Grand National-winning jockey Rachael Blackmore reveals thrilling household information simply weeks after marriage ceremony
Grand National and Cheltenham Gold Cup-winning jockey Rachael Blackmore has revealed that she and her new husband are expecting their first child just weeks after getting married.
The 36-year-old retired in May of last year after a heavily decorated jump racing career saw her become the first woman to win the Grand National with Minella Times in 2021.
Blackmore married her now-husband, fellow jockey Brian Hayes, in Cork last month, but has since announced yet more joy to her fans online.
Sharing a picture of her car to her Instagram Stories, Blackmore made sure that a large box appearing to contain a pram was visible in the shot.
‘Love driving the Volvo XC60,’ she captioned the image. ‘Boot contents looking a little bit different now….’
Blackmore had previously shared pictures from her intimate Irish wedding to social media, with fans in the comments flocking to share their well-wishes for the couple.
Rachael Blackmore has shared exciting family news just weeks after marrying fellow jockey Brian Hayes
The heavily decorated rider shared a cheeky picture of her car boot loaded with a new pram
She had previously thanked Hayes directly in the statement confirming her retirement, saying: ‘Brian Hayes won’t enjoy getting a mention, but he was more important to my career than I’ll ever be able to thank him for.’
Blackmore confirmed her relationship with Hayes, 34, in 2021, during an appearance on Doireann Garrihy’s Laughs Of Your Life podcast, sharing: ‘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. It is a great house to live in and it is in a really good location in Leighlinbridge in Carlow.
‘It is close to all the race tracks in Ireland. We don’t talk about racing half as much as people might think. It is just a normal house when we come home.’
Blackmore retired after becoming part of a select group who have done Cheltenham’s ‘grand slam’ – the Gold Cup, the Champion Hurdle, the Queen Mother Champion Chase and the Stayers Hurdle.
Horses that she has ridden have become crowd favourites, such as Honeysuckle, who she rode to four consecutive Cheltenham wins between 2020 and 2023.
Blackmore made history in 2021 when she became the first woman to win the Grand National
In her retirement statement, she said: ‘My days of being a jockey have come to an end. I feel the time is right.
‘I’m sad but I am also incredibly grateful for what my life has been for the past 16 years. I just feel so lucky, to have been legged up on the horses I have.
‘A conversation between Eddie O’Leary and Henry de Bromhead took my career to a whole new level. Henry has been a phenomenal trainer, who brought the best out of me. Without Henry, my story is very different.’
