It was three weeks before Christmas when Rachael Blackmore is aboard a flight at 7 am from Dublin to Liverpool for an appointment that she could not – and would not miss it.
Blackmore was out of service with a neck injury and its destination in Merseyside was a hospital, but that had nothing to do with its own recovery. This visit, in the world renowned establishment, Hey Children’s Facility, was to try to bring some joy to those who needed it.
She spent 90 minutes – with Danny Mullins, Flat Jockeys Ross Coakley and Harry Davies, as well as Sir Anthony McCoy, Mick Fitzgerald and Franny Norton – walking in the neighborhoods, listening to stories and trying to comfort. At 1 p.m., she was in the air and on the way back.
“Our schedules are generally so busy that you never have the chance to do something like that,” explains Blackmore. “But Alder Hey is a special place. It is a place where no family never wants to meet; No child wants to be here, but they make an environment as pleasant as possible. They do an incredible job.
This is a statement with which there can be no contradiction. He explained why, 24 hours before the event that puts in a world scene, Blackmore was back with many of his colleagues on Friday, with McCoy and Fitzgerald, for an event that has become a large part of the Grand National Week.
He started in 2001 when McCoy and Fitzgerald were part of a delegation that moved away from Aintree on Friday morning to visit Alder Hey; Over the years, the link has become so strong that 20 members of the weighing room were present.
Rachael Blackmore opened his visits to his special ” ‘tours” in children’s hospital Alder Hey
Friday, the 35 -year -old was back with many of his colleagues for the big national week
She spent 90 minutes for walking in the neighborhoods, listening to stories and trying to comfort
We like none of them saying that they were not the stars of the show – this title went to Neptune Collonnes, the national winner of 2012, who has the placid temperament of a donkey on a beach and loved being nourished polo shirt by his many visitors who had descended from the neighborhoods.
Looking at, Blackmore smiles at the emotion of all this. She could have felt a little tender after a tumble from Willy de Houelle on Thursday, but nothing was going to prevent her from attending, distributing part of her driving glasses signed to one of the children who wanted them.
“I’ve been here for a few years,” she says. “This tradition of jockeys coming to the hospital is special, it has lasted for a long time – well before I even get up. It’s a nice thing to do. I came before Christmas, I was injured at the time, so it was easy to do.
“Even when you enter through the front door, you are not struck by a feeling of hospital, do you know?” They have fantastic people who work and if we can help a little way, giving a few minutes, we are delighted to do it.
“It is a unique link between the hospital and the racetrack, we all know it. The relationship that jockeys have been there for a very long time. It’s very revealing to walk around and it really puts a lot in perspective.
Blackmore is used to hearing cries of “Rachael! Rachael!” On the right track, but it multiplies in Aintree, since the overwhelming triumph of limits on Minella Times, it orchestrated in 2021. The route was perhaps empty, because of the pandemic, but it knew that a city was behind it.
When she led the winners to Aintree in the years that followed, the clamor of the sympathizers is enormous and she smiled widely when she recalled the scenes in 2023 when she joined forces with JP Mcmanus to win the Mersey Novices Hurdle.
Liverpool will forever be a city that embraces the athletes and the pride it takes to stage the Grand National, which has prospered under the sponsorship of hikes, is colossal; Critics may wonder if the race is the same as before, but it is really much more than horses.
Blackmore was out of fighting with a neck injury when she went three weeks before Christmas
Blackmore is expected to mount Minella Indo on Saturday while she is trying to add to her success in Aintree four years ago
“I love Liverpool, I really do it,” said Blackmore and his feeling was sincere. “It’s a fantastic place, people are brilliant. I do, in a very small way, I feel a part of all this here. Everyone in Liverpool kisses the race and it’s simply great to be on the Roll of Honor, to have this little part of the story.
“There is a lot of passion here. They love their race, it’s a special little place that is sure. It’s great to come back here every year and doing it is an honor. If we are able to give a distraction to someone, forget the problems by speaking of a horse or the great national for two minutes.
The main subject of the conversation, in these precious moments of distraction, revolved around who would win the renewal of this afternoon, in which Blackmore will again lead her old friend, Minella Indo, for her boss Henry de Bromhead.
De Bromhead likes the character of this horse, in particular the fact that he will start to prowl around his box and kick the stable door as an angry fighter is preparing for the battle; He is an older statesman now and even if he may have to give way to younger legs, Blackmore is assured of an exciting rotation.
“ Minella Indo only worked twice since last year’s Grand National, but Henry trains it so that he was reaching his peak again on the big national day, ” said Betfair ambassador, who thought for some progress 12 months ago that she could take over I am Maximus.
“He is 12 years old now, but I went up to him the other day, and he did not work like a 12 -year -old child. He is the winner of the Gold Cup and he keeps a lot of his abilities and all his enthusiasm, and I hope again a very great race of him.
She will undoubtedly wear the best wishes of a city on Saturday. The best result, however, had come 24 hours earlier.