What a year 2026 is shaping up to be for retired jockey, Rachael Blackmore!
After kicking things off by saying I Do to her long-time love Brian Hayes and announcing they’re expecting, Rachael has now received a huge honour at Aintree Races.
The history-making sportswoman, who was the first woman to win the Grand National in 2021, has been inducted as a Grand National Legend at Aintree, as she should!
Rachael Blackmore opens Blackmore’s Bar, a new alcohol-free facility on day one of the Randox Grand National Festival 2026 at Aintree Racecourse. Pic: David Davies for The Jockey Club/PA Wire
Rachael was inducted during a special ceremony on Thursday, April 9, on the 2026 opening day of the famous festival.
The Tipperary woman follows in the footsteps of legends such as Red Rum, Tiger Roll, and Aldaniti, as well as Ginger McCain, Jenny Pitman, and JP McManus.
Former jockey Rachael Blackmore on day one of the 2026 Cheltenham Festival at Cheltenham Racecourse.
Pic: David Davies for The Jockey Club/PA Wire.
Rachael was honoured with a commemorative plaque outside a newly renamed venue, Blackmore’s Bar.
This will be an alcohol-free space created with local schoolchildren and artists. Blackmore’s Bar will serve coffee, pastries and soft drinks. Sounds like a great day out!
Pic: Rachael Blackmore/Instagram
Rachael’s Aintree visit comes after she was spotted at the Cheltenham Festival on March 10, just ten months after hanging up her saddle for good in May 2025.
The 37-year-old wrapped up warm in the cold weather, wearing a baby blue coat, and we’re left wondering if the shade is a hint at her baby’s gender…
‘The whole giving birth thing I haven’t given an overly massive thought to yet, I think I should probably start doing that in a month or two!,’ she said recently.
Rachael Blackmore on day four of the 2025 Cheltenham Festival at Cheltenham Racecourse. Pic: Mike Egerton/PA Wire
Rachael didn’t exactly blurt the news of her pregnancy out; it was eagle-eyed fans who were quick to realise what the former jockey was trying to tell them.
The jockey shared a shot on social media with a box containing a buggy in the boot of her car.
‘Boot contents looking a little bit different now,’ Rachael simply wrote alongside a picture of her car, a Volvo XC60.