Legendary jockey Rachael Blackmore announced her retirement from horse racing on Monday. She called time on a glittering career, during which she became the first woman to win the Grand National in 2021, then the following year she became the first female to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
The 35-year-old won 18 times in total at the Cheltenham Festival, but felt that “the time is right” to retire, having also spent three months on the sidelines earlier at the end of last year with a neck injury. She bowed out with a victory on board Ma Belle Etoile in Cork on Saturday.
Blackmore is one of the most iconic and successful jockeys of her generation, banking £4.1million across her career.
But that tally pales in comparison to jockeys across the globe, with Japanese riders especially raking in mega fortunes.
Yutaka Take is a household name in Japan, even though few British fans will know his name, but he has raked in a whopping £735m in prize money.
He has dominated the Japanese turf and is the most decorated jockey in the history of his country’s horse racing. Events such as the Japan Cup, Arima Kinen, and Tenno Sho routinely offer multi-million-pound prizes and Take’s more than 4,500 race wins have propelled him to superstardom.
His biggest win in the UK came in 2000, taking the July Cup on Agnes World. Take has also secured big victories in France, Hong Kong, Dubai and Australia.
Incredibly, 28 of the top 50 highest-earning jockeys in the world are Japanese. They make up the entirety of the top four, owing to the country’s racing culture and home stars being nearly unbeatable on home turf.
Norihiro Yokoyama follows Take in second place on the jockey rich list, bringing in £465m after 2,964 victories. He won the Japanese Derby last year at the age of 56, becoming the oldest jockey in Japan to win a Grade I race.
Yuichi Fukunaga takes third place with £424m earned after 2,636 wins. In 2024, Fukunga effectively ended his career after being granted a training license, moving to a new role and maintaining his icon status in horse racing.
Masayoshi Ebina stands in fourth with £382m earned thanks to his legendary partnership with El Condor Pasa.
Blackmore trails significantly to the Japanese quartet in terms of money earned, but after 16 years in the sport, her impact has been immeasurable.
She won the BBC’s Sports Personality’s World Sport Star of the Year for 2021 following her trailblazing victory at Aintree; her success will have inspired a new generation of female jockeys.
That famous Grand National win was watched by an estimated 500 million people worldwide, taking success for women in horse racing to a new level. She will be remembered as a pioneer and walking away with several millions in the bank is not too shabby either.