a two minute silence was observed before the start of the women s six nations game, too, between italy and england. it started as a day of reflection at aintree it ended with one of the great sporting stories of all time. today, rachael blackmore has made history after becoming the first female jockey to win the grand national. the irish rider rode the ii to i shot minella times to victory, as andy swiss reports. a day when racing paid its respects, the jockeys wearing black arm bands. the duke of edinburgh had been an honorary member of the jockey club, and before the first race aintree fell silent. the atmosphere here is understandably subdued, also because there are no spectators here. covid restrictions mean that for the first time in the national s history, it is behind closed doors. but for the a0 riders, there was a chance at one of racing s most prestigious prizes. they set out over aintree fences. what followed was a sporting milestone, as rachael blackmore on mine