GRAND NATIONAL hero Rachael Blackmore has given a rare glimpse into her relationship with her jockey boyfriend.
Trailblazing Blackmore became the first woman ever to win the world’s most famous race aboard Minella Times last month.
And a few weeks before that she made more history as the first female to be crowned top jockey at the prestigious Cheltenham Festival.
But not a great deal is known about how Blackmore likes to enjoy herself away from the track.
With the jumps season over in Ireland and with some time on her hands, Blackmore opened up last month about her love life and living arrangements.
And it turns out that while she lives with two male riders – one of whom is her partner – they rarely talk about racing.
Blackmore, 31, the so-called ‘reluctant’ superstar of racing, said: “I live with two other jockeys, Patrick Mullins and Brian Hayes.
“I am going out with Brian Hayes, so there are three of us here.
“It is a great house to live in and it is in a really good location in Leighlinbridge. It is close to all the race tracks in Ireland.
“We don’t talk about racing half as much as people might think, it is just a normal house when we come home.”
Mullins, son of top trainer Willie, previously revealed what it’s like with the three of them sharing a house.
He said: “When I moved in with her and her boyfriend, Brian Hayes, myself and Brian would have been going racing most days.
“Rachael wasn’t. She used to do a lot of baking on those days – which was like her way of punching the wall.”
Blackmore fell just short in her quest to become Ireland’s top jockey last season, losing out to Paul Townend.
Racing has proved itself way ahead of other sports with women competing for equal financial prizes as men – but Blackmore insists she just wants to be remembered as a ‘jockey’.
She added: “I want to be treated as a normal jockey. I am not doing the running!
“If I was a sprinter and I was beating Usain Bolt then I would want it to be made a big deal because that would be pretty unreal.
“But I am on horseback so there is a lot more to it than just the physical strength of someone.
“There is a lot more to race riding and to being a jockey so I try not to make a big deal out of it.
“That is how it was when I went into the weigh room with Nina Carberry and Katie Walsh, they never made a big deal about it so I just follow that on.”
FREE BETS GET OVER £2,000 IN SIGN UP OFFERS HERE
Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to SE. 18+. T&Cs apply. Begambleaware.org
Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:
- Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
- Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
- Never chase their losses
- Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
- Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
- Gamble Aware – www.begambleaware.org
