Rachael Blackmore is notoriously private about her personal life, but it appears someone in her inner circle might have accidentally let a certain cat out of a certain bag…
The retired jockey and her partner, Brian Hayes, are reportedly set to tie the knot imminently. Well, that’s according to trainer John ‘Shark’ Hanlon anyway.
Per the Irish Mirror, Mr Hanlon let slip his pal’s relationship milestone while congratulating her on being honoured at the Horse Racing Ireland Awards.
Brian Hayes and Rachael Blackmore. Pic: Rachael Blackmore/Instagram
Mr Hanlon reportedly said: ‘We had a lot of good times, a lot of good times. I remember when she started, Brian Hayes was there, who is her partner now, getting married in January.
‘She was creeping into Brian’s rides, and they weren’t very happy about it. I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall to see what was said when she’d taken a ride off Brian, but she didn’t mind.’
Rachael Blackmore at Wimbledon 2025. Pic: Getty Images
It’s unknown how long Rachael and Brian have been involved, but she let slip her relationship status during a 2021 appearance on Doireann Garrihy’s Laughs Of Your Life podcast.
She told Doireann: ‘I live with two other jockeys, Patrick Mullins and Brian Hayes. I am going out with Brian Hayes, so there are three of us here.
‘It is a great house to live in and it is in a really good location in Leighlinbridge in Carlow.’
‘It is close to all the race tracks in Ireland,’ she continued. ‘We don’t talk about racing half as much as people might think. It is just a normal house when we come home.’
Trailblazing jockey Rachael Blackmore has been unveiled as the new face of FBD Hotels & Resorts. Pic: Andres Poveda
In May 2025, while announcing her retirement, Rachael gave a special mention to her beloved partner.
‘Brian Hayes won’t enjoy getting a mention, but he was more important to my career than I’ll ever be able to thank him for,’ she said. Aw!
EVOKE has contacted Rachael’s representatives for comment.
