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Irish Jockey Rachel Blackmore Voted BBC’s World Sport Star Of The Year

Irish jockey Rachael Blackmore has been voted BBC Sports Personality's World Sport Star of the Year for 2021.

The 32-year-old became the first female rider to win the Grand National at Aintree with victory on 11-1 chance Minella Times in April. No other woman had ever finished in the first two of the famous steeplechase.

Blackmore also became the first woman to be leading jockey at the Cheltenham Festival in March, where she racked up six victories.

She said receiving the World Sport Star award was “unbelievable”.

“The support has been incredible. I got such a kick out of being on that list of nominees. This is just incredible,” she added.

“My dreams were so big, but [this year] far surpassed anything I could have ever imagined.

“The reaction has been brilliant, I feel very privileged to have had the year I've had.”

The previous best by a female rider in the National was Katie Walsh's third place finish in 2012. Women were not permitted to ride in the race until 1977, and in total, only 19 female jockeys have competed.

Topping an online public vote, Blackmore beat off competition from Mexican boxer Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez, American football quarterback Tom Brady, Serbia's world number one tennis player Novak Djokovic, Jamaican sprinter Elaine Thompson-Herah, and Dutch Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen.

The 2020 winner of the award was Russian UFC fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov.

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Jockey Of The Month: Pablo Morales Continues Living The Dream With New Personal Best

From 2017-2019, Pablo Morales rode 200 or more winners a year while establishing a personal-best earnings mark of $4,053,906 in 2019.

Despite those accomplishments, no one could predict the outcome when Morales left Tampa Bay Downs last December to compete at Aqueduct, known for its high purse money and strong jockey colony. And more than a few observers clucked “I told you so” when Morales started the 2020-2021 winter meeting at “The Big A” with only two victories from 53 mounts.

Behind his youthful, placid face, though, lies a steely determination to succeed. Morales (who had ridden four winners at Aqueduct during a “trial run” in early November of 2020) rebounded from his slow start to finish ninth in the winter meeting standings with 24 winners, including three stakes victories.

“I don't think I killed it, but I probably won enough races that people noticed,” Morales said.

That experience set the table for Morales to dominate this year's Presque Isle Downs meeting in Erie, Pa., where he rode 120 winners, 76 more than the runner-up. The 33-year-old product of Lima, Peru won with 32.2 percent of his mounts, a staggering figure for a 15-week meeting.

Morales has returned home for the 2021-2022 Tampa Bay Downs meeting, eager to see if he can challenge for a title among Oldsmar's deep colony. He has done nothing to disappoint his supporters early, winning nine races from his first 31 mounts to earn the Salt Rock Tavern Jockey of the Month Award.

Morales has also set a new personal single-season earnings mark in 2021 of $4.12-million-plus.

Agent Paula Bacon, for one, looks for the good times to continue.

“I think his confidence is better than ever, and that has gotten him even further,” said Bacon, a retired jockey. “He's confident in his decisions, and he has real good judgment. And I don't think anyone can out-finish him.”

Morales, who in recent years has turned to training in the ring with a boxing instructor to keep strong, believes he is at the peak of his skills. But he isn't taking anything for granted, aware of the dedication needed to stay at his current level.

“I love winning and I love racing. That is the thing I know how to do best,” said Morales, who has 2,268 career victories and has ridden at least 100 winners each year since 2010. “My goal, really, is maintaining – being able to keep working, hopefully keep getting titles and having a better season than before.

“My dream was always to come to the United States and be a jockey, and I get to live it and get the benefits of giving my family (wife Erin and children Sophia and Camilo) a good life.”

In the meantime, his quick start aside, Morales will keep fine-tuning the staying power that made 2021 such an excellent year and is reflected in so many of his come-from-behind victories.

“I can do whatever is needed, but usually I'm a guy who likes to sit on a horse and let them do their own running early instead of riding them off their feet,” he said. “When you have some horse left underneath you, they usually give you a pretty good kick and you're able to finish strong on them.”

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Sex In Exchange For Horses? English Trainer Jo Davis Shares Her Experience With Misogyny In Racing

English trainer Jo Davis used a blog post on Sunday to share her experiences with misogyny in racing, in light of the recent bullying case involving jockey Bryony Frost.

