Top jockey Rachael Blackmore has admitted she never thought she would make a career out of horse riding.
And she opened up about how she became more recognisable after winning the Aintree Grand National and Cheltenham wins.
The Tipperary native – who is hoping to keep her winning streak going at Cheltenham this week – said she is grateful to the yard she was riding at that backed her to turn professional.
She said: “No not at all. I finished school and I was riding as an amateur at the time along with going to college. This as a career was never something I thought would materialise, but the way things happen for me, they have. I feel so lucky that I get to do this as my job.
”It was only until she reached the age of 25 that she began to think of becoming a jockey as a career after finishing college.
“I finished college when I was 25 and I was kind of a crossroads then where my riding as an amateur wasn’t going to be a career for me – I wasn’t getting on particularly well or anything and the yard I was riding out in at the time said to me why don’t you try and give turning professional a go and see does that change things for you.
“I was given that opportunity and without that everything else wouldn’t have happened so I was very lucky to have someone that was going to back me to try turning professional and see if that opened a few doors. I’m very lucky it did,” she told podcast Driving Progress with Audi.
The 32-year-old said her age has definitely helped her not lose herself with all her success last year.
“My age definitely I think has helped me in some ways. I was very slow to get going as a jockey, so I had to be very very patient. I learnt a lot about losing races and things not working out before I got success. I think I got that a lot older than other people. I think it helped with the success not taking over things. I didn’t get too carried away with it.”
And she added that since winning the Aintree Grand National has made her more noticeable in public.
She said: “Winning the Aintree Grand National was just an incredible moment. That feeling of elation when I crossed the line, it’s just something I could never have imagined. It rushes through you. It was an incredible moment to win a race like that that’s got such history. It’s just a fantastic race. That’s probably my standout moment.
“With regards to racing, that is an evolving wheel.. but definitely on the outside world, things have changed a little bit for sure. the odd time somebody might spot you in the supermarket. Those things are different now.”
