Rachael Blackmore receives highest honour at HRI awards
Rachael Blackmore, the winner of Contribution to the Industry Award, with her Dad Charles and Mon Eimir. Pic: Healy Racing
Killenaule native Rachael Blackmore was honoured with the Contribution to the Industry Award when the annual Horse Racing Ireland Awards 2025 were held Monday evening in Dublin.
The Grand National, Gold Cup, and Champion Hurdle-winning jockey had a long and distinguished career in the saddle before announcing her retirement in May, and her glass-ceiling-shattering success brought racing to the front pages for all the right reasons.
Through her association with Knockeen trainer Henry de Bromhead and his equine stars such as Honeysuckle, A Plus Tard, and Minella Times, she won most everything the sport had to offer a rider before hanging up her boots at the end of last season.
âIt is hard to think of someone who made such a profound impact on the sport so quickly,â said HRI CEO Suzanne Eade.
âShe won a total of 33 Grade Ones throughout her stellar career and had 18 winners at the Cheltenham Festival, including the pinnacle, the Gold Cup, along with Champion Hurdles and a Champion Chase.
âMost famous of them all, she won the Grand National at Aintree. Many of those moments arrived during covid and helped brighten the mood of the nation. They also caught the imagination as Rachael remains a role model and a true trailblazer.âÂ
The Horse of the Year Award was a Willie Mullins benefit as it was shared between Galopin Des Champs and Ethical Diamond. While the former relinquished his Cheltenham Gold Cup crown when bidding for a hat-trick, he bounced right back to his best at Punchestown to put a 12th Grade One success on his CV.
Ethical Diamond may be a little less distinguished but he followed up a Royal Ascot success with victory in the Ebor at York and then, in most thrilling fashion, in the Breedersâ Cup Turf at Del Mar.
On another good evening at the Awards for Willie Mullins, the champion trainer in Ireland and the UK took the National Hunt Award yet again.
The National Hunt Achievement Award remained in the Mullins family as Patrick was recognised for his Aintree Grand National-winning ride aboard his fatherâs Nick Rockett.
For being crowned champion jockey for the first time, Donegal rider Dylan Browne McMonagle was the recipient of the Flat Award, while popular trainer Joe Murphy, who enjoyed the biggest success of his career to date when Cercene won the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot, was recognised with the Flat Achievement Award.
Nicola Burns has made a terrific start to her career in the saddle and for that the youngster from Westmeath received the Emerging Talent Award. Sam Curling received the Point-to-Point Award in recognition of his success with Wonderwall in the Foxhuntersâ Chase at Cheltenham as well as a personal record of winners for the season.
Fittingly, the prestigious Racecourse of the Year Award went to Punchestown, which this season had one of its most successful festivals for many a year.
The Ride of the Year Award, which was decided by public vote, was bestowed upon Alan OâSullivan, after his brilliant and emotional success aboard Filey Bay in the Connacht Hotel Qualified Ridersâ race at the Galway festival.
