RACHAEL BLACKMORE has given a fascinating insight into her life as a massive sporting celebrity.
The 33-year-old Tipperary woman revealed that she received a congratulatory message from former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr following her 2021 Grand National success on Minella Times.
While she also can’t quite get her head around being on the same BBC Sports Personality roll of honour as Lionel Messi and Usain Bolt.
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Blackmore became the first woman rider to ever win the world’s most famous race, catapulting the Killenaule native into a new found fame.
“I remember after the Grand National - a race I feel reaches every corner of the globe - it has a worldwide audience. I got messages from people like Billie Jean King, Ringo Starr, and so many letters from people that didn’t even sign their names, just with “A fan from Texas,” she told Betfair.
“It really hit home to me the reach that the Grand National has on a worldwide stage. It was really, really heart-warming.I got loads of messages but a lot of people took the time to send cards and letters, that kind of thing, they are very special.”
She was crowned BBC International Sports Personality of the year the following December, a feat Blackmore still finds pretty unbelievable.
“It is pretty hard to comprehend to be honest. To be on the same list as Lionel Messi, Roger Federer, Muhammad Ali, Usain Bolt, Simone Biles - it is an unbelievable list to be on. Part of me just wishes that I physically had to hand over the award to the next recipient!”
Blackmore’s association with the brilliant mare Honeysuckle has also been a massive success and the pair go to the Dublin Racing Festival this weekend in search of a fourth Irish Champion Hurdle in succession.
They’ve also captured two Champion Hurdles at Cheltenham, an achievement Rachael celebrated modestly with just a takeaway pizza. l
“Racing is a constant turning wheel, there is always something coming up, even the following day. I suppose the Grand National win was during Covid times so that was a little bit different itself.
“At Cheltenham, after the Champion Hurdle we got a Dominos Pizza back at our accommodation and that was the celebration. At the big festivals, you always seem to be racing the following day. Maybe there will be a big celebration at some stage!
Blackmore is really looking forward to the Dublin Racing Festival, an event that has grown and grown since its first instalment in 2018.
“It is obviously a massive week, a lot of hype, media hype and expectation. People have been talking about these horses for the last couple of weeks and it’s all the build-up towards Cheltenham.
“I personally try not to get too wrapped up in all of that and try to treat the races like any other that I ride in. Everytime you go racing, whether it is Thurles on a Thursday or Dublin
She sees both the Dublin Racing Festival and Cheltenham Festivals as being vital to the future of racing and it’s promotion to the wider public.
“They are vital. The concentration of talent focuses everyone’s attention on the sport and they get to see racing at its very best. The coverage is huge across the likes of RTE and ITV as well as being all over the papers. These are the festivals with the biggest stages where everyone wants to have success.”
Blackmore went on to mention Ruby Walsh and Nina Carberry as big influences on here career saying: “I looked up to lots of different people along the way and they all helped me on my jockey journey. I had lots of different people I looked up to along the way. My parents were big role models when I started out and as I got into racing, I would have looked up to Davy Russell and Ruby Walsh, big time.
“Then when I started riding there were the likes of Nina Carberry and Katie Walsh in my weighing room and they were massive influences on me and on my riding. I had lots of different role models along the way.”
Rachael was speaking exclusively to Betfair: https://www.betfair.com/exchange/plus/en/horse-racing-betting-7
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