(Reuters) – Irish jockey Rachael Blackmore and Minella Times will be reunited at the Grand National on Saturday as they seek to repeat last year’s history-making success at Aintree.
Blackmore in 2021 became the first female jockey to win the famous jumps race. Last month she was also the first woman to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Minella Times, trained by Henry De Bromhead, carries top weight in the handicap race — significantly more than last year when he was an 11-1 shot — and recent form has been below expectations. The latest odds are 14-1.
“Rachael will ride Minella Times and he’s back showing me all the right signs at home,” De Bromhead told the Racing Post.
“Now, in saying that, I thought I had him back going into the Leopardstown race as well and he disappointed me, but he definitely seems to be back to himself this time.
“He loved it last year, but he’s obviously gone up a good bit in the ratings so it’s not going to be easy for him.”
The last horse to win the Grand National two years in a row was Tiger Roll in 2019.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Ed Osmond)
