Walsh confident that he and Kauto will claim their Gold Cup hat-trick

THE exhilarating journey on horseback from the finishing line to Cheltenham’s fabled winner’s enclosure needs no introduction to Ruby Walsh.

He has experienced the crowd’s acclaim a record 27 times after eclipsing, 12 months ago, the legacy of his great hero Pat Taaffe who will be forever associated with the legendary Arkle.

On two unforgettable occasions, he has also celebrated the unique reception that is reserved for Gold Cup winners after Kauto Star – arguably the greatest chaser since Arkle – passed National Hunt racing’s ultimate test.

Back from injury, and with the veteran Kauto Star said to have fully recovered after breaking a blood vessel during his unsuccessful attempt to win a fifth successive King George VI Chase, Walsh is confident that he can win Cheltenham’s greatest prize for a third time in five years.

History is against Kauto Star. No 11-year-old has won the Gold Cup since the mighty Mandarin prevailed in 1962 – just two years before Arkle started jumping towards immortality.

Yet Walsh is adamant.

“I wouldn’t swap him for anything,” says the 31-year-old with characteristic confidence. “If I didn’t think we could win, I wouldn’t be riding him – but I rode him the other day on the gallops and he was grand.

“The difference is we’ve been expected to win for the past four years. This time, the pressure is off – Imperial Commander is defending his crown and Long Run, the young pretender, needs to back up his win in the King George. It’s a very open race. Every horse has questions to answer. I like that.

“That Kauto is not favourite suggests that he is not as good as he was, but he would have won last year if he didn’t make a bad mistake before falling. He’s not as quick as when he was younger, but who is? It will take a great performance to beat him.”

It is why Kauto Star will be the horse that defines Walsh’s career. Even though he won the Grand National at the first attempt on Papillon when just 20 years of age, the jockey becomes even more animated as he talks about the Gold Cup.

“What makes Kauto special?” asks Walsh. “It’s just the thrill. There’s a lot of pressure on in these races, but it’s these prestigious races that count.

“I know there are questions about whether Kauto is better than his stablemate Denman, but they are hypothetical. On Gold Cup day 2008 Denman was a better horse, on Gold Cup day 2009 Kauto Star was better. They’ve only met three times and Kauto Star fell the other time. It’s hard to say who is superior.

“Kauto Star has won more Grade Ones, Denman has won two Hennessys off top weight. Immense. Top class. You had to see them to believe it. Could Kauto have done it? Probably, but we’ll never know.

“The handicapper at various times has rated Denman higher than Kauto Star and Kauto Star higher than Denman. I hate suggesting one is better than the other.”

Walsh, Ireland’s most celebrated horseman, is speaking to the Yorkshire Post shortly after being given the all-clear by his doctor to resume riding after a broken leg – suffered less than an hour after Kauto Star’s comeback triumph at Down Royal last November.

“Yes, it has been frustrating,” he says. “No, there was never a chance I’d miss Cheltenham – I’d ride on one leg if I could.”

The only advantage, if it can be called that, is that Walsh has had more time to identify the horses that could enable him to add to his record Festival haul and also to reflect that he grew up in the same Kildare hamlet where Taaffe lived.

“What are the odds of that?” asks today’s hero who reports that the Irish have taken Kauto Star to their hearts because they recognise great champions.

“Pat was a great hero, he and Arkle are still heroes over 40 years since they won their Gold Cup, but they admire Kauto. It would have been a good race between the two,” ponders Walsh. “When I was growing up, I just dreamed about riding one Cheltenham winner.

“Beating Pat’s record never even entered my head. Yes, it was satisfying when Sanctuaire did the business in the Fred Winter – but, to be honest, I was more proud of my sister Kate’s win earlier that day.

“She gave Poker de Sivola a lovely ride for Ferdy Murphy, and then she won again on the final day. It was a terrific achievement.”

As Katie returned to the winner’s enclosure on Poker de Sivola, her face beaming with pride, Walsh emerged from the weighing room in his riding silks to greet his conquering sister.

He then walked over and shook Murphy warmly by the hand – even though he knew, 90 minutes later, that they would be the fiercest of rivals in the Queen Mother Champion Chase when Master Minded, Walsh’s mount, took on Kalahari King, the North Yorkshire trainer’s leading horse.

“That’s Cheltenham. We all want to win – but we all try and celebrate the success of others,” says Walsh.

On this day, both were losers. Big Zeb sprung a surprise in the Champion Chase, with Kalahari King third and Master Minded a labouring fourth after an injury-blighted season.

Their rivalry will not be renewed this week as these two rivals go their separate ways.

On the basis of this season’s form, and an imperious showing in last December’s Tingle Creek Chase, Walsh expects Master Minded to win the Champion Chase for a third time, though he expects a protracted tussle with Big Zeb.

He also believes Kalahari King – running over two miles, five furlongs, for the first time – has the scope to land the Ryanair Chase. “Everything needs to be right, but it’s been a great training performance by Ferdy to get him placed at the Festival for the last three years. That takes some doing.”

A relentless observer of the form book, he goes on: “Two 10-year-olds have won the race in recent years so he has a good chance.”

Naming Ladbrokes World Hurdle favourite Big Buck’s as his personal ‘banker’ of the week, and novice hurdler Cue Card as the horse that he would most like to ride, Walsh says that he has “no chance” of repeating his heroics of two years ago when he won a record seven races – including Kauto Star’s second Gold Cup.

“A good week is a winner, and getting back home in one piece,” he says with reference to the injuries that have blighted his career for each of the past three seasons.

His motivation, therefore, is not beating AP McCoy, his great rival, or keeping Paul Townend – Ireland’s emerging riding star – at bay. “I just want to stay injury free,” he says.

He is also careful not to talk about his “regrets”. Not many riders have two Grand Nationals and two Gold Cups on their CV, but he does wish that he could have ridden the brilliant Denman more frequently.

And, while many believe this year’s Gold Cup will herald the arrival of a new generation as the older horses move aside, Walsh views Denman as a major threat to Kauto Star.

Stablemates at the yard of champion trainer Paul Nicholls, they are remarkably different individuals. “If there’s a pheasant, Kauto wants to chase it while Denman won’t have seen it.

“Denman’s moody, he’s a grumpy so and so, but if he and Sam Thomas maintain the pace they set in 2008, they will be very hard to beat.

“That year, they just didn’t stop. I hope Kauto has a chance. It’s not about finishing second; it’s about winning. Three Gold Cups in five years, it will be nice, won’t it?”

If it does happen then Ruby Walsh and Kauto Star will need no introduction to the winner’s enclosure – the Cheltenham roar will be enough.

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Racing UK (Sky 432/Virgin 536) will refund all new annual Sky subscriptions (worth £240) purchased from March 4 to 15 if Racing UK ambassador Ruby Walsh finishes the Tuesday of the Cheltenham Festival as outright leader (based on number of winners). Visit www.racinguk.com/rubytuesday for more.