Whereas the aforementioned jockey’s in this series are all somewhat of a diamond for their respective stables, Mark Walsh is certainly the ace in the deck of Cheltenham cards. Quietly spoken, unassuming and unflappable in the face of those attempting to draw any information from him, he’s the Excalibur of steeplechasing, and JP McManus is his King Arthur.
It seems unfathomable that a jockey of his calibre has notched up just ten Cheltenham Festival winners, though his first success only came in 2018 when chinning Topofthegame in the Coral Cup under Bleu Berry for Willie Mullins at 20/1. Having developed a close association with the infamous green and gold hooped silks, Mark Walsh doubled his tally when bolting up in the Champion Hurdle a year later under the ve year old Espoir D’Allen for Gavin Cromwell, and the big race floodgates soon opened. The following day, Walsh rode City Island to success in the Ballymore for Martin Brassil, pulling two lengths clear from Champ and Barry Gergahty in the JP McManus colours.
A year later, Walsh again succeeded in the green and gold colours with the ‘main’ McManus jockey well down the field on Mick Pastor, when Aramax cruised through the Fred Winter field to give JP McManus his fourth winner of the day in the 2020 Festival. The underdog once again delivered a double figure SP winner in the 2021 Cheltenham Festival when landing the Albert Bartlett for Gavin Cromwell, and he was back with a vengeance for his boss McManus when completing a green and gold double in 2022 with Brazil foiling the Gaelic Warrior gamble in the Fred Winter, and Elimay going one better than her second in the previous years Mares’ Chase.
A further three winners came in the latter two Festivals, with the gallant Sire Du Berlais leading close to the line to land the Stayers, swooping on by the 9/4F Teahupoo. Mark Walsh gave McManus a further two winners at last years Cheltenham Festival with the supposed Mullins second string Majborough taking the Triumph Hurdle and his shortest ever Festival winner, Fact To File, comfortably winning the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at 8/13F and given Walsh his sixth Festival Grade 1.
Just one of Mark Walsh’s ten victories came as a favourite, with the other SP’s reading 20/1, 8/1, 16/1, 15/2, 14/1, 9/4, 10/1, 33/1, and 6/1. Walsh has had thirteen winners at Cheltenham in general from 125 rides, returning a £23.00+ profit margin to a £1 stake. In the last ve seasons at the course, he’s 70-7-22 (£10.36+) overall, with the hurdles significantly boosting that record reading 38-5-9 (£37.50+) Whereas he’s only 3-38 for Willie Mullins in the last ve seasons, his record outside of that reads 4-10, and backing them all would returning a prot of £64 to a £1 stake.
Following the money doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll find the winner of Mark Walsh’s rides, but with JP McManus sending one of his biggest Festival teams yet, the man in the shadows will no doubt have a multitude of strong chances lurking.
Penalty Kick For Walsh in Arkle?
With Mark Walsh’s last Cheltenham success coming at an SP of 8/13, there’s a strong chance lightning could strike twice on day one. Majborough was a comfortable winner of the Triumph last season under the expert guise of Mark Walsh, and he’s looked a class apart in the chasing division this season. He was strong at the line on debut in Fairyhouse, and despite a novicey round of jumping in parts in the Irish Arkle, he still pulled nine lengths clear of Touch Me Not to clock a rapid winning time. His engine is evidently endless, and with some of the others in here perhaps more of a natural in the jumping department at this stage, he may need to rely on those stamina reserves late on.
Treble Seeking Walsh In The Fred Winter
With James Reveley booked for Stencil, Walsh will likely have first dibs over the ride of Beyond Your Dreams or Puturhandstogether both trained by Joseph O’Brien. Having read the pair in all three of their qualifying runs, any chance he makes will likely see the odds slashed immediately. Beyond Your Dreams is significantly shorter in the market at around 13/2 despite an indierent round of jumping last time out, but that influent jumping might’ve protected her mark for the better with the handicapper giving her a lenient looking 123. Puturhandstogether doesn’t leap off the page as a hurdler given he’s by Caravaggio out of a Galileo mare, but his form figures of 312 bring him into contention and he was certainly an eye-catcher last time out. The handicapper has pulled no punches in giving him 130, however, which certainly makes life all the more difficult.
No Gold Yet For Fact To File
The staying domination of Galopin Des Champs has put a halt to the plans of Fact To File’s participation in the Gold Cup, as he’s been put in his place twice by him over three miles since triumph in the John Durkan. An extra two miles in the Gold Cup seems unlikely to revise the placings, and the Ryanair appears the logical stepping stone before succeeding the Closutton ag bearer next season.
The declarations will give us more of an inclination as to the chances of Mark Walsh in the JP silks, but with a sea of green and gold entries in the handicaps, the McManus wildcard will likely be played in the form of Mark Walsh.