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Irish Independent
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
‘It will be a very different life to the one I had previously' - Rachael Blackmore on what awaits after retiring as a jockey
Blackmore joined a select crew of jockeys to have completed the championship set at the Cotswolds when guiding Bob Olinger to Stayers' Hurdle success two months ago, in what turned out to be her last Festival winner. The 35-year-old exited the Gloucestershire track the next day for what would be her last time as a jockey having brought the curtain down on her glittering career last week. "When I was leaving the weighing room at Cheltenham on Friday this year, for the first time I just had a little thought in my head, 'Will I be back here next season?'" Blackmore told Betfair in an exclusive interview. "It was the first time that thought had ever crept into my head. I didn't know. Part of me thought I would be back, part of me thought I wouldn't. "I just said to myself leave it [the decision] until June and get to the jockey's break. I'd think about it all then." The Tipperary native, who became the first female jockey to land the Aintree Grand National aboard Minella Times in 2021, didn't even get to June with a winner aboard Ma Belle Etoile at Cork expediting her decision. When you know, you know and Blackmore reckoned that the time to hang up her saddle had arrived. "I was going to Cork the other day and I thought, 'If this one wins then maybe that's the time to call it'. She won and, the following morning, I fully decided that was it," she said. Blackmore forged a bond with equine stars like Honeysuckle, A Plus Tard, Bob Olinger and Captain Guinness and her association with Henry de Bromhead brought her to racing's pinnacle. "I love horses. They have given me the best days of my life and I have been so lucky to be involved with some of the best ones," the Killenaule native said. "You can really want to ride a Cheltenham winner but you are not going to do it if you don't get on horses that are capable of doing that." As for the next chapter, Blackmore has already penned a children's book but she will take time out before deciding what lies ahead. "Even though retiring was probably a feeling inside me that I had kind of dampened down, it wasn't part of a massive plan to retire," she said. "There is nothing set up but I am very lucky that I can take a few weeks and decide what might be next. It will be a very different life to the one I had previously."
The Sun
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
‘It will be very different' – Legendary jockey Rachael Blackmore reveals what's next for her after shock retirement
LEGENDARY jockey Rachael Blackmore has revealed what's next for her after her shock retirement from the saddle. And she has opened up on the moment she knew she had to call it quits - after an epiphany at Cheltenham Festival. The trailblazing former Grand National winner stunned the sport when she confirmed she had retired last Monday. But in a conversation with Betfair, she said she had no plans yet to become a mentor or coach to aspiring young jockeys. Blackmore, 35, has written her first book - Granny National - and appears happy to take a complete break from the sport that turned her into a global icon. Asked what the future had in store, Blackmore said: "Even though retiring was probably a feeling inside me that I had kind of dampened down, it wasn't part of a massive plan to retire that Saturday. "There is nothing set up but I am very lucky that I can take a few weeks and decide what might be next. "It will be a very different life to the one I had previously." Blackmore's decision came out of the blue and just weeks after she had enjoyed more Cheltenham success with a Stayers' Hurdle win on Bob Olinger. She said when she was exiting the home of jumps on the final day of the Festival she had a strange feeling it may be for the final time. Blackmore said: "When I was leaving the weighing room at Cheltenham on Friday this year, for the first time I just had a little thought in my head: 'Will I be back here next season?' "It was the first time that thought had ever crept into my head. I didn't know. "Part of me thought I would be back, part of me thought I wouldn't. I just said to myself leave it [the decision] until June and get to the jockey's break. I'd think about it all then." But it was a final win at Cork that convinced her the time was right. "She won and, the following morning, I fully decided that was it." . Remember to gamble responsibly Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.