The 25-year industry veteran recounted one incident with a former owner who attempted to enter her house and said: “F*** me and you can have any horse you want,” Davis wrote.

Davis also shared instances of another trainer and a member of the media yelling obscenities at her from across a crowded pub, and a jockey too busy flirting with her to listen to pre-race instructions.

Also a former jockey, Davis recalled her first day in the saddle.

“When I race-rode for the first time I had the jibes and the piss-taking in the weighing room, it was a horrid experience,” she wrote. “I grew up with a fairly handy father, a brother who didn't take any s***, I worked in pubs and nightclubs in London and no-one messed with me, however racing was different.”

Davis continued, admitting she used to see the bullying and hateful words as “just banter,” but adds, “then I grew up.”

“We want to be accepted when we are young,” she wrote. “The girls I have spoken to about the Bryony situation say, 'it's just Robbie, unless you stand up to him that's what he does;' fair play to them, however why should they??

“Why should any man (it does happen to them too) or woman need to draw a line in the sand with a male or a female bully?”

Read the full blog post here.

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Jockey David Cabrera Nabs Fourth Straight Riding Title At Remington Park

Jockey David Cabrera was honored Thursday night, winning his fourth consecutive Pat Steinberg Leading Rider award at Remington Park.

Cabrera had long since clinched the riding title as he finished the night with 90 wins on the season, 31 ahead of second-place Stewart Elliott at 59.

“I want to thank all the trainers and owners who give me a chance; I want to thank God and Remington Park and my agent Jose Santos,” Cabrera said. “This is home. I feel like I'm with family. It is an honor to ride here. I also want to thank all the grooms, hotwalkers and gate crew. They all do a great job.”

Cabrera's biggest night of the meet came on Nov. 13 when he won five races, including the 1,500th of his career. He took five of the nine races on the card that night. His winners were Quinn Ella (6-5) in the first, Mr B Quiet (3-1) in the fourth, Fred'stwirlincandy (2-1) in the sixth, Bobbin Tail (even) in the seventh and My Golden M (2-5) in the ninth for the 1,500th in his career.

Another highlight of Cabrera's fourth title in a row included riding Welder to his final win at Remington Park, the 16th such victory for the now retired all-time winningest horse here. Welder, owned by Ra-Max Farms (Clayton Rash) of Claremore, Okla., and trained by Teri Luneack, only won one race this meet but it was a significant one as he broke the tie of 15 wins all-time with Highland Ice and Elegant Exxactsy. Cabrera booted the 8-year-old gray gelding home on Aug. 27 in Welder's first start of the season.

The most wins Cabrera ever had in one meet at Remington Park during this skein was 96 last year. The 29-year-old jockey came to Jones, Okla., to live with his aunt Marti Rodriguez, a trainer at Remington Park, when he was 14 years old, moving from Mexico. He worked his way up from mucking stalls to becoming a jockey in 2013. He had 46 wins to start his career that year.

Cabrera's best year thus far was 2018 when he won 236 times. He has 216 wins thus far in 2021. In his nine-year riding career, he has won 1,526 times for earnings of $35,348,847, according to Equibase stats. His best year in horse earnings has been this year with $7,646,957.He has averaged $6,834 per start this year, compared to $1,372 per start in 2013 when he began.

The leading jockey award is named after Pat Steinberg who was a dominating jockey in the early years of Remington Park, winning nine riding titles before passing away in 1993.

There is only one more day of racing at Remington Park on Friday, Dec. 17. The final night of the season includes the cornerstone race for 2-year-olds at Remington Park, the $400,000 Springboard Mile, with horses eligible for Kentucky Derby points. It goes as the 12th race on Friday. The other stakes are:

Race 8, $70,000 Jim Thorpe Stakes, 3-year-olds, 1 mile (Oklahoma-breds)

Race 9, $70,000 Useeit Stakes, 3-year-old fillies, 1 mile (Oklahoma-breds)

Race 10, $100,000 She's All In Stakes, 3-year-olds and older, fillies-mares, 1m-70 yds
Race 11, $100,000 Trapeze Stakes, fillies, 2-year-olds, 1 mile

The last night of the season gets underway at 5pm-Central.

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