Latest news with #Gigginstown
Irish Daily Mirror
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Taxi journey changed Rachael Blackmore's life forever
Rachael Blackmore retires as a jockey having achieved things many riders could only dream of. Since riding her first Cheltenham Festival winner in 2019, she went on to record 18 victories at the famous meeting and completed a clean sweep of the feature races after winning the Stayers' Hurdle on Bob Olinger this year. She also won the Gold Cup on A Plus Tard in 2022, the Champion Hurdle on Honeysuckle in both 2021 and 2022 and the Champion Chase on Captain Guinness in 2024. But her finest moment in the saddle came at Aintree in April 2021 when she partnered Minella Times to victory in the Grand National, becoming the first female to win the race. All of those victories came for trainer Henry de Bromhead, who started using Blackmore as a jockey after a conversation in a taxi on the way to Aintree with Eddie O'Leary, the brother of Michael O'Leary, who manages the Ryanair boss' Gigginstown operation. The Waterford handler told Morning Ireland on RTE Radio 1: "It was at a time when we had no stable jockey. We were just using the best available and Eddie suggested trying Rachael. She'd ridden a good bit for them. "She'd had one or two rides for me, but she'd ridden a good bit for Gigginstown. And she'd just been champion conditional. And yeah, I said, sure, give it a go. "I really liked her profile and obviously I've seen her riding all these winners. So yeah, there was no sort of fixed job or anything. "She just started riding for us and she just kept winning. Everyone wanted her after that and just went from strength to strength from there. "I don't think either of us ever thought we'd have achieved what we did together. We've had some amazing times, but even more than just (racing) she's so much more to us, me and my family than a jockey. It's a jockey-trainer relationship. "She's an amazing person and just delighted to see her going out on her terms." De Bromhead also reflected on a hugely emotional victory at Cheltenham in 2023 as Honeysuckle laned the Mares' Hurdle to win at the Festival for the fourth year in a row. The victory came just months after the death of the trainer's son Jack, 13. "That was a big day for all of us, including her," said De Bromhead. "A lot of pressure. It was the mare's last run. Obviously personally and professionally, it had been a really tough time and it was amazing how she pulled it off with Honeysuckle. It's a day that will stand out in my memory forever." Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email.
Rhyl Journal
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Rhyl Journal
Blackmore retires a pioneer who broke new ground
Daughter of a dairy farmer and a school teacher, Blackmore became an unintentional trailblazer as she racked up an ever-expanding list of firsts during what has been an exceptional time in the weighing room. She had to earn her own leg-up on the pony racing circuit which has seen so many before her cut their teeth. But she also competed in other equestrian events and studied for a degree in equine science at the University of Limerick, with her mother, Eimir, encouraging her to pursue her studies as she felt a full-time riding career was unlikely. Blackmore rode her first amateur winner for John 'Shark' Hanlon at Thurles in February 2011, and it was he who encouraged her to make the leap. He provided her with a first professional victory, too, at Clonmel on September 3, 2015. By her own admission, Blackmore was an 'extremely average' amateur and felt the best way to change her outlook was to turn professional in search of more rides and in turn more success. Her hardworking attitude was duly rewarded when she was crowned champion Irish conditional in 2017 – her first first – a year which would prove pivotal as having ridden regularly for Michael O'Leary's Gigginstown House Stud, his racing manager and brother, Eddie, recommended Blackmore to trainer Henry de Bromhead while in the back of a taxi on the way to Aintree. And so one of racing's most successful partnerships was born. The duo enjoyed a plethora of big-race success together, but Blackmore's headline victories can be distilled to three horses to hail from the Knockeen yard – Honeysuckle, A Plus Tard and Minella Times. That is not to demean the likes of other Festival heroes such Captain Guinness, Bob Olinger, Envoi Allen, Quilixios et al or any of Blackmore's other glories, it just that particular trio has obliged on the very grandest of stages. Her relationship with Honeysuckle spanned the first of the mare's 19 races to her last, with De Bromhead describing the duo as 'a perfect storm' of Blackmore's brilliance and Honeysuckle's 'deadly' talent. Their Champion Hurdle triumph in 2021 marked a breakthrough for a