Walsh raring to go on return
RUBY WALSH is raring to go ahead of his much-anticipated return from injury at the Galway Festival today as all eyes turn to Ballybrit for their week-long carnival which is expected to attract 150,000 punters over the seven days.
Having suffered a broken leg at Cheltenham in March just days after his return from a similar injury, Walsh was forced to watch from the sidelines through gritted teeth over the past four months, but the Kildare pilot will be back doing what he does best this week.
Walsh had initially planned to return earlier, but medical advice forced him to admit defeat and be patient and the 39-year-old (right) hopes his luck can turn as he returns aboard Willie Mullins’ Easy Game in the opening novice hurdle, his sole ride of the day.
“I wouldn’t admit that it was properly broken again. I kept trying to tell myself I had just aggravated the previous injury, but it was broken. It was always going to take that long, I just didn’t want to believe it,” Walsh said of the injury.
“Win, lose or fall, that’s the reality of the game. It goes with the territory. But I believe that with bad luck comes good luck, and I think I’m due a turn.”
The dynamic duo of Mullins and Walsh are hot favourites to have a fruitful week and be crowned champion jumps jockey (11/10) and champion trainer (2/5) respectively with Donnacha O’Brien (4/5) fancied to take the Flat jockeys’ crown at the meeting.
Officials at Galway are counting down the hours to flag fall with general manager Michael Moloney expecting significant attendances over the seven days, particularly for Thursday’s €300,000 Galway Hurdle, Ireland’s most valuable race.
Ground on the National Hunt course is yielding while the Flat course is soft after 35mm of rain over the weekend with Moloney hopeful of “good crowds and some competitive racing over the course of the week”.
Batten down the hatches and strap yourself in for more thrills and spills at Ballybrit as the racing world descends on Galway for the most cherished week on the Irish racing calendar.