Rachael Blackmore has admitted that a new documentary charting her rise to the pinnacle of horse racing is "surreal."
Blackmore, 34, has gone from strength-to-strength over the last few years, achieving national and global prominence thanks to her performances at the Cheltenham Festival and Grand National. The Irishwoman, who only rode her first winner in 2011, finished up as Cheltenham's leading jockey in 2021, an extraordinary achievement and the first woman to accomplish the feat.
But she eclipsed that one month later as she became the first woman to win the Grand National at Aintree, guiding fourth-favourite Minella Times to an 11/1 success for Henry de Bromhead. That catapulted her to worldwide fame, and the big winners have only kept on coming since.
READ MORE: AP McCoy breaks down in tears live on ITV while discussing injured jockey Graham Lee
READ MORE: Frankie Dettori had 'balls squeezed' by racing icon mid-race and felt 'extraordinary pain'
Blackmore's incredible rise is now the subject of an exciting new documentary produced by Betfair, called Serial Winners: Rachael Blackmore. It follows similar productions centred around the likes of David Haye and Joseph O'Brien, also made by Betfair.
The record-breaking jockey spoke exclusively to Daily Star Sport before the documentary's release, giving us an insight into what racing fans can expect. "I thought they did a great job making it, and it’s the latest in the series after Paul Nicholls, Joseph O’Brien and David Haye, so it’s very cool that they wanted to do it on me!"
Is Rachael Blackmore the best jockey around at the moment? Let us know in the comments section below
Get your ultimate World Darts Championship 2024 preview here
It's the most wonderful time of the year – and we've got the perfect magazine to get you in the Ally Pally spirit!
With this year's PDC World Darts Championship set to be another thriller, Daily Star Sport have prepared your ultimate 48-page preview magazine to get you ready for all things arrows.
From interviews with Grand Slam of Darts champion Luke Humphries and former world champions Gary Anderson and Rob Cross to in depth features on the PDC's angriest moments and why they start on 501 – we've got you covered.
Order yours to buy immediately right here!
"When you see all the footage compiled and you get to watch the clips back of those incredible days, I do feel incredibly lucky. It’s a bit surreal watching it all back. It gives an insight into my life. I enjoyed watching it about as much as you can when it’s about yourself. It’s short, you don’t have to dedicate too much of your life to watching it, so I hope people enjoy it."
"There’s a good clip in the kitchen where I’ve got a jar of Nutella beside me, so they might learn that I like Nutella! Different people will pick up different things from it. I do think it’s a nice little insight into life as a jockey."
The premier of the documentary took place at Haydock Racecourse before the Betfair Chase, which was won by Royal Pagaille for Venetia Williams and Charlie Deutsch on Saturday. It marked the world's first ever movie premier at a racecourse and also saw the launch of Rachael Blackmore’s Serial Winners fund, with a £100K donation to the Injured Jockey’s Fund and the Irish Injured Jockeys fund.
There will be an additional £5,000 added for every winner Blackmore rides between the Betfair Chase and the Grand National, which takes place on Saturday 13th April 2024. All in all the donations could total £250,000.
In a wide-ranging interview, Blackmore also discussed what it's like to receive abuse on social media and offered advice to some of the sport's younger jockeys. "I’m on social media, you try to avoid it but some of it does crop up," she said.
"I just ignore it. I’m a lot older and have the ability to do that, but it is a very worrying thing for younger jockeys that maybe are looking at that kind of stuff and taking it on board. It’s a worrying world that we live in in that sense. My advice would be to ignore it, but I understand that’s easier said than done for some people."
Source: Read Full Article