When the trailblazing Irish jockey Rachael Blackmore announced her retirement in May last year, the reaction took her by surprise.
"I was overwhelmed by it all," she says. "It really hit home, the impact that my career has had on other people, how other people got enjoyment, people I don’t even know. "I got a letter from a lady who said: 'I was crying watching you win a race.' It’s just so incredible to have had that effect."
Her career is one for the history books. In 2021 Rachael became the first female jockey to win the Grand National, in the 173rd running of the race. She was also the leading rider at the Cheltenham Festival and won the BBC Sports Personality World Sport Star of the Year.
Today, she is talking to HELLO! during this exclusive shoot at Cheltenham Racecourse, the scene of so much of her success. In 2022, she won the Cheltenham Gold Cup, riding A Plus Tard to become the first female jockey to win National Hunt racing’s blue riband. In 2024, the Queen called Rachael’s win aboard Captain Guinness in the Queen Mother Champion Chase "absolutely fantastic".
Indeed, she is pictured here in the weighing room beneath her signatures, continuing a tradition unique to Cheltenham whereby the winner of each of the festival’s five championship races signs the wall (Rachael won six times).
It's clear that Rachael, 36, is still slightly in disbelief at the extent of her own success. She grew up on a farm in County Tipperary, Ireland, and says she can’t remember a time when she wasn’t surrounded by horses and animals. Still, she admits: "I never ever envisioned that I’d actually make a career out of being a jockey."
She had long planned to balance being an amateur jockey with being a vet, gaining a degree in equine science at the same time as racing and "juggling both worlds".
She rode her first winner in 2011 and turned professional four years later, when she graduated from college. "Academically, I was never going to cut the mustard," she admits. "Thankfully for me, the racing picked up. I’d still be trying to get into veterinary college, to be honest."
"I was overwhelmed by it all. It really hit home, the impact that my career has had on other people, how other people got enjoyment, people I don’t even know."
When she was 28, she was introduced to the Irish trainer Henry de Bromhead. "That brought my career to a whole new level, because I was exposed to some of the best horses in training in Ireland." Rachael rode Henry’s horses to victory at both Cheltenham and the Grand National.
Now, she’s able to appreciate her hard work and success. "Racing is always moving forward," she says. "You win a Gold Cup and you go back next year to try to win it again. It’s very hard to let it sink in when you’re in that bubble, but now that I’m retired it’s not going anywhere. I feel so spoilt when I think about what my most special moments were, because I’ve just been so lucky."
Despite her incredible achievements as a female jockey, she was always reluctant to be defined by her gender. After she won the Grand National, she said: "I just hope it shows it doesn’t matter, male or female."
Today she’s happy to expand on that theme, saying: "I don’t think I’m uncomfortable with it – it’s just that when I was riding it’s not something I ever wanted to highlight, because I didn’t want to be treated any differently. I didn’t see any benefit for me as a jockey, drawing attention to that. I always deflected it, but I’m under no illusions how privileged I am to be the first woman to win these kinds of races."
Royal racers
She won many fans, including members of the royal family. In 2022 the Duchess of Cornwall, as she was then, visited Henry’s yard in County Waterford and met Rachael and Honeysuckle, one of her most successful rides.
"That was a fantastic visit. [Queen Camilla is] just so passionate about horses. She really knows her horses and it’s fantastic to see. She had such admiration for meeting Honeysuckle and her achievements."
"That was a fantastic visit" Rachael recalls. "She’s just so passionate about horses. She really knows her horses and it’s fantastic to see. She had such admiration for meeting Honeysuckle and her achievements."
A particular highlight was sitting in the Royal Box at Wimbledon behind the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children to watch the men’s final in 2023. "She knew who I was and she congratulated me on the success I had. She’s a beautiful person inside and out."
Does she think that Prince George, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte will follow the family’s passion for racing? "I have a feeling when they get into their teenage years, they’re going to want to [go]," she smiles. "Cheltenham is one of the best sporting occasions in Britain. I guarantee you, they’ll be racing in some shape or form when they’re older."
In her new ambassadorial role as head of Ladies Day at the Cheltenham Festival in March, she will join Zara Tindall, a non‑executive director of the racecourse. "She’s great fun, really, really nice and obviously an extremely accomplished rider herself."
Cheltenham is where Rachael made the decision to retire in 2025 after a tough start to the season – she had missed three months of racing after breaking a bone in her neck.
Leaving the course after the Festival last March "was the first time I thought finishing might be soon," she says. "It just crept into my head."
It wasn’t until May that she made her announcement. "To be honest, I didn’t speak to anyone about it, not a soul. I didn’t want anyone else to influence my decision. I didn’t want my parents watching a race, thinking: 'Oh, this could be her last race.' They’d be nervous watching.
"I feel like I need some therapy sessions to get to the root of it all, but it genuinely felt like the right time. As a jockey, to finish on your own terms is a big thing. Injury finishes so many people. I was lucky that I got to decide that’s it, but it’s still difficult, it’s still hard when your purpose and job is over. But I feel very grateful that I’ve still got lots of things going on."
Wedding bells
The new year has brought another big day: her wedding to fellow jockey Brian Hayes.
Sharing the same career was, Rachael says, "very lucky – we live the same lives, which was a big help". It’s why they chose a January wedding, "when there’s a few days of a bit of a lull" after a packed racing calendar over Christmas.
The wedding, which took place in Ireland on 5 January, was "definitely on the smaller side" for an Irish wedding, she says – just "a party with family and friends".
There were no prenuptial nerves. "Someone asked me, was I nervous? And I was like, no, I rode Honeysuckle in the Champion Hurdle. This is not nervous!"
Now, she’s looking forward to her role as the head of Ladies Day, which is being held again for the first time since 2019. "This year will be so different," Rachael smiles. "I won’t be able to run into the weighing room and hide! It’s an honour to be back and to help Cheltenham improve the experience for ladies, because I’ve had such fantastic days there. It’s a magical place."
The itinerary will include a panel hosted by the former Vogue model Rosie Tapner, during which Rachael will share insights and tips. There will also be live music and an after‑racing party.
Sartorial challenge
Cheltenham is known for its high fashion stakes, but Rachael is tight‑lipped about her own outfit plans. "Nothing can be revealed yet. Top secret. Not that much effort usually goes into thinking about what I wear, but I’ve already started thinking I need to have my outfits in order."
Will she miss being out on the course? "I miss the feeling when you win a race," she says. "That feeling will never come to me again. I miss the competitiveness of it. But I feel so lucky that I’m still getting lots of opportunities on the back of the career I had as a jockey and I’m excited to see where some of those can lead."
Rachael Blackmore is Head of Ladies Day at Cheltenham Racecourse. Ladies Day takes place on Wednesday 11th March 2026. Tickets are available now.
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