female rider in a Festival showpiece, though De Bromhead was quick to underline that Blackmore's ability should not be viewed in gender terms – a sentiment echoed by the rider herself. She said at the time: 'There's no deal about it. If you want to be a jockey, you can be a jockey. Drive on.' That was to become her theme as she continued to smash down the barriers, not least when achieving worldwide fame via Minella Times' Grand National victory, exclaiming: 'I don't feel male or female – I don't even feel human! This is unbelievable.' It perhaps speaks volumes that by the time Blackmore won the Cheltenham Gold Cup aboard A Plus Tard the following year, while her sex remained the headline in the news pages, you had to read a few paragraphs down in the racing section before the fact it was a first win for a female rider was even mentioned. Blackmore was merely seen by those in the know as one of the best in the weighing room, end of discussion. The attention that went with superstar status did not always sit well with Blackmore, who is not one to naturally put herself forward, preferring to do her talking on the track. Her mother hailed her determination and humility, adding: 'Despite the successes, Rachael remains true to herself. It's no good having success if you aren't a decent human being'. Indeed, De Bromhead found Blackmore a huge support following the tragic death of his 13-year-old son, Jack, in a pony racing accident in September 2022. He said: 'To see her around when we had our tragedy, around the children and with their friends and all of us – she's an incredible person apart from being a brilliant jockey.' There was hardly a dry eye in the house when Honeysuckle signed off her fairytale career with Mares' Hurdle success just six months after the accident and Blackmore's first thought was for Jack after crossing the line, on what was a hugely emotional day all around. It would be fair to say Blackmore has become a fan favourite, too, with no better illustration than the support that saw her 2023 Grand National mount Ain't That A Shame sent off at just 10-1 despite having only won a moderate beginners' chase and his owner Brian Acheson declaring him to be 'useless'. An inspiration to plenty of young racing fans, whether she enjoys the tag or not, Blackmore bows out as a genuine game changer.
North Wales Chronicle
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- North Wales Chronicle
Blackmore retires a pioneer who broke new ground
Daughter of a dairy farmer and a school teacher, Blackmore became an unintentional trailblazer as she racked up an ever-expanding list of firsts during what has been an exceptional time in the weighing room. She had to earn her own leg-up on the pony racing circuit which has seen so many before her cut their teeth. But she also competed in other equestrian events and studied for a degree in equine science at the University of Limerick, with her mother, Eimir, encouraging her to pursue her studies as she felt a full-time riding career was unlikely. Blackmore rode her first amateur winner for John 'Shark' Hanlon at Thurles in February 2011, and it was he who encouraged her to make the leap. He provided her with a first professional victory, too, at Clonmel on September 3, 2015. By her own admission, Blackmore was an 'extremely average' amateur and felt the best way to change her outlook was to turn professional in search of more rides and in turn more success. Her hardworking attitude was duly rewarded when she was crowned champion Irish conditional in 2017 – her first first – a year which would prove pivotal as having ridden regularly for Michael O'Leary's Gigginstown House Stud, his racing manager and brother, Eddie, recommended Blackmore to trainer Henry de Bromhead while in the back of a taxi on the way to Aintree. And so one of racing's most successful partnerships was born. The duo enjoyed a plethora of big-race success together, but Blackmore's headline victories can be distilled to three horses to hail from the Knockeen yard – Honeysuckle, A Plus Tard and Minella Times. That is not to demean the likes of other Festival heroes such Captain Guinness, Bob Olinger, Envoi Allen, Quilixios et al or any of Blackmore's other glories, it just that particular trio has obliged on the very grandest of stages. Her relationship with Honeysuckle spanned the first of the mare's 19 races to her last, with De Bromhead describing the duo as 'a perfect storm' of Blackmore's brilliance and Honeysuckle's 'deadly' talent. Their Champion Hurdle triumph in 2021 marked a breakthrough for a female rider in a Festival showpiece, though De Bromhead was quick to underline that Blackmore's ability should not be viewed in gender terms – a sentiment echoed by the rider herself. She said at the time: 'There's no deal about it. If you want to be a jockey, you can be a jockey. Drive