Who can forget the historic moment that Rachael Blackmore crossed the finish line in the 2021 Grand National? The first female jockey to ever win the race, she guided Minella Times through a perfect race and in doing so capped off a remarkable season of racing.
Weeks earlier she had become the Leading Jockey of the Cheltenham Festival, the first female to earn the title. With the world of racing at her feet, she narrowly missed on the Jockey Championship in Ireland, losing to Paul Townend by just eight wins.
With the new season upon us, hopes are high that Blackmore can continue breaking records and notching up those big wins. So it should come as no surprise that the Jockey Club has named Blackmore as official ambassador of Aintree Racecourse and Prestbury Park, Cheltenham.
The organisation made the announcement via a press release on September 6th 2021.
The Ambassador Role
The role is one previously held by Katie and Ruby Walsh, who were both named ambassadors for the 2020 Grand National Festival. That was prior to it being cancelled.
As part of the role, Blackmore will spend time working with children in the communities around Aintree and Cheltenham to help inspire the next Grand National or Cheltenham Gold Cup winner.
Blackmore said: “I am delighted to be working as an ambassador for the Jockey Club West Region.
“I’ve had such an amazing year winning the Randox Grand National at Aintree and becoming leading jockey at Cheltenham. It’s an honour to be representing the racecourses which have given me the greatest moments in my career and life.
“The Grand National is the race that every child dreams about growing up.
“To ride in it is an achievement in itself so to win it this year was just unbelievable.
“I am looking forward to working with a great team at The Jockey Club to use my role to help to inspire the next generation of jockeys and racing fans.”
The Season So Far
A consummate professional, if anybody thought that success would slow Blackmore down, they were very wrong. With the season just a few weeks old, Rachael has already notched up 22 wins from her 103 rides (as of 13th September 2021).
She is currently third in the Irish Jockey Championship behind Darragh O’Keeffe and Jordan Gainsford and sits on a win rate of 21%. That includes three wins this season on Gin On Lime for Henry De Bromhead.
Despite all her achievements she almost exclusively uses her social media platform to promote good causes and charities. So the ambassador role to inspire children will be a perfect addition to her already long list of achievements.
