Published May 2020

NOT many movie makers come calling to horse racing for their raw material. And fewer still to jump racing. There’s no royal processions here. No glamour. It’s a sport of hard men and hard knocks.

Its helmeted heroes are barely recognisable from each other in the head-down drive to the line. Few stand out. Rain, mud and broken bones await them as much as any grand applause.

But did you hear this one about a girl called Rachael and a horse called Honeysuckle?

That sounds kinda cute. And they can beat the boys? Tell us more.

This Rachael see, when they were kids she beat this other guy who wanted to be a jockey too. And now she’s beating the boys all the time. And the other kid, he’s now the champion jockey! And we’ve got this big race here and they are squaring off again….

Find me a scriptwriter..!

Rachael after winning the Horse Racing Ireland Awards National Hunt Award last December /Healy Racing.

***

There have been a few twists in the tale of the two wannabe jockeys who were going hell for leather in a Cork pony race back in 2004.

Sixteen years on, 4.15pm, Cheltenham Tuesday, the latest chapter was unfolding. Two out, all eyes on the Grade 1 Mares’ Hurdle.

Paul Townend and Rachael Blackmore’s paths had gone separate ways since that pony race. By 2011 Townend was Irish champion National Hunt jockey. Blackmore had finished her Leaving Certificate, gone to college but followed her desire to ride in races down the amateur ranks in point-to-points and ridden her first track winner on Stowaway Pearl for Shark Hanlon in February 2011.

From a farming background, horses were part of the fabric of life but she recalls: “I never wanted to be a jockey, growing up. I wanted to be a vet, I wanted to ride horses but I didn’t see being a jockey as a career, I always wanted to ride in races and compete but it was always as an amateur.”

The Grade 1 winners flowed for Townend, number two and an able deputy in the all-conquering Willie Mullins yard. High-profile wins on Hurricane Fly placed him among the elite and brought him the champion title.

Blackmore quietly ploughed her own furrow but with no less determination. Encouraged by Hanlon, and believing that turning professional, only the second woman to do so in Irish jump racing, would get her more rides as she could exploit her 7lb claim.

It took six months to get her first professional winner but her star rose rapidly from then into the following season (2016/2017) when she had 32 winners as she proved her talents and gained the backing of some respected trainers along the way.

St Patrick’s Day 2015 in Down Royal, Paul Carberry and Andy McNamara were still in the weighroom when Blackmore left for her first professional ride. Time moves on swiftly.

Such has been her rise through the ranks in the five years since, it’s a bit of a surprise to see that it took her six months to ride that first professional winner.

But it didn’t seem that long from the saddle. “I was riding so much more that summer, so much more than as an amateur. I was getting more experience, I was making money, I think I finished second five or six times on Personal Shopper for Harry Smyth.

“I finished second on her, he put me up the next day, I finished second again, he put me up again. I was getting so much experience, those things really stand to you,” she says.

Though a girl among the guys was a natural ‘handle’ to be grabbed in the general media, the leaps from girl on pony, lady rider, female jockey, to just a ‘jockey’, were all negotiated with apparent ease.

4.15pm, Cheltenham Tuesday, the turn for home.

Sixteen years have passed since that race in a Cork field. “It’s mad isn’t it, it’s so funny how good Paul looks, he was low in the saddle, really polished, really good. I was riding way too short, should have got about 24 days for the stick!” She looks back with the same amusement as we all do.

But who can tell the difference now? Benie Des Dieux is 4/6 favourite under Townend. The Mullins mare appears to be going the better, outside of her stable companion Stormy Ireland. A quick pre-race poll of our office – who wins? – had brought the same answer. “Benie,” Benie,” Benie.”

Blackmore had already been aware to the lack of early pace, moving Honeysuckle up to dispute the lead going out into the country. Down the hill, Townend had switched Benie outside. Over the second last and before the turn-in, Robbie Power and Stormy Ireland had left a gap on the rail. One flick of the stick and Honeysuckle had seized the initiative. Some considered it the move of the meeting.

Decisive move

All the way to the line, Honeysuckle was as brave as she had been all season, answering every call and Townend was held, half a length behind.

But you are friends, you had made a decisive move, slipped through and beaten the hot favourite – how did that feel?

“When we crossed the line, I kind of roared with joy, Paul kind of cursed to himself. In that moment I was so relieved and happy for myself but I did feel a bit for Paul too because it was always going to be one of us in that situation.

