Rachael Blackmore was referred to the British Horseracing Authority's Whip Referral Committee for exceeding the permitted whip strike limit during the Ultima Handicap Chase on The Short Go, which finished fifth. She received a six-day suspension from March 28 to April 2, 2025, with a reduced penalty due to having no whip breaches in her previous 75 races in Great Britain. Blackmore won two races at the four-day festival, including the Stayers' Hurdle on Bob Olinger, completing the full set of open championship races at Cheltenham.
She is the first female jockey to win the Grand National and has previously won major races including the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Blackmore retired in May 2024 after 575 professional victories, married fellow jockey Brian Hayes in January 2025, and is expecting their first child in May 2025. In a quote, she said, 'Part of me isn't going to enjoy the week massively.
I love racing; I love riding and this week in March has been such a spike, the pinnacle for the last few years. That's not going to be there this week and I'm not sure how that makes me feel. ' At the 2024 Cheltenham Festival, Blackmore was among three jockeys sanctioned for whip breaches, with Sean Flanagan receiving a four-day ban for whip misuse on William Munny in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle.
In other incidents at the 2025 festival, Danny Gilligan received a one-day suspension for misconduct at the start of the National Hunt Challenge Cup Novices' Handicap Chase, and Conor Stone-Walsh received a two-day suspension for careless riding in the same race.