A family affair for father Ted at Cheltenham
He first went in 1970, as a 19-year-old, and has not missed the meeting since.
“Tom Dreaper asked me would I go and ride a horse, called Dropit, for him, in the Kim Muir. I didn’t even realise Mr Dreaper knew me. Would I go? I couldn’t believe it and would have done so on a bike, if it was possible to cycle there,” Ted Walsh says.
Dreaper told the young amateur that Dropit had no chance; he was right, but that was of no importance.
Once he had ‘tasted’ Cheltenham, Ted wanted more and rode four winners at the meeting. He is not impressed by his achievement. “Ruby could ride four winners in a f… day now,” he says.
Ted’s best moment was training Commanche Court, partnered by Norman Williamson, to victory in the Triumph Hurdle in 1997. “Personally, that was my best day at Cheltenham. When you ride a horse, you are with him for say six or seven minutes. Training a horse is different. You have the worry, anxiety, build-up and wondering if you are aiming him at the right race.
“Dermot Desmond (Commanche Court’s owner) mentioned to me that I had never trained a winner at Cheltenham. He said to go and buy a horse for him to win at the meeting. I asked how much he would spend? He said ‘just find the horse and I will pay’. It is great when someone trusts you like that and I felt entitled to give myself a pat on the back when he won,” he says.
Commanche Court went on to win the Irish Grand National, at Fairyhouse, and the Heineken Gold Cup, at Punchestown, in 2000.
And then, two years later, he finished second in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, behind Best Mate. “I felt Ruby might get another 20 chances to win a Gold Cup, but that I never would,” he says.
The year before, there was no festival, following a bout of foot and mouth in Britain. Says Ted: “There was no sign of Best Mate, at that stage, and I’d say Commanche Court was 7lbs a better horse than he was a year later.”
Also in 2000, Walsh trained Papillon, owned by American, Betty Moran, to win the Grand National at Aintree, and that was a massive afternoon for the Walsh family.
“That was my greatest day in racing,” says Ted. “It was made all the better by having my 20-year-old son (Ruby) on the horse and it was his first ride in the National. Betty bought Papillon for Ruby to ride. She wanted him to have a safe jumper that would help his career.”
A major highlight of Ted’s association with Cheltenham was the double recorded by his daughter, Katie, two years ago.
She won the National Hunt Chase on Ferdy Murphy’s Poker de Sivola, on the Wednesday, and the County Hurdle, on Willie Mullins’ Thousand Stars, on the Friday.
“That is right up there with Commanche Court and Papillon,” says Walsh. “I managed a total of four and she did two in week, and I thought I could ride.”
Ted says it isn’t easy watching both Ruby and Katie riding. “It is tough. Helen (his wife) likes to see them get around safely, but I want them to win, as well. I’m well aware of the pitfalls and when Ruby takes a tumble, I know almost immediately how bad it is. It is hard watching Katie, she is a female in a man’s world,” he says.
For a long time now, Walsh has combined working on television with training horses and has served RTÉ for 35 years.
But Cheltenham is all about Channel 4 and teaming up with John Francome and Jim McGrath.
“I am a big admirer of Francome, as a jockey and a broadcaster. He is a great man to tell a story. In my opinion, McGrath is the ultimate professional when it comes to horseracing. I enjoy being in their company,” he says.
What are his thoughts on the Gold Cup? “Kauto Star is 12 and I think it’s unlikely he will win. He’s better than last year, but not as a good as he was two or three years ago. Long Run should win again, but I’d give Burton Port a chance. He’s a tough horse and has a great man (Barry Geraghty) on his back,” he says.
Ted says it will take something “unforeseen” to prevent Hurricane Fly repeating last year’s win in the Champion Hurdle.
“He is just a very good horse and Willie (Mullins) is a master at having them right on the day.”
The possibility of a muddling pace is the biggest barrier to Big Buck’s taking the World Hurdle, and Ted says that Celestial Halo should be in the field to carry them along at a swinging gallop.
Sizing Europe is “a class apart” in what Ted says is a less than competitive two-mile Champion Chase.
Assuming Willie Mullins aims Boston Bob at the Neptune Novice Hurdle, then he wants to be with Mount Benbulben in the Albert Bartlett.
Mount Benbulben, of course, was a costly failure when trounced by Boston Bob, at Navan. Says Ted: “Mount Benbulben wasn’t right that day, but even the bare form is good. He has been round in a few schooling races since.”
