‘CHELTENHAM IS MAGICAL’

Rachael Blackmore – the first woman to win the Grand National – reveals what’s next after her retirement from racing

STYLIST: LAURA SECO

Coat, The Frankie Shop. Jumper, Brora. Skirt, Le Kilt. Tights, Falke

Neck scarf, Burberry archive. Denim shirt and jeans, Anine Bing. Boots, Ganni

Rachael in the Royal Box at Wimbledon

PHOTOGRAPHER: STEWART BRYDEN

Riding Minella Times at the 2021 Grand National

When the trailblazing Irish jockey Rachael Blackmore announced her retirement in May last year, the reaction took her by surprise.

“I was overwhelmed by it all,” she says. “It really hit home, the impact that my career has had on other people, how other people got enjoyment, people I don’t even know. I got a letter from a lady who said: ‘I was crying watching you win a race.’ It’s just so incredible to have had that effect.”

Her career is one for the history books. In 2021 Rachael became the first female jockey to win the Grand National, in the 173rd running of the race. She was also the leading rider at the Cheltenham Festival and won the BBC Sports Personality World Sport Star of the Year.

Today, she is talking to hello! during this exclusive shoot at Cheltenham Racecourse, the scene of so much of her success. In 2022, she won the Cheltenham Gold Cup, riding A Plus Tard to become the first female jockey to win National Hunt racing’s blue riband. In 2024, the Queen called Rachael’s win aboard Captain Guinness in the Queen Mother Champion Chase “absolutely fantastic”.