The Irish Sun
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Rachael Blackmore shares funny perk of being in relationship with fellow jockey Brian Hayes amid retirement bombshell
RACHAEL Blackmore outlined a funny perk of being in a relationship with another jockey mere hours before announcing her retirement. Monday brought with it her bombshell announcement that she was Advertisement 3 She completed the 'Big Four Set' at this year's Cheltenham Festival when she won the Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle aboard Bob Olinger 3 She's won over €9million in prize money over her entire career 3 She mostly keeps her life with boyfriend Brian Hayes very much private 24 hours previous she had appeared on In between each musical interlude, the generally private Tipperary native shared snippets from her personal life from going up on a farm to her time as a student in UCD. At one juncture, O'Connor enquired about The 35-year-old insisted their chats don't revolve around horse racing as much as people assume when two people from within the industry are dating. Advertisement Read More On Irish Sport She did, however, quip about one lovely benefit to them being in the same line of work. The trailblazer told "But we don't talk about racing half as much as people think we might. "We both understand what it's like to be a jockey and yeah I suppose I don't really know any different." Advertisement Most read in Horse Racing She doesn't know any different as she's been a jockey for almost half her life. In bringing the curtain down on her 16-year stint as one, Aidan O'Brien 'fires shots' at rivals as superstar horse is slashed for Epsom and the Arc after Ryan Moore masterclass She became the first female jockey to Blackmore also became the first female to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup on A Plus Tard in 2022, one of 18 winners at the Cheltenham Festival. Advertisement She rider spent three months on the sidelines with a neck injury earlier this year and she struggled for form when she returned to the saddle. But she ended up having another hugely successful season and completed a clean-sweep of the four flagship Cheltenham Festival races when winning the Stayers' Hurdle on Bob Olinger in March. She also Reflecting on her rise to the top in a heartfelt retirement statement, de Bromhead was one of two trainers she reserved special gratitude for. Advertisement PARTICULAR PRAISE She recalled: "I rode my first winner for (John) 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 "Eddie got me in the door at Knockeen, and what came next was unimaginable: Advertisement "He's a phenomenal trainer, who brought out the best in me. Without Henry, my story is very different. "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."
RTÉ News
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Henry de Bromhead on Rachael Blackmore: 'She'll be amazing at whatever she does'
Trainer Henry de Bromhead has revealed the role a conversation in the back of a taxi played in Rachael Blackmore becoming his most trusted ally, with the pair's fortunes rising in tandem to achieve stratospheric levels of success. On Monday, Blackmore announced her retirement from the saddle at the age of 35 after a remarkable career. The Tipperary woman's feats have often been framed in the context of female jockeys, with Blackmore becoming the first of her sex to win the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in 2021 on board Honeysuckle, a meeting where she was also crowned leading rider, and going on to claim the Grand National weeks later on Minella Times in an annus mirabilis. Blackmore's success on Bob Olinger in this season's Stayers' Hurdle saw her complete a Cheltenham Festival grand slam of championship races, joining Ruby Walsh and Barry Geraghty as the only jockeys to have booted him the winners of the Champion Hurdle, the Champion Chase, the Stayers' Hurdle and the Gold Cup during their illustrious careers. Her 18th and final Festival success on Bob Olinger (above) also elevated her to joint-ninth, alongside Richard Dunwoody, in the all-time winners record at the meeting. Reflecting on the news of Blackmore's retirement from his Knockeen base in County Waterford, De Bromhead told listeners of Tuesday's Morning Ireland on RTÉ: "It was a bit of a surprise yesterday when she came in and said it to me. "I know it wasn't an easy decision for her, but I'm delighted for her. She seems really happy about it. "As is the norm with Rachael, her timing is incredible. It's probably when everyone least expected it. "It's the end of one chapter of her life and she's got so much more to do, but I've no doubt she'll be amazing at whatever she does." In the nascent stages of her career, there was little to suggest the success Blackmore would go on to enjoy. In the past, the rider herself has been self-effacing on her early efforts in the saddle, with her first winner under Rules coming at the comparatively late age of 21 on the Shark Hanlon-trained Stowaway Pearl at Thurles in 2011. However, the association with Hanlon (above) gave Blackmore the literal and figurative leg up that was to prove the catalyst in her career, even if her success story was to prove far from an overnight one. With the backing and encouragement of Hanlon, Blackmore turned professional on St Patrick's Day in 2015. It had been 25 years since a female rider had featured in the paid ranks in Ireland, with