In an esteemed career, Ruby Walsh, proved himself as a titan of the horse racing world. And now, having retired from the sport, he’s cemented his place among the greatest pundits on the planet, with many comparing him to Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville.
The Racing TV ambassador, who’s considered by purists as one of the best Jumps jockeys of all time, has become a regular on our screens, offering his opinions on all the latest news the sport has to offer. And having become an Irish National Hunt champion jockey on 12 separate occasions, it goes without saying that his words of wisdom carry a great deal of weight.
Ruby Walsh is horse riding’s answer to Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville
On May 1, 2019, Walsh called time on an epic career, after riding Kemboy to victory in the Punchestown Gold Cup. Having spent 24 years at the pinnacle of the sport, with a grand total of 213 Grade One wins, the County Kildare native set his sights on transitioning to the world of punditry. And it’s fair to say his mission has gone as planned, with many comparing him to a pair of Sky Sports Football’s finest.
The icon laughed: “I’ve been compared to Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville on punditry. I do enjoy it a lot. Whatever way you look at it, I always worked, so hopefully, I will be in work, and it is great to be able to continue to do something in horse racing. I enjoy doing what I’m doing, especially when there’s good racing.”
He continued: “I probably have to work a bit hard harder when there is lesser racing. But I am enjoying all aspects of the sport, whether that is on the flat or national hunt, whatever happens in the sport, I would imagine that pundits in other sports, you watch the Rugby World Cup for example, people educated us all about their sport and we look at it in a different way.
“Betting is a massive part of racing, but there are also tactical parts of racing, and if you can somehow combine the both, then it will make a much better product for people to watch.”
Ruby Walsh can’t wait for Cheltenham Festival
While the eagerly-anticipated Cheltenham Festival is still months away, Walsh isn’t afraid of getting the juices flowing early.
He said: “I suppose that’s what punters want. Are you going to give somebody an antepost price about a horse for a novice chase in December, when you don’t really know where it is going to go, like to the Challow or the Tolworth?
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“Or in Ireland, will they go to the Royal Bond, wait for the Christmas Festival at Leopardstown, the Lawlors at Naas after Christmas? There are plenty of good races along the way. But ultimately, it is about Cheltenham, where they are almost likely to meet, so that’s why we often get these quotes early on.
“In football, you won’t get a price about a team reaching the quarter-final or semi-final of the cup. But you’ll probably get a price on them winning the final.”
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