Rachael Blackmore could raise £250k for injured jockeys with charity donations from bookmaker
Betfair has launched a charity fund named 'Rachael Blackmore's Serial Winners Fund' which could raise up to £250,000.
The bookmaker will donate £5,000 for every race won by Rachael Blackmore, a Grand National and Gold Cup-winning jockey, between Betfair Chase day and the Randox Grand National. Betfair kicked off the fund with a generous donation of £100,000.
It is estimated that around £250,000 will be raised for the Injured Jockeys Fund and the Irish Injured Jockeys. Blackmore, who is also a Betfair ambassador, expressed her excitement about the initiative: "This is a very generous initiative from Betfair and one that I am excited to be a part of over the coming season."
She also highlighted the importance of the work done by IIJ and IJF: "The work of IIJ and IJF is vital in providing support services for jockeys past and present. It's great to have Betfair supporting not only me, but two organisations that are so important to us as jockeys."
Lisa Hancock, CEO of the Injured Jockeys Fund, expressed her gratitude towards Betfair: "We are very grateful to Betfair who have been great supporters of the Injured Jockeys Fund for many years. Rachael of course is an inspiration to all aspiring jockeys, and we will be hoping she kicks home plenty of winners over the coming months."
Michael Higgins from the Irish Injured Jockeys said: "We are very grateful to Betfair for this generous initiative and are delighted to be joint beneficiaries with our friends in the IJF."
He added: "Rachael is a committed supporter of IIJ and a fantastic role model for our sport and hope her current run of success continues. We have major plans in 2024 and a project which will involve significant investment on our part which will transform facilities and services available to our riders. This, along with our existing support programs, will benefit hugely from the fund."
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story.
