Ruby Walsh: Horse racing is entertainment at Christmas - but for the jockeys it’s showtime

Being a jockey is only glamorous from late morning on St Stephen’s Day because the build-up is not the excitement most people feel, but one of pressure and unease

Racegoers watch the runners and riders during the Tanners Wines Handicap Hurdle (Female Amateur Jockeys) at Ludlow Racecourse. Picture David Davies

I stood, listened and had a little giggle outside Willie Mullins’ tack room on Tuesday morning, as Bryan Cooper and Danny Mullins discussed travel plans and Covid testing for their day-trip to Kempton Park on Sunday.

PCR or antigen? British Airways or Aer Lingus to Heathrow? Or Ryanair to Gatwick? And then the dreaded “what if we fail the Covid test and miss the whole of the Christmas racing?”