Ruby Walsh: In hindsight, Honeysuckle defeat a relief for those involved in her

Sport is as harsh as the weather, and the fairytale of Honeysuckle found a pair of villains on the Fairyhouse track

HONEYSUCKLE: Her next run will be to prove a point, with the pressure of expectation lifted with her Fairyhouse defeat. Pic: PA

Jack Frost has raised his head and started his winter ice game. I wouldn’t say I like the cold, in fact I hate being cold and even thinking about being cold, and I have long preferred donning my wet gear over my thermals.

Yet, last Sunday you needed both in Fairyhouse, and still a crowd poured into the venue to see all the things that are Honeysuckle. I stood elevated on a TV presentation position that allowed me to watch racegoers throng the parade ring to see her, Rachael and the De Bromheads, and I watched as they disappeared off to the grandstand side to enjoy what they had come to see.