IT WAS Ruby Tuesday on the opening day of Cheltenham 2011, as the jockey with the most famous first name in racing proved yet again why many people regard him as the finest horseman of his generation.
Just back from a four-month lay-off with a broken leg and already sporting a cut eye from his latest fall, Ruby Walsh shrugged off the injuries to complete a hat-trick of wins, including the big one.
Soon after piloting Hurricane Fly to a thrilling victory in the Champion Hurdle, he faced the arguably even more daunting challenge of riding another Willie Mullins-trained horse, Quevega, in the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle.
It was a less important race but Quevega had the dubious distinction of being considered Ireland’s surest thing at the festival by experts.
Despite the shuddering weight of this expectation, she justified the faith by trouncing the opposition. Walsh had also won the day’s opener for his other main employer, English trainer Paul Nicholls.
It was the Irish wins, however, that defined day one with Henry de Bromhead’s Sizing Australia also thrilling fans in the cross-country chase. Ruby took the punters’ love to town last night and in the process made sure the bookies were taken to the cleaners. “It’s a shocking result for us,” a Boylesports spokesman said after the Champion Hurdle.
Combined with the Quevega win, he suggested the firm’s losses could go into “seven figures”.
Cheltenham is celebrating a centenary this year, it being 100 years since the National Hunt festival took up permanent residence there. And Hurricane Fly’s victory had echoes of one of the greatest festival winners of all.
Willie Mullins made his own history by taking the Champion Hurdle for the first time and in so doing he emulated his father, Paddy, who trained Dawn Run to win the same race in 1984. Dawn Run then went on to win a famous Gold Cup in 1986: the first and only horse to ever do that double.
There may even be a good omen in yesterday’s events for the Irish rugby team as they prepare to meet England at the weekend; after breaking his leg in a fall at Down Royal before Christmas, Walsh was helped back to fitness by IRFU’s fitness coach Brian Greene. Greene was among the many people he thanked yesterday, after Hurricane Fly’s raucous welcome back to the winners’ enclosure.
The festival continues today, when the big race is the Queen Mother Champion Chase. Ireland will again have the favourite, with reigning champion Big Zeb strongly fancied to retain his title under Barry Geraghty.