How Rachael has helped repair racing's image and what it means for the future

Just last month I wrote about how horseracing's public face had been vandalised. Now that face is smiling on the front pages of national newspapers – and it is a woman.

Rewriting history is not new to this particular woman. In 2017 she became the first to win the conditional riders' championship in Ireland, while just last month a barnstorming Cheltenham Festival brought two more colossal firsts as she won the Champion Hurdle and was crowned leading rider at the meeting.

Indeed, the fact Rachael Blackmore won aboard Minella Times on Saturday was a surprise to nobody in the racing industry. She is an outstanding jockey whose skill, tactical nous and physical and mental resilience has seen her rise slowly and then suddenly to the top of our sporting tree.

Rachael Blackmore crosses the line aboard Minella Times in the Randox Grand NationalCredit: Edward Whitaker

But to the wider public, this success resonates far beyond anything they have seen before. To quote Sky Sports Racing presenter Josh Apiafi, "If you can’t see it, you can’t be it."

On Saturday, hundreds of thousands of young women finally saw it. A total of 77 years after the film National Velvet was released, but in reality seemed little more than a pipedream, and 44 years after Charlotte Brew became the first woman to ride in the race, a female rider was successful in our sport’s most prestigious event.

In her now-unabated rise to the pinnacle of racing, Blackmore, the daughter of a teacher and a farmer, has shown you can do it too, regardless of your background or your gender.

Like Hollie Doyle and Bryony Frost, and Hayley Turner before, in years to come it will be Blackmore's name quoted as the inspiration and motivation behind the successes of many more women.

My hope is that those women, like those before them, will race alongside men without favour, and eventually, without fanfare. I hope more women from all walks of life will receive greater opportunities, not needing the crutch of nepotism to lean on.

Akin to a woman winning the Grand National, those goals would have once seemed fanciful. It is no longer the case.

The society we live in is changing, and the fact that is beginning to be reflected in our sport is something to be very excited about.

We should be immensely proud of Blackmore and her achievements, of which there will doubtless be many more.

Thank you Rachael – and see you at Punchestown.

Edmunds and Russell wins brought Aintree to life

Similarly to at the Cheltenham Festival, Irish-trained horses dominated the Grand National. They were responsible for the first five home, with British trainers only fielding three finishers: Blaklion (sixth), Hogan's Height (12th) and Sub Lieutenant (14th).

In a previous column I addressed how British racing needs to change if it is to compete. That said, a particularly enjoyable aspect of this year's Grand National festival was the variety among successful trainers.

In my view, Stuart Edmunds is one of the most underrated trainers in the sport. He endorsed this view at Aintree, winning with his only two runners in Rowland Ward and, one of my favourites, Hometown Boy.

Hometown Boy: overcame a scare at the last to win for Ciaran Gethings and Stuart EdmundsCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Whether it's with mares like Maria's Benefit and Queenohearts or staying chasers like Classic Ben and Now McGinty, he appears to consistently exceed expectations. His form figures in the last 14 days currently read 2211, so expect him to have a few more successes before the season is up.

Along similar lines, my favourite performance of the meeting came in the Sefton Novices' Hurdle on Friday. Ahoy Senor had only won a maiden hurdle at Ayr prior to running at Aintree but the giant son of Authorized made all under Derek Fox, who was riding in his first Grade 1, to score at 66-1.

The six-year-old was given a wonderfully bold ride and the aggressive tactics paid off as he responded to his jockey at each hurdle and found plenty for pressure in the straight.

It was fantastic to see Lucinda Russell and her team rewarded for going for gold and perhaps in years to come Ahoy Senor could be up to a similar level as One For Arthur, the yard's 2017 Grand National hero.

Coral looks set to star

If you follow racing, the likelihood is you follow bloodstock in some capacity.

I always get excited when I come across a sire I've never heard of before and that was the case on Sunday.

It is unlikely you'll be familiar with the name Pillar Coral given he never raced, but that hasn't stopped the likes of Gold Well and Court Cave succeeding as National Hunt stallions.

Like the latter, Pillar Coral is from a fantastic Juddmonte family. He is by Zamindar and out of Sadler's Wells mare Coraline, who has also produced top-tier jumps sires in Martaline, Coastal Path and Reefscape.

Pillar Coral is a half-brother to hugely influential jumps sire MartalineCredit: Rp Graphics

Martaline's two best horses on official ratings were Grade 1 winners Dynaste and Disko, while Coastal Path is five years younger and beginning to make an impact with the likes of Bacardys and Saint Roi. Even 20-year-old Reefscape, who is subfertile, sired a Grade 1 winner in L'Unique.

Pillar Coral standsKilbarry Lodge Stud for just €1,500. He is only a seven-year-old, so it is still very early days, but has the physique and pedigree to make a splash in the years to come. I'll be keeping an eye on his first crop.

Read more from Maddy Playle:

How racing can learn from Formula One when it comes to showcasing our sport

£250 fine or a ban? Lack of consistency for transgressions is concerning

He's among the best in the world – so where is the love for Golden Sixty?

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