Ruby Walsh: Cheltenham results prove government investment in racing is justified

Jack Kennedy (left) and trainer Henry de Bromhead celebrate with Minella Indo after winning the WellChild Cheltenham Gold Cup 

I suppose the ante-post betting suggested it could be a dominant week for Irish horses, but I don’t think anybody, no matter how green-tinted their glasses, could have foreseen the absolute whitewash that happened at Cheltenham this week.

Irish-trained runners not only broke the previous record, they smashed it. The tally of 19 wins to Britain’s nine at the 2017 Festival was an incredible result but it was clear from a very early stage this week that it was going to be surpassed. It quickly became a question of just how many winners we would get, and when Galopin Des Champs took the Martin Pipe Hurdle for Willie Mullins and Sean O’Keeffe it was 23 – yes, 23 – for Ireland and five for the home team.