The Tipperary woman retired in May following a remarkable career, becoming the first female jockey to ride the winner of the Gold Cup and Grand National
Rachael Blackmore celebrates after winning with Bob Olinger at Cheltenham last March(Image: ©INPHO/Tom Maher)
Rachael Blackmore retired from race riding last May after a record-breaking and trailblazing career as a National Hunt jockey.
Blackmore’s groundbreaking exploits in the saddle saw her become the first woman to ride winners of the Grand National, Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle and Champion Chase while she was also leading rider at the Cheltenham Festival.
The Tipperary native stunned the racing world when announcing her retirement on May 12th at the end of a jumps season in which she completed the full house of the Cheltenham Festival’s championship events when Bob Olinger landed the Stayers’ Hurdle.
Since retiring she has been doing some PR and charity work but it has been announced today that she has now taken on a new role with Cheltenham Racecourse and the Jockey Club.
Cheltenham is the home of jump racing in Britain, and the scene of some of Blackmore’s greatest triumphs and the 36-year-old has been appointed to a new ambassadorial role as Head of Ladies Day at The Festival.
The Cheltenham Festival will revive its Ladies Day in March for the first time since 2019 and Blackmore’s role is a move to encourage more women to come racing.
Blackmore will work alongside the team at Cheltenham to identify potential barriers which might be putting women off going racing, while also seeking to engage new female audiences and those who have not attended racedays for some time.
Rachael Blackmore celebrates winning the 2021 Grand National.(Image: (Photo by David Davies – Pool/Getty Images))
Blackmore, who won the Cheltenham Gold Cup on A Plus Tard in 2022 and the Grand National in 2021 onboard Minella Times, said: “It is going to be a very different experience going racing and not heading for the weighing room, but I’m looking forward to seeing what racedays are like from the other side of the rails and working with the team at Cheltenham.
“I’m interested in meeting racegoers to get a proper understanding of why they attend but also what some of the blockers and barriers might be that are stopping their friends and peers from coming.
“Horseracing is an amazing sport and a day at the races provides so much opportunity for people to socialise with friends and meet new people.
“I’m excited to get involved and see what can be done to engage more women and show them what makes a day at the races such a special and unforgettable experience.”
Data collated by The Jockey Club shows that on average, only a quarter of visitors at Cheltenham Racecourse during the season are women, with the industry average for Jump racing sitting at 39 per cent according to the Racecourse Association and Great British Racing Data Insight Programme.
Further customer research conducted by The Jockey Club in 2023 revealed that many women feel the sport is ‘not for them’ and are often discouraged by the perception that racing is targeted at men.
Guy Lavender, Chief Executive of Cheltenham, added: “Rachael is a household name whose success and passion for horseracing resonates not only with racing fans and aficionados but general sports fans and even wider audiences.
“We’ve been evaluating customer data and feedback and what really stood out was the opportunity to grow our female fanbase. From there we’ve been developing a campaign aimed at encouraging more women to attend racedays and Rachael is exactly the kind of aspirational figure we hope will attract a new fan base to the sport.
“Rachael’s groundbreaking success on the track, combined with her growing status as a role model beyond the sport and popularity with people of all ages, make her the ideal ambassador to connect the Cheltenham Festival with a new, female-focused audience.
“Her achievements transcended racing and resulted in headlines around the world and awards like the BBC World Sports Star at the prestigious Sports Personality of the Year Awards in 2021. We’re excited to be working with her to identify what initiatives and incentives would encourage more women to come racing and to promote the sport, Cheltenham Racecourse and The Festival specifically, as being for everyone.”
Blackmore will be experiencing Cheltenham for the first time as a racegoer when she joins the team at Cheltenham for The November Meeting on Friday 14th November.
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