Confirmed: The horse Rachael Blackmore will ride in the 2021 Grand National?

We take a look at the horse that top lady jockey Rachael Blackmore will ride in the 2021 Grand National at Aintree...

Fresh from riding a magnificent six winners at the Cheltenham Festival, and claiming the top jockey award at Prestbury Park, top Irish jockey Rachael Blackmore will head to Aintree this weekend to try and bag her first success in the 2021 Grand National, which is run at 17:15 on Saturday afternoon.

Having piloted star performers like Honeysuckle (Champion Hurdle) and Allaho (Ryanair Chase) to glory at last month's Cheltenham Festival, Blackmore has dominated the National Hunt racing coverage with her brilliance in the saddle, and she will now team up with her partner in crime once again at Aintree, Henry de Bromhead, as the pair unleash MINELLA TIMES in the Grand National.

Currently around the 12/1 mark with the bookmakers, at the time of writing, Blackmore will be hoping that she can get a real tune out of the JP McManus-owned eight-year-old, who has racked up some notable handicap chase efforts this season, and looks to still be open to more improvement.

Having kicked off the season with a half-length success at Listowel in September, Minella Times then went on to chase home Castlebawn West in a hugely competitive renewal of the Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown at Christmas. Handed a rise by the handicapper, Minella Times showed he was still on the incline when finishing second once again at Leopardstown in February. Beaten half-a-length by Off You Go this time around, the son of Oscar has been given another rise by the handicapper, but off a mark of 146 looks to stand a superb chance of landing a notable blow in Saturday's event.

De Bromhead's raider is yet to run beyond three miles, so there are significant doubts about his stamina in Saturday's marathon, but having progressed with every run this season, the Irish raider has to be considered as one of the premier Irish challengers for the world's greatest steeplechase, and a win for Blackmore just cap off a remarkable season.

Rachael Blackmore's Grand National Record

The 31-year-old has only previously ridden in the Grand National on two occasions, with both rides failing to make the frame. Blackmore had her first taste of the Grand National back in 2018, when she partnered the relatively unfancied 33/1 shot Alpha Des Obeaux. However, the Noel Meade-trained raider was a faller at The Chair (15th fence) and there was to be no debut success for the lady rider.

Returning to Liverpool 12 months later, Blackmore got the leg up on another outsider in 66/1 chance Valseur Lido, who managed to finish the gruelling test. However, the Henry de Bromhead-trained raider was no match for the winner Tiger Roll, as Valseur Lido finished in a distant tenth spot.