F EATURE RACHAEL BLACKMORE
“Being champion conditional still gets me and I was just so happy and still am about it. I never thought that would be something I could achieve”
Walsh) and Nina (Carberry) in the weighing roomwhen I started out was great. You were a lot quicker to get going than me – you’re only three or four years older than me – but I was a lot slower to get going so you were extremely well established when I came into the weighing room. “Coming into the weighing roomwhen that was your attitude – I never heard you or Nina once talk about being women riding, there was never any talk of that, so you just carry on the example that’s before you.” Being a role model isn’t something that Rachael may have signed up for, but it is something she does so well. Understated, determined and incredibly talented, her success on the track often does all the talking for her. “It’s a cliché thing to say, but every race you ride in you’ll pick up something. You might learn something about another jockey or a horse and you’ll be able to remember that for next time, so you are getting better because you’re getting more tuned in. I was a bit late to the party so I’ve got some more tuning to do yet!” A more finely-tuned Blackmore is a terrifying thought for her rivals, but we look forward to seeing Rachael back on the track as one of the sport’s greatest Jump jockeys and flying the flag as our ambassador.
racing every week. I’d only have one ride but I wouldn’t have had half the rides as an amateur. I kept getting put back up and people like that were a massive help. I wasn’t getting stressed out that I hadn’t ridden a winner yet, because I knew how hard it is to get them from being amateur and how long you have towait. But on the plus side I was riding and I had an HRI (Horse Racing Ireland) account with money in it, so I was happy.” Blackmore still looks back on her achievements as a conditional as some of the most formative of her career and adds: “Being champion conditional still gets me and I was just so happy and still am about it. I never thought that would be something I could achieve. I remember Lucy Alexander was the first female champion conditional in England, and I was just so in awe of her. I never thought that I’d be able to emulate her, so it was just massive. I do know in our sport that it’s not always about ability that can make people turn professional. I can’t say I was too worried about the female thing deep down myself, but Lucy was class.” Horse racing is one of the very few sports where males and females compete on equal footing. No weight allowance, no head start, when the tapes go up – it is anyone’s race to win. “I think having you (Katie
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