Rachael Blackmore’s Grand National: quick facts
- When: 10 April 2021, Aintree, Liverpool.
- Horse: Minella Times, trained by Henry de Bromhead and owned by J. P. McManus, at odds of 11/1.
- History: the first woman to ride the winner of the Grand National, a race first run in 1839.
- From: Killenaule, Co. Tipperary.
- Career: 575 winners, including the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2022, before she retired in May 2025.
For 182 years, the Grand National had never been won by a woman. Then, on an April afternoon in 2021, with the stands empty because of Covid, a farmer’s daughter from Tipperary crossed the line on Minella Times and changed the race forever.
Here is the finish and the moment it sank in, from Racing TV.
Who is Rachael Blackmore?
Rachael Blackmore grew up on a dairy farm in Killenaule, Co. Tipperary. She rode ponies as a child, studied equine science at university and started out as an amateur jockey, riding in point-to-points. She turned professional in 2015, when very few women rode over jumps at the top level, and she quietly worked her way to the very top.
The race
The Grand National is four and a quarter miles and 30 fences, with a field of up to 40 horses. Minella Times, trained by Henry de Bromhead in Co. Waterford, travelled sweetly throughout. Blackmore kept him out of trouble, took it up after the last fence and pulled clear on the long run-in. Stablemate Balko des Flos came home second, making it a one-two for de Bromhead.
Her words straight afterwards summed it up: she said she didn’t feel male or female, she didn’t even feel human.
More than one big day
2021 was an extraordinary year. A few weeks earlier she had been the leading rider at the Cheltenham Festival, the first woman to do it, winning the Champion Hurdle on Honeysuckle. In 2022 she won the Cheltenham Gold Cup on A Plus Tard, another first for a woman.
On 12 May 2025 she announced her retirement, with 575 winners to her name. Her final ride was a winner, at Cork.
Rachael Blackmore FAQ
Who was the first woman to win the Grand National?
Rachael Blackmore, on Minella Times in 2021.
Where is Rachael Blackmore from?
Killenaule, Co. Tipperary.
Has Rachael Blackmore retired?
Yes. She announced her retirement in May 2025.
What were the odds on Minella Times?
11/1.
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Featured image: still from Racing TV’s official YouTube channel.
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