Winning the Grand National is the pinnacle of any jockey’s career. Even in retirement, when asked about their greatest victories, Ruby Walsh, Barry Geraghty, and AP McCoy all stated that winning the Grand National was their greatest achievement.

And it’s easy to see why. A notoriously difficult race to even complete, winning it instantly propels you into the history books.

Up to 2021 those history books are missing one vital record – a female winning jockey.

To date, despite the fact that race has been in action since the 1800s, only one woman has ever ridden the winner. That was Rachael Blackmore on Minella Times in 2021.

It may even surprise you to know that the first woman didn’t actually ride in the race until 1977.

That was Charlotte Brew on Barony Fort, a horse that refused to jump at the 27th fence. And even then it was The Sex Discrimination Act 1975 that made it possible for her to enter the race!

Since then there have been 17 female jockeys that have followed in her footsteps. Of those Rachael Blackmore, Nina Carberry and Katie Walsh are the most well-known know and both hold their own records in the race.

Walsh and Carberry have ridden in the race a record six times with Walsh the best finisher of the two. Seriously, who can forget her partnership with Seabass and his third-place finish in 2012?

She is also the only female jockey to have gone off as the race favourite. Both have now retired and the mantle has been passed to a new group of hopefuls.

Female Jockeys In The Grand National 2022

Three female jockeys, Rachael Blackmore, Brony Frost and Tabitha Worsley lined up hoping to make history last year. There was huge interest around them as the public cried out for a bit of history in the making.

And they got it. You can also bet on Australian horse racing but right now we’ll keep the focus on the female jockeys.

But despite her incredible performance, Rachael Blackmore returns as the only female jockey to ride in the Grand National 2022.

Rachael Blackmore

Booked on board Minella Times for trainer Henry De Bromhead and owner JP McManus, Blackmore is a bonafide history maker.

This will be her third National and given her recent form, she could very well break the ultimate glass ceiling on Saturday and win back-to-back Nationals.

Her six wins at the Cheltenham Festival in 2021, made her the first female jockey to win the Ruby Walsh Trophy for leading Cheltenham jockey.

She then added three more in 2022 including the much coveted Gold Cup.

She currently sits in fourth place in the Leading Jockey Championship in Ireland, behind Paul Townend, Mark Walsh and Darragh O’Keeffe.

Female Jockey Finishing Places

While Blackmore, Walsh and Carberry may be considered the most successful jockeys among their peers, there are other notable women on the list.

Jenny Hembrow was the first woman to ride in back-to-back Grand Nationals.

Venetia Williams not only rode in the 1988 Grand National but she also went on to train the winner in Mon Mome in 2009.

Grand National 1977 ~ 2021

YEAR:	JOCKEY	HORSE	FINISH
2021	Rachael Blackmore (3)	Minella Times	Winner
2021	Tabitha Worsley	Sub Lieutenant	14th
2021	Bryony Frost (2)	Yala Enki	Unseated
2020	CANCELLED	CANCELLED	CANCELLED
2019	Rachael Blackmore (2)	Valseur Lido	10th
2019	Lizzie Kelly	Tea For Two	Pulled-Up
2018	Bryony Frost	Milansbar	5th
2018	Katie Walsh (6)	Baie Des Iles	12th
2018	Rachael Blackmore (1)	Alpha Des Obeaux	Fell
2017	Katie Walsh (5)	Wonderful Charm	19th
2016	Nina Carberry (6)	Sir Des Champs	Unseated
2016	Katie Walsh (4)	Ballycasey	Unseated
2015	Nina Carberry (5)	First Lieutenant	16th
2014	Katie Walsh (3)	Vesper Bell	13th
2013	Katie Walsh (2)	Seabass	13th
2012	Katie Walsh (1)	Seabass	3rd
2012	Nina Carberry (4)	Organisedconfusion	Unseated
2011	Nina Carberry (3)	Character Building	15th
2010	Nina Carberry (2)	Character Building	7th
2006	Nina Carberry (1)	Forest Gunner	9th
2005	Carrie Ford	Forest Gunner	5th
1994	Rosemary Henderson	Fiddlers Pike	5th
1989	Tarnya Davis	Numerate	Pulled-Up
1988	Venetia Williams	Marcolo	Fell
1988	Gee Armytage	Gee-A	Pulled-Up
1988	Penny Ffitch-Hayes	Hettinger	Fell
1987	Jacqui Oliver	Eamon’s Owen	Unseated
1984	Valerie Alder	Bush Guide	Fell
1983	Joy Carrier	King Spruce	Unseated
1983	Geraldine Rees (2)	Midday Welcome	Fell
1982	Geraldine Rees (1)	Cheers	8th
1982	Charlotte Brew (2)	Martinstown	Unseated
1981	Linda Sheedy	Deiopea	Refused
1980	Jenny Hembrow (2)	Sandwilan	Refused
1979	Jenny Hembrow (1)	Sandwilan	Fell
1977	Charlotte Brew (1)	Barony Fort	Refused

With a whole new group of young female jockeys making their mark on the sport, it is only a matter of time before another of them crosses the finishing line first again.

Female Winning Grand National Trainers

Given the thousands of horses that have run in the Grand National over the years, training a winner is as difficult as riding one.

Only three people have ever trained four winners. They are George Dockeray, Fred Rimell and Ginger McCain who trained the great Red Rum.

With regards to women who have trained Grand National winners, well there are only four of them!

• Jenny Pitman with Corbiere in 1983 and Royal Athlete in 1995
• Venetia Williams in 2009 with Mon Mome
• Sue Smith with Auroras Encore in 2013
• Lucinda Russell with One For Arthur in 2017

The list may be small but three of those women are still training and can easily win it again.

There are also other notable performances from the likes of Jessica Harrington who had the 2nd place finished in 2019 with Magic Of Light. Rebecca Curtis and Kerry Lee have saddled multiple entries.

For 2022, Lucinda Russell (Mighty Thunder), Emma Lavelle (De Rasher Counter and Eclair Surf), Polly Gundry (Santini) and Venetia Williams (Commodore – reserve 1) all look set to saddle Grand National Runners.