Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Ruby Walsh with Rachael Blackmore in 2017.Lorraine O'Sullivan/INPHO Ruby Walsh: 'Whilst she broke the glass ceiling, I don’t know how many there are like Rachael' Walsh highlighted Blackmore’s resilience as one of the Tipperary jockey’s outstanding qualities. 9.50pm, 12 May 2025 Share options RUBY WALSH HAS paid a glowing tribute to Rachael Blackmore, who called time on her glittering career as a jockey today. The Tipperary native enjoyed a ground-breaking 16-year career, including memorable wins at the Aintree Grand National in 2021 on Minella Times and in the Cheltenham Gold Cup on A Plus Tard in 2022. “Rachael Blackmore is unique,” Walsh told RTÉ’s Game On. “We keep saying the first but she is the only woman to have won a Grand National, a Gold Cup, a Champion Hurdle, a Stayers’ Hurdle, a Champion Chase. The only woman to be leading rider at the Cheltenham Festival. “She did what all top sports people do. She made very few mistakes and that’s the difference. She was very cool under pressure, calculated under pressure and just didn’t get it wrong. Rachael was able to make fewer mistakes and that’s what made her so good.” Walsh highlighted Blackmore’s resilience as one of her outstanding qualities, noting how she recovered from injury to triumph in the Stayers’ Hurdle with Bob Olinger earlier this year, completing the set of winning the four major Cheltenham races. Advertisement “Being a National Hunt jockey is not an easy life,” Walsh continued. “It’s a tough sport and Rachael was unique. Men and women do get to compete on a level playing field but it’s the physicality: the falling, the thumps off the ground, the speed of the impacts and being able to pick yourself up. “Rachael Blackmore was able to fall and get up quicker than most men, and that’s what made her different. She was like an elastic band. So resilient, so tough. Whilst she broke the glass ceiling and proved women can do it, I don’t know how many there are like Rachael. “To win a Grand National is incredible but to watch her come back from a pretty horrific hip injury… and then this year she proved more to me about herself than any of those victories. “She got a fall in Killarney she described as a neck injury but when a National Hunt jockey walks around for three months in a neck brace you can be damn sure there’s something broken. “Being a jockey, you play for pay, if you’re out there’s no salary. She worked herself back into the position that was hers and came back to Cheltenham this year and won. “With all she had achieved, she still had to start again and she did and got herself back to the very top. To take that dent in confidence and get back to where you were, I admire that.” Viewcomments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “Ruby Walsh: 'Whilst she broke the glass ceiling, I don’t know how many there are like Rachael'”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “Ruby Walsh: 'Whilst she broke the glass ceiling, I don’t know how many there are like Rachael'”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy before taking part. Leave a Comment Submit a report Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines. Damaging the good reputation of someone, slander, or libel. 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