Rachael Blackmore, the first female jockey to win the Grand National and first woman to be leading jockey at Cheltenham, has shared that she is expecting her first child with husband Brian Hayes
Brian Hayes and Rachael Blackmore
Retired racing legend Rachael Blackmore has revealed she is expecting her first baby with fellow jockey Brian Hayes.
The pair got married last month in an intimate West Cork ceremony on January 5th, having been acquainted for over a decade.
Rachael posted a picture to her Instagram story on Thursday afternoon sharing the delightful news. She uploaded an image of her Volvo vehicle with a baby pram tucked in its boot, adding the sweet caption “Love driving the Volvo XC60 BA. Boot contents looking a little bit different now..”
The 36 year old, who hung up her racing boots last year following an illustrious career in horse racing, made history as the first female jockey to triumph at the Grand National, and became the first woman to claim the title of leading jockey at Cheltenham.
The Tipperary native notched up a total of 575 victories throughout her professional racing career.
The announcement picture that Rachael Blackmore shared(Image: @blackmorerachael / Instagram)
The duo have been friends for more than ten years, first crossing paths at a training facility in Carlow during the early stages of their respective careers. They had previously mentioned sharing accommodation with their mate Patrick Mullins, son of iconic jump trainer Willie Mullins, reports RSVP Live.
Rachael touched on their relationship back in 2021, noting that their household is wonderful to be part of and that people might be taken aback by how little they discuss racing. 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. It is a great house to live in, and it is in a really good location in Leighlinbridge in Carlow.”
Rachael Blackmore and Brian Hayes on their wedding day(Image: blackmorerachael / Instagram)
Upon her retirement from racing last May, she gave a nod to Brian in her statement, 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.”
The duo have been seen together at Wimbledon, music festivals and on holiday.
Brian, 37, who is known for keeping his personal life under wraps, launched his professional racing career in 2011. Since then, the Rosscarbery-born jockey has made a name for himself in the industry.
He has ridden for numerous notable figures such as Emmet Mullins, the Bowe family, Willie Mullins, James Dullea and Mick Winters.