on.' That was to become her theme as she continued to smash down the barriers, not least when achieving worldwide fame via Minella Times' Grand National victory, exclaiming: 'I don't feel male or female – I don't even feel human! This is unbelievable.' It perhaps speaks volumes that by the time Blackmore won the Cheltenham Gold Cup aboard A Plus Tard the following year, while her sex remained the headline in the news pages, you had to read a few paragraphs down in the racing section before the fact it was a first win for a female rider was even mentioned. Blackmore was merely seen by those in the know as one of the best in the weighing room, end of discussion. The attention that went with superstar status did not always sit well with Blackmore, who is not one to naturally put herself forward, preferring to do her talking on the track. Her mother hailed her determination and humility, adding: 'Despite the successes, Rachael remains true to herself. It's no good having success if you aren't a decent human being'. Indeed, De Bromhead found Blackmore a huge support following the tragic death of his 13-year-old son, Jack, in a pony racing accident in September 2022. He said: 'To see her around when we had our tragedy, around the children and with their friends and all of us – she's an incredible person apart from being a brilliant jockey.' There was hardly a dry eye in the house when Honeysuckle signed off her fairytale career with Mares' Hurdle success just six months after the accident and Blackmore's first thought was for Jack after crossing the line, on what was a hugely emotional day all around. It would be fair to say Blackmore has become a fan favourite, too, with no better illustration than the support that saw her 2023 Grand National mount Ain't That A Shame sent off at just 10-1 despite having only won a moderate beginners' chase and his owner Brian Acheson declaring him to be 'useless'. An inspiration to plenty of young racing fans, whether she enjoys the tag or not, Blackmore bows out as a genuine game changer.
The Independent
20-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Three-time Cheltenham Festival winner Delta Work dies aged 12
Former Cheltenham winner and Grand National runner-up Delta Work had died at the age of 12 after a bout of colic. The horse, who was owned by Gigginstown House Stud and trained by Gordon Elliott, was last seen securing a fourth-placed finish at the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham last month. He was taken to Fethard Equine Hospital and underwent surgery after showing signs of colic, but he was unable to be saved. Delta Work was best-known for winning the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase in 2022 and 2023, with the initial victory coming against his Grand National-winning stablemate Tiger Roll. His first victory at the famous course came in the 2018 Pertemps Final, and he also finished third in the Grand National in 2022 and runner-up last season. Overall, the 12-year-old won 12 of his 40 career outings, including the the 2020 Irish Gold Cup, and he was being prepared to run the Glenfarclas Chase for a third time in addition to a fourth run at Aintree. In a statement, Gigginstown's Eddie O'Leary called Delta Work 'an unbelievable horse'. 'We were very, very lucky and proud to have him and be associated with him,' he said. "He was brilliant for Gordon and Gordon was brilliant for him. He was so versatile, so honest and so sound. "He had the colic this morning and we tried to operate to save him for the field, but even that unfortunately didn't work out,' he added. "He seems to have been around forever and God bless him, he was an absolute superstar." In his own statement posted on X (formerly known as Twitter), Elliott said: "Sadly Delta Work has passed away this morning at the age of 12 after a bout of colic. "He was a privilege to train and won five Grade Ones and at three Cheltenham Festivals. He was a hero and will be sorely missed by everyone at Cullentra."
BBC News
20-02-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Cheltenham winner Delta Work dies aged 12
Three-time Cheltenham Festival winner Delta Work, who also finished runner-up in the 2024 Grand National, has died at the age of horse, owned by Gigginstown House Stud and trained by Gordon Elliot, passed away following a bout of Work first tasted success at Cheltenham in the 2018 Pertemps Final, before back-to-back victories in the Glenfarclas Chase in 2022 and well as five victories at Grade One level, Delta Work finished third in the Grand National in 2022 and second two years later."He was an unbelievable horse and we were very, very lucky and proud to have him and be associated with him," said Gigginstown's Eddie O'Leary."He was brilliant for Gordon and Gordon was brilliant for him. He was so versatile, so honest and so sound."
