De Bromhead pays tribute to ‘amazing ambassador' Blackmore

Powys County Times

13-05-2025

Henry de Bromhead has paid tribute to Rachael Blackmore and her groundbreaking achievements after she announced her immediate retirement from the saddle.
The trainer was integral to the rider's ascent and they shared an array of victories at the very highest level of the sport, winning all four of the feature races at the Cheltenham Festival and the Grand National.
Their partnership and shared association with great horses such as Honeysuckle, Minella Indo, Minella Times, Envoi Allen, Allaho, Bob Olinger and A Plus Tard made Blackmore a household name and an irreplaceable part of the Knockeen team.
That era has now ended as the jockey announced her retirement on Monday afternoon, news that surprised the industry and even De Bromhead himself.
'I'm delighted for Rachael, she'd given it a lot of thought and it was a very hard decision for her,' he told the Nick Luck Daily podcast.
'She still loves the game, it's her passion but I'm delighted for her. It's only the beginning for her.
'I was slightly surprised when she said it to me yesterday, I must say. As we all know with Rachael, she has impeccable timing and she's caught us all by surprise!'
Reflecting on the attributes that made her so successful in the saddle, the trainer added: 'She has great empathy, humility, you name it. She's just a fantastic person and for us it's way more than just a jockey-trainer relationship. She's become a great friend and my family adore her.
'We've gone through a lot together, a lot of highs and some horrible lows.
'It just worked, didn't it? Eddie (O'Leary) suggested we tried her and we said we would, I'd seen her ride a good bit and she'd had plenty of success.
'The couple of rides she had for me to start with, we didn't have much luck with, but suddenly she just started winning and winning on everything.
'We never gave her the job, she rode into it and everyone just wanted her. She has a tremendous work ethic, she knew what it took to get to where she wanted to go and she did it.'
De Bromhead also reflected on how fortunate the sport has been to have such a popular figure for fans to follow throughout the past years.
He said: 'We've had some amazing days and it's been a lot of fun. We're very lucky to have had her, the game is very lucky to have her.
'Obviously, we'll miss her but I'm delighted for her, she's given it a lot of thought, she's going out on her terms and I think that's important.
'The following she has is just incredible. The amount of fans who want to meet her and see her at the races, she's so good with people and she's an amazing ambassador for our industry.
'This is just the end of that chapter, whatever she turns her hand to now, she's going to be brilliant at. She'll give it 110 per cent and I've no doubt she'll be very successful.'