In November, Betfair launched its one-of-a-kind charity initiative, the ‘Rachael Blackmore - Serial Winners Fund’, to benefit both the Injured Jockeys Fund and Irish Injured Jockeys. The fund currently stands at £205,000 and is expected to reach £250,000 by Grand National Day, Saturday, April 13th, when the fund will draw to a close. This weekly column seeks to shed some light on how jockeys have, and will continue to benefit from, the work the IIJ and the IJF do, and some of the services this contribution will support.

Tell us about an experience where mental strength played a crucial role in overcoming a challenging situation in your career to date:

I missed a winner on board My Trump Card because I got suspended. I got suspended for careless riding at Fairyhouse on D B Cooper. I knew the dates were going to fall on the Sunday, the day I was going to ride My Trump Card.

It was quite hard and mentally tough knowing that this horse would win and that I wouldn’t be riding it. I hadn’t had a winner for a while and had come second on him before but was really looking forward to riding him and getting a win on him.

If you miss a game in a team sport, someone will fill in for you, but at least you’re on the same team.

But as a jockey someone else will fill in for you and, at the end of the day, they aren’t on the same team as you. That is why it is really hard on the head to miss races.

How do you maintain focus and stay resilient amid all the highs and lows?

The main thing is that if you thought you gave a horse a bad ride you can’t look into it, you just have to move on, otherwise it will stay on your mind.

Similarly, when you win a big race, it’s important to stay grounded and to keep your head. You can’t dwell on your previous success when you have to ride well again in the next race.

What techniques do you use to manage stress and pressure before and during a race?

Before a race I love chatting to a few of my friends in the weighing room to take my head off things and relax. You can’t always be in the zone, I love having a bit of craic before a race.

You are not human if you’re not nervous aboard a fancied horse but it is no good for anyone if you get too stressed beforehand.

During a race, I wouldn’t be too stressed. Once I’m legged up it’s all I think about. I just try to focus on the task at hand. I focus on what position I want to be in, what speed I should be travelling at and what quirks the horse has.

How has the ability to bounce back from disappointments contributed to your overall success as a jockey?

Disappointments make you tougher and more immune to the sport. Racing is a sport that can play with your head. I’ve been able to get over disappointments quicker with experience.

Getting over disappointments quickly allows you to focus on the next job. If I got beat on a fancied horse now, I would be able to handle it a lot better than I would have been able to a couple of years ago.

Are there specific mental exercises or routines you practice to enhance your mental strength?

I always try to visualise a race, and to gather as much information as I can before, whether that is asking around to see the plans of other jockeys or to study the form as best I can.

I try to visualise who will be where and where I’ll be at each part. I sometimes try to use visualisation to manifest a win.

I like to get to the races early. I hate rushing to the races because you’re always rushing then. I usually arrive two hours before a race.

I always like to walk the track; that’s very important as it lets me spot the best ground, especially in the bumper because you are often wider riding because the inside is chopped up.

Can you recall a race where maintaining a positive mindset was pivotal to winning?

I rode a horse called Stellar Story in Naas, beat Ile Atlantique, I had won a bumper on him previously and knew that he was an out-and-out stayer.

When on a stayer like that you have to make sure you’re going a good gallop. If it comes to a sprint you’ve no chance. I was able to push Ile Atlantique to go at a pace that suits me. After the four-furlong pole I was off the bridle.

I knew he’d stay all day and that if I stuck to the plan and rode him very positively we’d be able to grind out a win.

How do you handle the weight of expectations, both from yourself and others?

I think I thrive off of expectation. If a trainer expects me to win it’s a massive confidence booster that they wanted me to ride their horse because they know how I ride, and they think that I ride well.

I wouldn’t enjoy it at all if people had low expectations of me.

I just want to do the best I can do. I didn’t have a winner in February and was always thinking ‘When will I have a winner?’ I was constantly thinking that I should be riding a winner this week or the next one, putting myself under pressure in order to improve.

My expectations from a personal perspective are definitely quite high.

Are you a naturally confident person or is that something you have to work hard at?

I’d suppose I’d say that I’d be quite confident without being cocky. Because confidence is a huge thing in racing, I might come across more confident than I am. The more confident you are, the better you ride.

When confidence is high, I don’t think about whether I will win, rather how will I win. Your horse can tell how confident you are. If you don’t ride with confidence, you’ll have no confidence.

What do you do to switch off?

I like chilling out. It’s hard to mix college and racing.When I’m racing I don’t get to see my college friends as much as I’d like. I love going back and chilling out with my college mates, getting my head out of racing and talking about different things. Nothing beats sitting around with a few friends and just hanging out. If you don’t switch off it’s not good for anyone.

What message would you give to someone who is struggling to cope with pressure or disappointment in their professional life?

Delete social media and don’t be looking at what other people are doing. It makes you worry that you’re not doing well enough. If you keep looking at what others are doing, you’re naturally going to be comparing yourself to them.

Have you ever availed of support from the Injured Jockeys Fund or Irish Injured Jockeys?

I actually haven’t, thankfully been very lucky with injuries in my career so far, touch wood.

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