Maria Cullen the last woman to ride as a pro. The move followed a barren spell where Blackmore hadn't ridden a winner in six months and her first success as a professional didn't arrive until Most Honourable prevailed at Clonmel in September of that year. However, her career finally exploded into life during the 2016-17 season and she was crowned champion conditional rider at the age of 27 after booting home 32 winners. Blackmore rode her first winner in the maroon and white silks of Gigginstown House Stud in 2017 and Eddie O'Leary of the organisation extolled her virtues as he shared a taxi with De Bromhead to Aintree's Grand National meeting in 2018. "We had no stable jockey and we were just using the best available, and Eddie suggested trying Rachael. She'd ridden a good bit for them," De Bromhead explained. "She had one or two rides for me, but she'd ridden a good bit for Gigginstown and she'd just been champion conditional and said we'd give it a go – I really liked her profile and obviously had seen her riding all these winners. "There was no fixed job or anything. She just started riding for us and she just kept winning. Everyone wanted her after that and it went from strength to strength from there. "I don't think either of us ever thought that we'd achieve what we did together. "We've had some amazing times, but she's so much more to us – me and my family – than a jockey. "She is an amazing person and I'm delighted to see her go out on her terms." The trainer tragically lost his 13-year-old son, Jack, in a pony racing accident in September 2022. Six months later, Honeysuckle's (above) illustrious career came to a fairytale conclusion at Prestbury Park as the two-time Champion Hurdle winner bowed out with an emotional success in the Mares' Hurdle. "That was a big day for all of us, including her," De Bromhead admitted. "There was a lot of pressure and it was the mare's last run. "Personally and professionally it had been a really tough time, and it was amazing how she pulled it off with Honeysuckle.
Irish Daily Mirror
13-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Daily Mirror
Rachael Blackmore's net worth and the staggering amount of prize money she won
Rachael Blackmore has called time on her incredible career as a jockey. The Grand National-winning rider announced on Monday that she was retiring from the saddle with immediate effect as she penned a shock statement. Blackmore enjoyed many triumphant days, winning the Grand National in 2021 on Minella Times and tasting victory 18 times at the Cheltenham Festival, including in all four feature races - the Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle, Champion Chase and Stayers' Hurdle. She won the last of those races this year when partnering Bob Olinger to success on the Thursday of the famous meeting. It completed a 152/1 double on the day after Blackmore steered Air Of Entitlement to win the Mares' Novices' Hurdle earlier in the day. While the exact net worth of Blackmore remains undisclosed, she has reportedly raked in around €11million in prize money throughout her illustrious career, as per At The Races. According to the PJA, jockeys typically pocket about ten per cent of the winning prize. A substantial portion of these winnings, specifically €7m, were bagged in Ireland where she secured three Irish Champion Hurdles from 2021 to 2023 on the famed mare, Honeysuckle. Blackmore steered A Plus Tard to a whopping €420,000 in prize money when they clinched the Gold Cup in 2022. Another significant payday arrived in 2024 when Captain Guinness triumphed in the Champion Chase, scooping up €270k in the process. The jockey also netted over €218,000 for Bob Olinger's connections by winning the Stayers' Hurdle in March of this year. Click on this link or scan the QR code to receive the latest Cheltenham Festival news and top stories from the Irish Mirror direct to your phone on WhatsApp. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Beyond those mounts already mentioned, Blackmore claimed victory in the Champion Bumper in 2021 with Sir Gerhard, while also guiding Quilixios to the Triumph Hurdle, Allaho to the Ryanair Chase, Bob Olinger to the Baring Bingham, and Telmesomethinggirl to the Mares' Novices Hurdle that year. In 2024, she seized her first win in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle on Slade Steel. Blackmore consistently demonstrates her ability to excel under pressure, asserting that it often leads to dazzling outcomes for her. Betfair ambassador Blackmore, praised the Cheltenham Festival for her series of fortunate events: "It's just been a very lucky place for me. I've got to ride some very good horses there, and you know Henry de Bromhead, his horses seem to go there and run fantastic races, and you're just very lucky when you get to be on their back. "I think riding, every jockey wants to ride on the big stage, in the big races, on the big days, and Cheltenham is our, it's been said before, it's our Olympics, and that's where every jockey starting off wants to get to, so I'm very lucky that I get to ride horses in Cheltenham and I feel like I'm in a very lucky position to get to do that. "Pressure is part of it, but you want to be under pressure because you know if you're under pressure, it means your horse has a very good chance, and they're the horses you want to be riding, so it is pressure, but you know you just have to deal with it and almost be grateful for it."
