After a fraught few months of negative publicity, racing desperately needed Blackmore’s historic victory at Aintree
Not since Lady Godiva rode naked through the streets of Coventry in the 13th century has any woman on horseback caused quite such a public stir. Her modesty covered by the green and gold silks of JP McManus, Rachael Blackmore wrote arguably the most colourful chapter yet in the storied 182-year history of the Grand National. The daughter of a farmer and schoolteacher from Tipperary with no background in racing, she became the first woman to win the world’s most iconic horse race at Aintree on Minella Times. While the horse and its trainer, Henry de Bromhead, also deserve every credit, their place as historical footnotes seems all but assured. They are unlikely to mind because like everyone else – apart from perhaps the horse – they will know Blackmore is the only show in town.
Her win continues an unprecedented run of recent high-profile victories for an astonishingly talented jockey enjoying the form of her life. Until not so long ago Ireland’s best-kept secret, her latest success comes on the back of a notable series of career milestones at Cheltenham. The filmmaker Luke McManus, who spent time in her company while filming Jump Girls, a documentary following the careers of female National Hunt jockeys working in a hard game, is unsurprised by her success.
