Which horse will Rachael Blackmore ride in the 2024 Grand National?

OLBG - Which horse will Rachael Blackmore ride in the 2024 Grand National?

Who will Rachael Blackmore be riding in the 2023 Grand National?

Rachael Blackmore and Minella Times caught the attention of worldwide media when winning the Grand National two years ago.

The bookmakers latched on to Minella Times as Blackmore’s most likely mount shortly after the completion of the Cheltenham Festival when Minella Times came in for significant recent ante post support and was backed from as big as 50/1 into 14/1. 

This move was undoubtedly based on the ‘Blackmore factor’ as punters clamoured to get on the right side of whichever horse she will ride. 

Rachael Blackmore continued her association with Minella Times in 2022 but history could not be made again as the duo were brought down at the ninth fence. Since then Minella Times has been retired.

Blackmore will be riding Ain't That A Shame in the 2023 Grand National. The lightly raced nine-year-old has advertised his Grand National claims by being placed in two top Irish handicaps, the Munster National and the Paddy Power at Leopardstown. The gelding returned from over two months off after Leopardstown to record an easy victory at Gowran Park in the middle of March and looks the type to receive plenty of support before the race.

Rachael's profile will almost certainly ensure that lots of once a year punters put their faith in racing’s current golden girl whatever she is riding.

Blackmore takes Cheltenham by storm

Rachael Blackmore took the sporting world by storm when winning six races at the Cheltenham Festival two years ago, including becoming the first woman to ride the winner of the Champion Hurdle. 

Last year Blackmore compounded her growing reputation by winning the Champion Hurdle again and this time also taking the Gold Cup on A Plus Tard.

In 2023, two more big races were won by Blackmore; the Ryanair Chase on Envoi Allen and an emotional farewell to Honeysuckle when she won the Mares Hurdle in her last ever race. That victory on Honeysuckle takes Blacmore's total Cheltenham Festival wins to fourteen.

Thirty-three year old Blackmore managed to make the transition from making headlines in the sports pages to being a story that made it into the broadsheets and on to the terrestrial news programmes. Her achievements also included becoming the first woman to win the Ruby Walsh trophy for the top jockey at the 2021 Cheltenham Festival.

The sporting world is keen to champion the women at the top of their disciplines and to make it known that women can succeed as equals with their male counterparts, certainly within the world of horse racing. 

The likes of Hayley Turner and Hollie Doyle on the flat and Nina Carberry and Katie Walsh in national hunt racing have shown that the best riders now get the top opportunities irrespective of their sex. 

How long has Rachael Blackmore been a jockey?

This isn’t an overnight success situation for Blackmore who first took out an Amateur Rider’s licence in 2011 and then turned professional in 2015. Her first Cheltenham Festival winner came in 2019 on A Plus Tard and since then she has amassed a further thirteen Festival wins.

Blackmore’s star is definitely now in the ascendancy and, inevitably, the focus now turns once again to the Grand National. The jockey will be big news again at Aintree and all the media outlets will no doubt be scrambling for interviews and insights. 

Read about other famous Grand National women in our article here.

How many times has Rachael Blackmore ridden over the Grand National fences before?

Rachael Blackmore has had four rides in the Grand National. She fell at the Chair on Alpha Des Obeaux five years years ago and finished tenth on Valseur Lido four years ago. Then came the history making ride when Rachael won the Grand National on Minella Times. Blackmore rode the same horse last year but was unluckily brought down at Valentines.

In addition to the rides in the Grand National, Rachael has had four other rides over the big Aintree fences. She pulled up on Rogue Angel in her first ever ride of the National fences and had a great ride on Sub Lieutenant to finish second in 2019 in the Topham Chase. She then finished 12th on Visioman in 2021 and was unseated by Notebook in the Topham last year.

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