There aren’t many boxes that Ruby Walsh hasn’t ticked in his remarkable career. The Galway Hurdle was one. Or at least it was until yesterday when Walsh produced what Willie Mullins described as a “Houdini act” to finally land the richest jumps race in Ireland courtesy of Clondaw Warrior.

Road To Riches is on course to be the highest-rated horse to ever run in theTote.com Galway Plate on Wednesday week.

The Trainers’ Championship in Britain is going down the wire, but it would be some achievement from Willie Mullins were he to win it, considering he’s based in Ireland.

Due to the problem I spoke of in this column last week - rain, or, more specifically, the lack of it - we’re still waiting to really get going with our National Hunt horses, but Don Cossack didn’t half throw down an early marker with a brilliant comeback this week at Punchestown.

Frankie Dettori has been snapped up by Willie Mullins to partner leading fancy Clondaw Warrior in the Betfred Ebor at York next Saturday.

Surprisingly, the only winning favourite on day five of the Galway Festival came in the ultra-competitive Arthur Guinness Handicap, but it was no shock to punters who backed the Tony Martin-trained Tudor City down from a high of 7-1, to a starting price of 5-2. There were a couple of anxious seconds before he prevailed in the cool hands of Fran Berry.

A great weekend got even better for trainer Hugo Palmer, when his Home Of The Brave ran out a most impressive winner of the Group 3 Friarstown Stud Minstrel Stakes, to supplement Covert Love’s success in the Darley Irish Oaks just 24 hours earlier.

You can’t hear, see or touch it but the theory known as ‘Moore’s Law’ has arguably been the single greatest determinant of Irish economic growth in the last five decades. 

Ryan Moore roared into the history books on the penultimate day of Royal Ascot as he became the first jockey since the war to ride nine winners at the showpiece meeting.

Ryan Moore produced the Willie Mullins-trained Clondaw Warrior with a perfectly-timed challenge to land the Ascot Stakes.

I’ve been to the Melbourne Cup, Breeders’ Cup, Hong Kong International Races and Dubai Carnival — all fantastic festivals in their own right — but none of them top Royal Ascot.

 

Ruby’s Best Bets

McKinley, shock winner of a Grade One novice event at Naas on Sunday, has been given 11st 2lb in the BoyleSports Hurdle at Leopardstown on January 18.

Several possible Classic contenders were in winning action at Leopardstown yesterday with leading trainers Jim Bolger and Dermot Weld making positive noises in regard to next season.

Brian Ellison returns to Ireland is search of another big pot when he saddles two in the Irish Cesarewitch at the Curragh tomorrow.

One of the more interesting horses in training right now is Willie Mullins’ Clondaw Warrrior.

Tramore isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, how could it be, but you have to say it certainly has its place in the scheme of things.

Grandma Dotty, dashingly ridden by Fran Berry, turned over hot-pot Clondaw Warrior in the Sean Cleary Memorial Handicap in Roscommon last night.

"I didn’t think we would have many winners this week, he was our banker", said Pat Flynn, after his Gusty Rock had landed the Family Fun Afternoon Maiden Hurdle at the final stage of the Tramore festival yesterday.

Easily the most interesting horse on view at Roscommon tonight is Willie Mullins’ Clondaw Warrior in the Sean Cleary Memorial Handicap.

Check out our tips from today’s horse races from courses around Ireland and the UK.

Tom Hogan’s Flycorn is fancied to deliver in the most interesting contest on the card at Ballinrobe this evening, the Irish Stallion Farms’ EBF Hurdle.

The hopeful nap vote falls on Tellherimnothere in the June 16th and 22nd Twilight Racing Maiden Hurdle on a difficult to solve and less than inspiring card at Limerick this afternoon.

LONG RUN and Kauto Star will clash for the third time in tomorrow’s Betfair Chase at Haydock.

RUBY WALSH makes his first return to race-riding in Britain since being suspended under the new whip rules at Aintree when he heads to Wetherby for one mount today.

THE Irish look dominant in the first at Cheltenham today.

SAINT GERVAIS is fancied to land the nap in an interesting little five-runner Bumper at Listowel this afternoon.

JOHN Kiely’s Oneeightofamile made a victorious return to hurdling in the featured Dermot Casey-Hire Sales and Tree Services Hurdle at Cork’s well-attended jumps fixture last night.