Rachael Blackmore lands surprise new job months after horse racing icon retired

Rachael Blackmore, who retired from race riding last May following a record-breaking and pioneering career as a National Hunt jockey, has taken on a new role with Cheltenham Racecourse and the Jockey Club. Blackmore's remarkable achievements in the saddle saw her become the first woman to ride winners of the Grand National, Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle and Champion Chase, and she was also the leading rider at the Cheltenham Festival.

The Tipperary native shocked the racing world when she announced her retirement on May 12 at the end of a jumps season in which she completed the full set of the Cheltenham Festival's championship events when Bob Olinger won the Stayers' Hurdle. Since retiring, she has been involved in PR and charity work, but she has now accepted a new position with Cheltenham Racecourse and the Jockey Club.

Cheltenham, the home of jump racing in Britain and the scene of some of Blackmore's greatest victories, has appointed the 36-year-old to a new ambassadorial role as Head of Ladies Day at The Festival.

The Cheltenham Festival will reintroduce its Ladies Day in March for the first time since 2019, and Blackmore's role is part of an initiative to encourage more women to attend races.

Blackmore will collaborate with the team at Cheltenham to identify potential obstacles that might be deterring women from attending races, while also aiming to attract new female audiences and those who have not attended racedays for a while.

Blackmore, who won the Cheltenham Gold Cup on A Plus Tard in 2022 and the Grand National in 2021 onboard Minella Times, said: "It is going to be a very different experience going racing and not heading for the weighing room, but I'm looking forward to seeing what racedays are like from the other side of the rails and working with the team at Cheltenham.

"I'm interested in meeting racegoers to get a proper understanding of why they attend but also what some of the blockers and barriers might be that are stopping their friends and peers from coming.

"Horseracing is an amazing sport and a day at the races provides so much opportunity for people to socialise with friends and meet new people.

"I'm excited to get involved and see what can be done to engage more women and show them what makes a day at the races such a special and unforgettable experience."

Figures compiled by The Jockey Club reveal that on average, just a quarter of attendees at Cheltenham Racecourse throughout the season are women, whilst the industry average for Jump racing stands at 39 per cent according to the Racecourse Association and Great British Racing Data Insight Programme.

Additional customer research carried out by The Jockey Club in 2023 found that numerous women feel the sport is 'not for them' and are frequently put off by the perception that racing is aimed at men. Guy Lavender, Chief Executive of Cheltenham, said: "Rachael is a household name whose success and passion for horseracing resonates not only with racing fans and aficionados but general sports fans and even wider audiences.

"We've been evaluating customer data and feedback and what really stood out was the opportunity to grow our female fanbase. From there we've been developing a campaign aimed at encouraging more women to attend racedays and Rachael is exactly the kind of aspirational figure we hope will attract a new fan base to the sport.

"Rachael's groundbreaking success on the track, combined with her growing status as a role model beyond the sport and popularity with people of all ages, make her the ideal ambassador to connect the Cheltenham Festival with a new, female-focused audience.

"Her achievements transcended racing and resulted in headlines around the world and awards like the BBC World Sports Star at the prestigious Sports Personality of the Year Awards in 2021. We're excited to be working with her to identify what initiatives and incentives would encourage more women to come racing and to promote the sport, Cheltenham Racecourse and The Festival specifically, as being for everyone."

Blackmore will experience Cheltenham for the first time as a spectator when she joins the team at Cheltenham for The November Meeting on Friday, November 14.