Rachael grew up on a Tipperary farm playing Pony Club games, and one of her proudest memories is beating Paul Townend in a pony race. She made history as the first woman to win the Grand National and the Cheltenham Gold Cup before retiring in 2025.
Pony racing days
Pony Club member, part of the winning Tipperary Pony Club games team at the RDS. Rode in pony races as a teenager; her first win came at 13 at a pony race in Cork, beating Paul Townend. (Racing Post dates their famous finish to Clashmealcon, north Kerry, in 2004.)
Career highlights
First woman to win the Grand National (2021, Minella Times); leading jockey at the 2021 Cheltenham Festival including the Champion Hurdle; first woman to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup (2022). 575 professional winners.
Sources
Free photo available: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0) – credit the photographer if you use it.