Rachael Blackmore has made a name for herself as one of the outstanding jockeys of her generation after becoming the first female jockey to win the Grand National in its 186-year history in 2021.
She cemented her name in horse racing history by repeating the feat at the Cheltenham Gold Cup back in 2022.
Meanwhile, her boyfriend, Brian Hayes, will be looking to add to the eight wins he has achieved in the past year.
It is fortunate for Rachael that she will be able to compete in the Grand National at all, given that she suffered a nasty fall in the Grade 1 Juvenile Hurdle at Aintree on Thursday.
While the horse she was riding, Willy De Houelle, died following the incident, Blackmore escaped without any serious injury and will be fit to participate.
This will see her in the spotlight again this weekend as she goes head-to-head with her jockey boyfriend at Aintree.
Rachael Blackmore became the first female jockey to win the Grand National in its 186-year history in 2021
Blackmore and Hayes are rarely seen together in public away from a racecourse but were spotted together at Wimbledon last July
Blackmore is one who has had horse racing at the centre of her existence from a very young age, as she developed a love for horses while growing up on a dairy farm in Killenaule, County Tipperary.
After starting to ride ponies at the age of just two, she would go on to feature in pony club meetings and pony racing.
Her passion for horses also extended to academics, as she graduated from the University of Limerick with a degree in equine science while competing as an amateur jockey.
On Saturday, Blackmore, 35, will be riding Minella Indo, while Hayes, 36, will be desperate for victory himself as he hopes to steer Grangeclare West to glory.
Given the attention she and her husband garner through their shared careers, it is understandable that they keep their relationship largely hidden from the public eye.
She revealed in 2021 that she shares a house with Hayes and Patrick Mullins – who will be riding Nick Rockett at this year’s Grand National.
They reside in the quaint Irish countryside town of Leighlinbridge, located in County Carlow around 65 miles south-west of Dublin.
Sharing what life was like on an episode of Doireann Garrihy’s Laughs Of Your Life podcast, she 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.
While Blackmore, 35, will be riding Minella Indo, her boyfriend Brian Hayes, 36, will be desperate for victory himself as he hopes to steer Grangeclare West to glory
She revealed in 2021 that she shares a house with Hayes and Patrick Mullins – who will be riding Nick Rockett at this year’s Grand National
‘It is a great house to live in and it is in a really good location in Leighlinbridge [as] it is close to all the race tracks in Ireland.’
Blackmore and Hayes are rarely seen together in public away from a racecourse but were spotted together at Wimbledon last July.
The star jockey added that she, Hayes and Mullins refrain from talking about the races when they are at home together, noting: ‘We don’t talk about racing half as much as people might think.
‘It is just a normal house when we come home.’
