rachael turned and now there are three or four. That’s a legacy in itself. When we hold Junior Academy days at RACE the ratio of girls to boys is 70:30 or even 80:20. It used to be 50:50. That’s the Blackmore factor. And if you ask any of the kids who their favourite jockey is, both boys and girls say Rachael. Just as Rachael wanted to be A.P. McCoy, the boys want to be Rachael.

But I honestly don’t think we will see another Rachael in my lifetime. She had resilience, a strong work ethic and talent. Very few have all the attributes you need to reach the top.

Rachael is a fine example to anyone, male or female, of how to be successful in racing. You have to work hard, take the hits, be gracious, humble, constantly trying to improve and ready to take opportunities when they arise. She learned from any mistakes she made. She was extremely dedicated, and proved to everyone that she could do the job. She is a great role model for anyone in the industry.

MY days of being a jockey have come to an end.

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. I just feel so lucky, to have been legged up on the horses I have, and to have experienced success I never even dreamt could be possible.

The people to thank are endless, it’s not possible to mention everyone (as I don’t want this to be another book) but I’m going to get a few names in here anyway and to everyone else, you know who you are, as they say.

Firstly, my parents who provided me with the best childhood, and a pony I couldn’t hold! This set the seed for a life of racing. Aidan Kennedy gave me my first ride in a point-to-point. I spent time riding out for Arthur Moore and Pat Doyle which I loved. Sam Curling and Liam Lennon were also big supporters as was Denise O’Shea, John Nicholson, Ellmarie Holden, Harry Smyth and Gigginstown House Stud.

I rode my first winner for Shark Hanlon, who then helped me become champion conditional. I will be forever grateful to Shark for getting behind me, supporting me and believing in me when it would have been just as easy to look elsewhere. He was the catalyst for what was to come.

A conversation between Eddie O’Leary and Henry de Bromhead in a taxi on the way to Aintree took my career to a whole new level. Eddie got me in the door at Knockeen, and what came next was unimaginable: Honeysuckle, A Plus Tard, Minella Indo, Captain Guinness, Bob Olinger, Minella Times, among many others… all with one thing in common – Henry de Bromhead. He’s a phenomenal trainer, who brought out the best in me. Without Henry, my story is very different.

Professionalism and friendship

To my sponsors over the years. Dornan, KPMG, Volvo, Betfair, PCI Insurance, thank you for your support. To Garry Cribbin, who looked after me as my agent since day one with professionalism and friendship. To Rebecca Matthews who managed (and hopefully will continue to manage!) the non-horse related requests. To Willie Mullins who provided me with success throughout my career.

To all the team in Knockeen who do such incredible work looking after all the horses, without you and all the stable staff across the country, winners don’t happen.

To Davy Roche, who’s help was invaluable when I was privileged enough to have a choice in a race. To all the amazing doctors, surgeons and physios who looked after me over the years. To all the wonderful owners who trusted me and gave me the opportunity to do what I love doing.

To everyone I shared the weighroom with, I’ll miss being in there with you. To all my great friends – you made winning special. Brian Hayes won’t enjoy getting a mention, but he was more important to my career than I’ll ever be able to thank him for.

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.

To have been in the right place at the right time with the right people, and to have gotten on the right horses - because it doesn’t matter how good you are without them. They have given me the best days of my life and to them I am most grateful.

Rachael Blackmore Career Milestones

2011: Rode her first racecourse winner on Stowaway Pearl at Thurles

2015: Turned professional

2017: First female to become champion claiming professional/conditional rider in Ireland

2019: Rode her first Cheltenham Festival winner on A Plus Tard, finished second in Irish jump jockeys’ championship with 90 winners

2021: Leading jockey at the Cheltenham Festival with six winners, winning Champion Hurdle on Honeysuckle

2021: Won the Grand National at Aintree on Minella Times, the first female jockey to win the race

2021: Named RTÉ Sports Person of the Year and the BBC World Sport Star of the Year

2022: Won Champion Hurdle again on Honeysuckle and became first female jockey to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup on A Plus Tard

2023: Awarded Honorary Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to sport

2025: Rode two more Cheltenham Festival winners, bringing her Cheltenham total to 18

2025: Won at Cork on Ma Belle Etoile, her final racecourse ride, aged 35