Top Punchestown Jockeys
There are a handful of horsemen of the hunt who have made the Punchestown Festival their own private stamping ground but there is one man who stands clear of his rivals by a veritable mile and that is the incomparable Ruby Walsh.
The love of horseflesh and the thrill of the race has coursed through the veins of three generations of Walsh men but Rupert, fondly known as Ruby, is clearly the leading light.
Davy Russell - Hot on the Heels
Walsh is the incumbent Irish National Hunt Champion jockey for the sixth time and he rode no fewer than three charges to victory at the celebrated Cheltenham Festival in 2008, claiming the title of leading jockey at the Festival for a third time!
In the 2004/05 season he etched his name into racing folklore by claiming three of the four Nationals and in 2007 he won the inaugural British Horseracing Board Jockey’s Order of Merit Award.
Walsh has won virtually every race at the Punchestown Festival over the years with the notable exception of the Champion Novice Chase and the Punchestown Champion Bumper. It is a given that any horse with Ruby Walsh in the saddle has a great chance of clinching virtually any race whether in England or Ireland!
Ruby’s Record at Punchestown
| Race | Year | Horse |
| Kerrygold Champion Chase | 2008 | Twist Magic |
| 2001 | Micko’s Dream | |
| Swordlestown Cup Novice Chase | 2003 | Le Roi Miguel |
| Champion Hurdle | 2002 | Davenport Millennium |
| Ladbrokes Stayers’ Hurdle | 2006 | Asian Maze |
| Champion Novice Hurdle | 2006 | Iktitaf |
| Landrover Champion Novice Hurdle | 2007 | Glencove Marina |
| 2006 | Nicanor | |
| 2004 | Sadlers Wings | |
| 2003 | Nobody Told Me | |
| 2002 | Davenport Millennium | |
| Champion Four-Year-Old Hurdle | 2003 | Sporazene |
| 2001 | Holy Orders | |
| Punchestown Guinness Gold Cup | 2008 | Neptune Collonges |
| 2007 | Neptune Collonges | |
| 2000 | Commanche Court | |
| 1999 | Imperial Call |
Davy Russell - Hot on the Heels
One man who has pushed Walsh to the limit is the hugely talented Davy Russell. If he had remained fit for the latter end of last season, he may well have knocked Walsh off his perch as the leading championship jockey!
- Russell enjoyed a stellar 2008 season clocking up a series of important wins including:
- Champion 4YO Hurdle on Won in the Dark
- Grand Annual Chase on Tiger Cry
- Coral Cup on Naiad Du Misselot
- Deloitte Novice Hurdle on Forpadydeplasterer
- Baileys Arkle Perpetual Challenge Cup Novice Chase on Thyne Again
