Things almost get heated between Ruby and Irish Examiner's racing correspondent

It wasn’t just about the serious business of finding Cheltenham winners when Irish Examiner racing expert Pat Keane interviewed multiple Irish champion jockey and columnist Ruby Walsh at today’s Irish Examiner sports breakfast.

The banter flowed too as the following exchange shows.

Pat Keane: “Outside of the injuries, you have lived a charmed life.”

Ruby Walsh, slightly exasperated: “In what way?”

PK: “You were handed a God-given gift. You only had to be good at one thing and you’re pretty good at what you do.”

RW: “Don’t get me wrong I do feel lucky but I’d like to think I tried to make the most out of what I’ve got as well.”

PK, defensively: “I’m not disagreeing with you.”

RW: "It sounded like you were."

Later, an exchange about jockeys’ pay threatened to get heated when Walsh attempted to interrupt Keane.

“Hold a second now, take a pull,” Keane said playfully.

Keane then grilled Walsh on the jockey’s claim he wanted to replace him as the Irish Examiner’s racing correspondent when he retires.

PK: “Several times you’ve said when I retire you want my job. Why? How are you going to live on a journalist’s wage?”

RW to a chorus of audience laughter: “Am I here fighting for a pay rise for you?”

PK: “Well, it would be a start.”

RW: “I wished you had tipped me off, we’d both be on the one hymn sheet.”