Rachael Blackmore the firm favourite to win World Sport Star of the Year in stacked field

Rachael Blackmore is favourite to lift the World Sports-star of the Year at the BBC Sports personality of the year awards.

As the 2021 calendar draws to a close, it is once again time to look back on the sporting achievements of the year and at the top of the pile are those of Tipperary jockey Rachael Blackmore. While the contenders for the solely British category have been revealed, those nominated for the World Sports Star of the Year award have also been listed and Blackmore is the firm favourite. At this year's Cheltenham Festival, Blackmore was crowned Leading Rider with six winners, not only becoming the first female rider to ever win the title but also the first female to ride the winner of a Championship race. She partnered Honeysuckle to take victory in the Grade 1 Champion Hurdle and that marked the start of a wonderful week for her. https://twitter.com/SportsJOEdotie/status/1380923527025602571 To add to an already SPOTY-worthy feat, just three weeks later, Henry and Rachael partnered up again for a historic win in the Aintree Grand National, riding Minella Times for JP McManus. Again, the 32-year-old became the first woman to ride the winner in the race and soon after she went on to win the 2021 HRI ‘Irish Racing Hero’ Award. In Ireland, she has naturally been nominated for the RTE Sportsperson of the Year Award and has found herself in good company for the UK equivalent World Sports Star award. Here are the full list of nominees:

• Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez
• Rachael Blackmore
• Tom Brady
• Novak Djokovic
• Elaine Thompson-Herah
• Max Verstappen

To vote for your BBC Sports Personality of the Year, as well as World Sport Star of the year, vote here. Will Blackmore bring it home for Ireland? Voting closes at 1pm on December 14th. Meanwhile, the nominees for BBC SPOTY are as follows.

• Tom Daley  
• Tyson Fury  
• Adam Peaty  
• Emma Raducanu  
• Raheem Sterling  
• Sarah Storey

---