THERE was one female jockey riding in the Guinness Kerry National at Listowel on Wednesday, Rachael Blackmore, who won the race on the Henry de Bromhead-trained Poker Party.

The rider gave her horse a really good ride too, a thoughtful ride. She got her horse nicely settled towards the rear of the field behind the fast pace. Settled towards the outside, she got him travelling and jumping.

She didn’t panic when the leaders kicked on down the back straight. She just sat and allowed them at it, kept her horse in his rhythm. She didn’t really ask her horse to pick up until they straightened up for home and faced up to the second last fence. And when she did, Brian Acheson’s horse picked up well, and he actually touched down in front over the second last. After that, it was just a case of riding him out, seeing a stride at the last, and hoping that he had enough energy to get him home.

He had.

Incidentally, there was one female rider in the Guinness Kerry National too in 2014, Katie Walsh, who rode the 25/1 shot Your Busy to victory. There were two female riders in the race in 2016, and one of them, Lisa O’Neill, won it on Wrath Of Titans. There were two female riders in the race in 2017, and one of them, Lisa O’Neill again, won it on Potters Point.

That’s four of the last six years in which the winner of the Kerry National has been ridden by a female jockey. Jump girls indeed.

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