Ruby Walsh and Cheltenham Racecourse

Serious question. Have Cheltenham Racecourse announced or have you heard if they plan to mark the cessation of Ruby Walsh’s riding career with a statue, bust or some other form of homage???

I felt the racecourse set something of a silly precedent when they erected a statue of A.P. McCoy. I’m not saying he’s not deserving of one in the right location (why on the 14th of this month, at God’s own racecourse, Newton Abbot, I both genuflected when in front of Mccoy’s bronze bust and then bowed like a military man, who had just been introduced to Minor Royalty. I believe this a fitting place for such an honour, and one worthy of respect hence my above mentioned behaviour, giving how many novice, selling and claiming hurdle winners he had ridden at the venue ) but felt that Cheltenham Racecourse was most deffo not that setting. To me that would be akin to putting up a monument to dear old Arsene outside Tottingham’s new ground – the chap would be worthy of a tribute but just not there! I also recall saying that if they put up a statue to this type what on earth would they do when top, top, top A-List luminaries such as the Ruby boy and Lieutenant Henderson retired?!? Stuff the former and put him on display in the paddock?!? Whilst what about the latter?!? Mount him in the Royal Box?!?

But this isn’t a thread about McCoy bashing (let’s not turn this into a lot of hollering like ‘there’ll never be another one like him’ or ‘he was a journeyman who got lucky…twice’ and anything in between) the above was just said to get a bit of context re Cheltenham Racecourse and how they honour individuals. Out of interest other people with statues/ busts/ things named after them (delete as appropriate) at the Racecourse include The Princess Royal (a stand…but don’t get me started on that!), The Queen Mother (a bust…but don’t get me started on that!) and old boy Lord Vestey (a bar).

You would need multiple threads to detail all of the Ruby boys successes at Cheltenham but in brief these include 2 Cheltenham Gold Cups, 4 Champion Hurdles, 3 Champion Chases, 5 Stayers Hurdles, 59 Cheltenham Festival winners (spanning 21 years and a record by absolute miles) in total and 11 times he was the ‘Champion Jockey’ at The Festival. To put this latter achievement into some perspective A.P. McCoy only won this award twice and never again after 1998 and even our beloved Lieutenant has only won the trainers equivalent 3 times this century (but this isn’t a Lieutenant bashing thread. Let’s have none of that please)!

So what honour or lasting tribute do the membership feel Cheltenham Racecourse should bestow on old boy Ruby Walsh??? That is the question being asked, people. Personally, given his record, I think it can be nothing less than a statue. Although the fear has to be that within 20 years the place could be overrun with the bally things (a bit like Wales and railway stations)! As if you erect a figurine for one comparatively weak type soon enough every genuine ‘top ranker’ will want one (that’s a fact of life, unfortunately). As they say in Council Departments up and down the land, ‘If your first statue is of old boy Issy Kingdom Brunel it’s unlikely that you’ll need to construct another. If on the other hand you put one up for the Town Clerk, who is retiring after 10 years of adequate service, then you’ll soon have dozens of them. You follow!’.

 

Aren’t they naming the last hurdle after Ruby?

 

Great minds.

Also for the life of me, I thought it was weird that they’ve put a statue of Rob Brydon on the course.

 

I love that naming the last hurdle after him notion. Made I chuckle. Outstanding. Cancel the statue.

 

Aren’t they naming the vets area after Nicky?

 

Now, now, calm down old boy, no need for silliness on the forum. I suggest you hastily contact the steward and reprimand him for forgetting to put the T in your mid-morning GnT.