Aamilah Aswat says riding in the Grand National is “still the dream.” After making history last week, that dream no longer looks quite so distant.
The 24-year-old became the first black female British jump jockey to win a race in the UK when partnering Guchen to victory in a handicap hurdle at Kempton on 2 February. It was her fourth ride under rules — all four have come aboard the same horse.
That pattern tells its own story. Aswat has built a partnership with Guchen through the winter: fifth at Kempton in November, eighth at Huntingdon in December, fourth at Haydock on Boxing Day, and finally that breakthrough win over two miles and half a furlong on the all-weather. The victory came in a Class 4 handicap — respectable grade, nothing flashy — but the context matters more than the race quality.
The Long Road to Aintree
Aswat’s ambition now turns to Aintree. The Grand National remains jump racing’s greatest stage — four and a quarter miles, 30 fences, maximum field of 40 runners. For context on what she’s chasing, the SmartForm database shows the scale of the challenge.
Since 2000, 72 horses trained by Willie Mullins have contested the National. Mullins is widely considered the greatest National Hunt trainer of the modern era. His Aintree record in that time? Four wins, three seconds, four thirds. An average finishing position of 8.3 sounds respectable until you remember that completing the course at all counts as success. Just getting round is an achievement.
The point is this: even the sport’s dominant force wins the National roughly once every 18 attempts. The race humbles everyone eventually.
The Blackmore Precedent
If Aswat does make it to Aintree, she would follow a trail blazed by Rachael Blackmore. The Irish rider remains the only female jockey to win the National, partnering Minella Times in 2021.
Blackmore’s National record since shows the race’s unforgiving nature. She fell at the first fence in 2022, finished 17th in 2023, ran third on Minella Indo in 2024, and was ninth last year. Seven rides, one win, one placed finish. That strike rate — roughly 14% — actually compares favourably with male counterparts over the same period.
Before Blackmore’s breakthrough, Katie Walsh carried the flag for female riders in the National. Walsh rode in six Nationals between 2012 and 2018, finishing third on Seabass in 2012 — a record that stood as the best result by a female jockey for nine years until Blackmore’s victory.
Walsh’s other finishes were 13th, 13th, 12th, 19th, and an unseat. The National rarely offers comfortable rides.
What Aswat Faces
The data suggests Aswat’s path to Aintree will require patience. She currently has four rides to her name — Blackmore had 455 winners in Ireland and the UK before her National triumph. Walsh had 708.
There’s no shortcut. Conditional jockeys serve their apprenticeship in handicaps like that Kempton winner, grinding through winter afternoons, learning their craft. Guchen is trained by Kim Bailey and Mat Nicholls — a yard with National experience, though not at the same volume as the Irish super-stables.
The horse himself offers some encouragement. Guchen has shown progressive form this season — a point-to-point fifth, a close third at Ffos Las last spring, and now this win. He’s rated in the low 90s, a level that would need significant improvement to even qualify for a National entry. But stranger trajectories have happened.
Looking Ahead
For now, Aswat’s story is worth celebrating on its own terms. The Grand National dream may be distant, but eight years ago Blackmore was an unknown conditional. Three years ago she was a National winner.
The pipeline exists. Aswat has taken the first step.
The 2026 Grand National takes place at Aintree on Saturday 4 April. Willie Mullins has 15 entries on the initial list, including 2024 winner I Am Maximus and reigning champion Nick Rockett.