Jockey Profile

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From Killenaule, County Tipperary, Rachael Blackmore rode 11 point-to-point winners and seven winners as an amateur rider before turning professional in March, 2015. She gained her first success in the paid ranks when Most Honourable, trained by ‘Shark’ Hanlon, was a winner at Clonmel on September 3rd of the same year. Hanlon had also provided Blackmore with her initial success as an amateur rider when Stowaway Pearl won at Thurles on February 10th, 2011.

Rachael enjoyed a notable success and gained a her first big success when partnering the Ellmarie Holden-trained Abolitionist to land the €100,000 Download The Ladbrokes Exchange App Leinster National Handicap Chase at Naas on March 12, 2017. With 32 winners, she became the first female jockey to win the Conditional Riders’ title in the 2016/2017 season.

Rachael rode her first winner on the Flat when taking a conditions' race at Killarney on May 16th, 2017 on the Denise O'Shea-trained Supreme Vinnie. She rode out her claim when winning the Oulart Maiden Hurdle on the Colin Bowe-trained Sweet Home Chicago at Wexford on June 21st, 2017. It was her 60th racecourse success.

She rode the first treble of her career when partnering Theatre Dreams, Monbeg Chit Chat and Classic Theatre to win at at Tipperary on Sunday, July 22, 2018. All three were trained by Henry De Bromhead. A second treble came at Gowran Park in February of the following year where among her winners was the De Bromhead-trained Monalee in the Grade 2 Red Mills Chase. It was her first Grade 2 winner over fences and remarkably she got a second 24 hours later at Navan where Chris's Dream landed the Ladbrokes Ten Up Novice Chase, another trained by the County Waterford handler. 

A Plus Tard gave Rachael her first Cheltenham Festival success when landing the Close Brothers Novices' Handicap Chase in March, 2019. Henry de Bromhead's five-year-old went off a 5/1 favourite and won by a startling 16 lengths. On the final day of the same Festival, Rachael gained her first Grade 1 success when Minella Indo landed the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle, becoming the first female jockey to ride a Grade 1 winner over hurdles at the Cheltenham Festival. 

Rachael's first Grade 1 success in Ireland came on the De Bromhead-trained Honeysuckle in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares Novice Hurdle Championship Final at Fairyhouse on Easter Sunday, April 21, 2019. She ended that season with 90 winners, easily securing the runner-up spot in the jockeys' championship behind Paul Townend.