On top of her game

KATIE Walsh finished third in the Grand National earlier this year and became the highest-placed female rider in the history of the race.

The 27-year-old, who’s a sister of champion national hunt jockey Ruby Walsh and daughter of trainer and TV pundit Ted Walsh, says her Grand National performance on Seabass, trained by her dad, was very exciting. “The Grand National’s a historic race. A lot of people have never even ridden in it and to ride in it for Dad was unbelievable.”

Katie - whose boyfriend, Ross O’Sullivan, also trains horses - hopes to run at the Galway Races Summer Festival next week (Monday, Jul 30, to Sunday, Aug 5). Along with top female jockey Nina Carbery, she will be at Galway’s g Hotel on next Thursday, Friday and Saturday mornings (Aug 2-4), where the two women will host a breakfast Q&A session, discuss the day’s racing ahead, as well as chat about the highs and lows of their careers to date.