“I was delighted that it wasn’t me and that I was the one on the happy end of it. He kind of leaned over and said ‘well done’, I knew how hard that was. I was just delighted I’d won, everything just unfolds so quickly, I was just overjoyed.”

Honeysuckle has been the Blackmore cover star all season, three Grade 1s in the bag. “Henry does an incredible job with her. He has her 100% every day she goes racing and she produces, that’s very special’

Who would win a rematch? “She’s never done anything wrong in my eyes and I can’t see why she wouldn’t. Things panned out in our favour turning for home but I can’t fault her – she’s always unbeatable in my eyes.”

On TV, the debate ran on as Ruby Walsh was critical of the riding of Power and Townend.

In doing so, he again knocked the whole ‘strength in a finish’ accusations that might have once been levelled at female riders. “The physicality of it is so minute compared to tactics.”

Watching back later, Blackmore took particular pride in the comments. “It was pretty cool watching it back and seeing Ruby and McCoy up there talking about me and the ride I’d given the horse, after winning in Cheltenham. That was a surreal thing to be watching, two people that you would look up to.”

Honeysuckle - " I can’t fault her – she’s always unbeatable in my eyes."/Healy Racing.

Theatre of Dreams

Cheltenham is the focal point of the jumps season but, for all the anticipation and joy it brings us, success is hard earned. It’s the Theatre of Dreams. But one that badly smashed Bryan Cooper’s leg, left McCoy in tears, and broke Ruby’s leg two years ago, maybe hastening his retirement.

Davy Russell spoke here recently of it “being a lonely place walking out on the Friday last year” after a rare winnerless four days.

Blackmore’s book of rides this year had even seen her fancied to be leading rider, despite the Mullins stranglehold. Pressure?

“I felt last year there was maybe a bit more pressure, I had fancied rides, to get the first winner. This year I went to Cheltenham already having ridden two Cheltenham winners.”

Typically the week had its ups and downs. Honeysuckle was the headliner, but before that Captain Guinness had been side swiped and fallen, Notebook disappointed.

“Once the ball starts rolling and racing starts you don’t really have time to get wrapped up in what after happening or the disappointment or whatever – I had five rides that day, you’ve already been through all the build-up and what’s going to happen, once you are going, your mind is just on the next one.”

The rest of the meeting left a few what might have beens. Small margins going the wrong way. Minella Indo and Monalee were beaten by less than a combined three lengths in the RSA Chase and Gold Cup.

Monalee was squeezed out coming down the hill by Santini, de Boinville later banned for two days for the manoeuvre. “Monalee didn’t get a great run of things, he stayed really well, he ran an unbelievable race considering the trouble that was inflicted upon him. It was a great run but disappointing too, to get that close.” Townend this time got the glory.

If there was one race from the season that got away it was the RSA where Minella Indo fumbled the last and, though still clear, was caught by Champ close to the line.

“It’s one race in particular I don’t like watching back. I wish I’d got a better jump out of him at the last. I think the result might have been different, we lost a lot of momentum there. It was a bit frustrating.”

Limelight

Her continued success has brought her into the limelight and often reluctantly, it seems. The successes of Bryony Frost and Lizzie Kelly across the channel send TV presenters off with the microphones for the sound bites to replay.

But Rachael is not Bryony, Bryony not Rachael. And given both Frost and Kelly have often had negative comments on social media, letting your riding do the talking is no bad move.

The record books will speak for themselves. Who ever criticised Lester Piggott for not being more like Willie Carson?

“It’s very hard to talk about something when you are in the bubble,” she reflects. An unexpected hurdle has appeared to be overcome recently, sharing a house with a talented aspiring writer named P.W. Mullins means you might appear in print before you know it. “Yea, there’s no getting away from him!”

Cheltenham success has increased the spotlight/ Healy Racing.

Support

What has characterised Blackmore’s rise to one of the top jockeys in jump racing has been the support she quickly gained in what is generally a male environment of owners, trainers and fellow riders.

Gigginstown House, Kenny Alexander, Rich Ricci have made big investments in jumping horses. Show me the man who is comfortable entrusting his cheque book to his wife! But she has been a regular with them all.

In 2018/’19 she had 615 rides, way ahead of Sean Flanagan (511) and this season with 450 she was only behind Flanagan again (458) and Philip Enright (481).

And then there are the punters. The second glass ceiling is punter approval, given they are generally the most vocal and are mostly male.

