Ruby Walsh: Punchestown set to deliver another instalment of Kerry v Cork
COLLISION COURSE: The title battle between Jack Kennedy, left, and Paul Townend will provide a fascinating subplot to the final week of the Irish jumps season. Picture: Healy Racing
The final week of another season and those phrases I heard as a kid have all started to become true for me. It doesn't feel like five years since I went to the Punchestown festival as a jockey, and nor does it feel like 12 months since Fastorslow downed Galopin Des Champs, Bravemansgame, and Envoi Allen in the 2023 Punchestown Gold Cup. Time really does fly, and before we know it, Galway will be upon us, but I believe in the here and now, and this week has the makings of a cracker.I can't wait.
Firstly, it was sad to hear about Shishkin on Sunday evening. He had a freak accident in his stable at Seven Barrows and had to be put to sleep, but what an athlete he was. Unlucky this season, in the King George, but still boasting a remarkable CV, he had a massive engine with a character to match it, and he is a loss to the sport and this week's racing. Sixteen runs over fences and 21 in his career, and one would imagine being in his stable would be the safest place he could be, but accidents happen.
