30 Facts About Ruby Walsh

Rupert "Ruby" Walsh was born on 14 May 1979 and is an Irish former jockey.

Ruby Walsh is the second child, and eldest son, of former champion amateur jockey Ted Walsh and his wife Helen.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest National Hunt jockeys of all time, Walsh is the third most prolific winner in British and Irish jump racing history behind only Sir Anthony McCoy and Richard Johnson.

Ruby Walsh won the English Grand National in 2000 at his first attempt, aged 20, on Papillon, a horse trained by his father and owned by Mrs J Maxwell Moran.

Ruby Walsh rode Cornish Rebel in the Scottish, but was beaten a short head by Joe's Edge.

Ruby Walsh has one of the best Grand National records amongst contemporary jockeys, having won the race twice, finished second once, third once, and fourth twice.

Ruby Walsh has suffered a number of serious injuries, the worst of which was a broken leg sustained in 1999 at Pardubice in the Czech Republic.

Ruby Walsh won both the 2006 Tingle Creek Chase and the King George VI Chase on Kauto Star.

Ruby Walsh repeated the King George feat, again on Kauto Star, in 2007,2008, and 2009 when Kauto Star won impressively by 36 lengths.

Ruby Walsh reclaimed the King George VI Chase in 2011 on board Kauto Star after Long Run won the race in 2010.

Ruby Walsh won the Hennessy Gold Cup twice, in 2003 on Strong Flow, and 2009 with Denman.

Ruby Walsh won the Whitbread Gold Cup twice, in 2001 and 2003, both times on Ad Hoc.

In 2007, Ruby Walsh won the inaugural British Horseracing Board Jockeys' Order of Merit award.

Ruby Walsh took the occasional ride for his father, Ted, and a variety of other Irish trainers.

In January 2007, Ruby Walsh achieved the fastest-ever century of winners in Irish jumps racing history aboard Bluestone Lad at Gowran Park.

Ruby Walsh rode his 1,000th Irish winner, Rare Article, at Sligo in May 2008.

At the 2009 Cheltenham Festival Ruby Walsh rode a record-breaking seven winners over the four days.

Ruby Walsh equalled that record at the 2016 Cheltenham Festival.

In March 2011, Ruby Walsh rode Hurricane Fly to victory in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham, finishing ahead of Peddlers Cross and Oscar Whisky.

Ruby Walsh won his 2,500th race on Au Quart De Tour at Gowran Park on 20 January 2016.

On 1 May 2019, Ruby Walsh announced his retirement from racing with immediate effect after a career spanning 24 years.

Ruby Walsh was the leading jockey at the Festival 11 times: 2004,2006,2008,2009,2010,2011,2013,2014,2015,2016 and 2017.

Ruby Walsh later broke the same leg while schooling a horse and was out of action for a total of five months that season, but recovered in time to partner Papillon to win his first Grand National.

Ruby Walsh returned to the saddle just 27 days later.

Ruby Walsh's horse fell and they both seemed to have got away unscathed, but a horse racing behind them landed on his arm while he was on the ground, breaking it in two places.

Ruby Walsh suffered an injury in the same race in 2012 after a fall from Zarkander which ruled him out of the 2012 Grand National.

On day two of the 2018 Cheltenham Festival Ruby Walsh aggravated his late 2017 injury.

However they parted on good terms and Ruby Walsh continued to ride the occasional Nicholls horse, including winning on Al Ferof in the Grade 2 Amlin Chase at Ascot in November 2014.

Ruby Walsh has occasionally worked as a racing pundit for RTE while injured and has appeared on the Channel 4 Racing Saturday morning programme The Morning Line on a number of occasions.

Ruby Walsh has featured in a number of well received commercials for the bookmaker Paddy Power, in particular a recent commercial prior to the Cheltenham Festival 2016 where he confronts an angry Twitter troll and allegations that jockeys intentionally throw themselves off their horses.