Shark Hanlon remarked on the cash going down in the Jump Girls documentary remembering the first winner. “We backed him from 20s to 6s. There was a few quid got!”

You only have to climb the stands at the big meetings to know this too has been smashed, with cries of “Come on Rachael” by the thousand.

“I definitely heard the roars and noise at the Dublin Racing Festival. That was an unbelievable day, there was a fantastic atmosphere,” as Notebook and Honeysuckle were roared home.

In a Racing Post interview last year Gigginstown House’s Michael O’Leary had his say on some of the current crop of jockeys:

“There’s a group of young jockeys coming through and they need to work harder, be tougher and build themselves up. They need to stop worrying about their hair and start worrying about winners.”

Hair up, helmet on, there’s never been any issue of Blackmore not giving it everything and it was faith from Gigginstown that first led to the link up with Henry de Bromhead.

“Eddie O’Leary started it off for me so I’ll always be very grateful to him. He suggested to Henry at the start of that summer maybe I’d go down and see how I got on riding some of the horses down there and then we had a good summer and kicked on from there. I feel extremely lucky to be in the position I’m in to be able to ride these horses.

She makes no big deal of being one of very few females at the top in jump racing.

“When I started racing and went into the weighroom Nina and Katie were there, they never made an issue of the fact they were female, I went into a weighroom following their lead. Male/female was never an issue. They were competing at the highest level as well.

“I didn’t grow up dreaming of being a jockey, I grew up thinking I was going to be a vet. Always knowing I was going to ride as a jockey but it was going to be as an amateur jockey.

“I never envisaged I’d make a career or make a living out of being a jockey. I had dreamt of riding in Cheltenham but not to ride a Cheltenham winner.

“Turning professional was a lot about that I was going to be able to claim 7lb of 9-10, which was going to open up a lot more opportunities for me.”

In the weigh room before her first ride as a professional jockey in Down Royal 2015/ Healy Racing

These are testing and uncertain times but all in racing are trying their best to keep going and wait for a resumption.

“We’re lucky that we are in the country and there’s plenty to keep us occupied, I’m riding out one or two days a week. You’d definitely feel for the people who are stuck in a housing estate.

“I’m getting to do a bit more fitness when we’re not riding, I do my own routine stuff and a bit of running. Wayne Middleton is sending us down videos to keep us going.”

And with everyone looking for new pastimes has the shutdown given her time to expand? “I’d love to be able to say I enjoy something real cool but just the normal things, I enjoy cooking and baking, I can’t tell you I’m a part time para-glider!”

Britain seems to have more female jump jockeys coming through with the likes of Page Fuller and Millie Wonnacott impressing this season while Ireland awaits. What advice would she give any girl that might wish to follow her path?

“If you work hard and you are good enough you will get the chances – I’d say these things to male or female. Work hard, if you are a girl starting off, don’t think that you are a girl. You are starting off like everyone else, put your head down and work hard.

“The main thing from my experience would be perseverance – it took me a very long time for the penny to drop and for my riding to improve. When I look back at my first winner, I was terrible.

“It took me a long time to get better and improve and that really only happened when I was getting more rides.

“Jack [Kennedy], Paul Townend, Johnny Burke, they flew through their claims, for other people it takes a lot longer.

“My main advice would be don’t just look at the Jack Kennedys, and think it’s not happening for me. It does take some people a lot longer, in my case a lot, lot longer! I’d say I would be the oldest ever champion conditional!”

Friends and rivals - Rachael and Paul Townend /Healy Racing.

With 61 winners this season before the Covid-19 suspension, she sits among our top four riders. Depending on how the programme is set out when racing returns, a few flat rides might be on the cards. “I’d love to ride on the flat, I had a double on the flat last year at Tramore.

“I’ve never been one to set myself up a target, in racing it’s kind of hard to set too many goals. I’d be more a person who tries to do the best everyday and take it as it comes.

“I’m very lucky to be in the position I’m in, being involved in Henry’s yard is a big help.”

She might not be comfortable with the attention and a movie called The Girl from Killenaule may never hit the big screens but Rachael Blackmore is big news in Irish sport.

Ask the ‘lads’, the owners, trainers, riders, and punters. Listen to the roars from the stands and parade rings. The only big screens that matter are the ones at the racetrack, and we’re all watching her.

Rachael Blackmore celebrates after winning the Close Brothers Mares´ Hurdle on Honeysuckle in Cheltenham / Harry Murphy/Sportsfile