Rachael Blackmore has sustained a broken ankle and hip injury after falling at Killarney races last Friday.
Rachael, 32, sustained the injury when the favourite Merry Poppins fell down in a handicap hurdle.
The Grand National-winning jockey was taken to Tralee Hospital for proper treatment.
Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board senior medical officer Dr. Jennifer Pugh said”She has had surgery overnight and is in good spirits.”
She became the first female jockey to win the Grand National earlier in April at Aintree when she won while riding on Minella Times with an EW bet tip being offered to the punters prior to the race.
A month before, she became the first woman to be a leading horse rider at the prestigious Cheltenham Festival.
Like a good number of young and aspiring riders, she watched the film National Velvet and dreamed of one day participating and winning the Grand National.
On the 10th of April 2021, Rachael Blackmore made fantasy a reality. The first female horse rider to win in the world’s most popular steeplechase, with a stirring win on Minella Times.
She told reporters, “National Velvet was definitely something that would have been on the television when we were growing up. I’ve got no punch line to go with it,”
The 1944 movie saw Taylor play the role of 12-year-old Velvet Brown who won the National title on a gelding called The Pie but was subsequently disqualified on a technical ground.
Rachael Blackmore, a soft-spoken and articulate lady, had saved her ‘punch lines’ for shortly after becoming victorious on 11-1 chance Minella Times, trained by the legendary Henry de Bromhead for horse owner JP McManus.
The 31-year-old Irish rider told ITV, “I don’t feel male or female right now. I don’t even feel human,” This is just unbelievable.”
A little after she paused during a presser as the magnitude of her achievement really sank in, took a deep breath, and composed herself before she continued answering questions.
Rachael Blackmore is the daughter of a modest dairy farmer and a school teacher, who rode ponies as a kid near her humble home in Killenaule.
She had once hoped to become a vet doctor, bagging a degree in equine science and combining her education with riding horses out and competing as an amateur jockey before she turned professional in 2015.
She has since become a pioneer –ending in the top three spots in the Irish jockeys’ championship for the last two years and is in with an opportunity of winning the title this season
She disclosed, “My first memory of racing was when I was about seven or eight watching the Grand National round a friend’s house and it had that special kind of hype,”
“I took out my amateur jockey’s license and didn’t even dare to dream I would get a ride in the race, let alone ride the winner of it.
“It’s such a special race. I finished 10th last year and got a kick out of that. To finish with your head in front is beyond belief, to be honest.”
Without a doubt, Rachael’s world is horse racing. Her boyfriend Brian Hayes and housemate Patrick Mullins are both successful horse riders.