We were at the iconic BAFTA in London on Tuesday evening for the revealing of the 2018 Randox Health Grand National weights and we were fortunate enough to catch up with the racing legend that is Ruby Walsh.
ODDSbible's resident racing expert Danny Archer was on hand to ask the racing supremo about his recovery from a broken leg, the state of the flagship Willie Mullins horses as well as his thoughts on the leading contenders for the National.
Danny: Firstly Ruby, how's your recovery going and when are we likely to see you back on the racetrack?
Ruby: It's all still going to plan so hopefully it won't be too long before I'm back out there.
Danny: Huge bombshell today about Douvan, how's he been training and is it likely that he could run this weekend?
Ruby: That's not a bombshell! There's only a bombshell if there's something wrong with him! Willie's happy with him and we'll make a decision on him for the weekend later in the week. Don't say bombshell again you'll give me a bloody heart attack!
Danny: And Vroum Vroum Mag, what's the latest with her?
Ruby: Yes she's doing well as well. We're happy with our progress and she could very well go straight to Cheltenham.
Ruby Walsh - good at riding Cheltenham winners, bad at promoting Cheltenham prizes... pic.twitter.com/JbwrPevGhf
- Paddy Power (@paddypower) February 3, 2018
Ruby: There's nothing wrong with him, (Faugheen) but his home work and his track work are two different things. Hopefully we'll be able to pull some sort of rabbit out of the hat with him for Cheltenham. Footpad's been very good and everything is shaping up nicely for him (Footpad) to run in the Arkle.
Danny: On the Grand National, Total Recall is one of four for Willie (Mullins), is he the one to go for if he goes well in the Gold Cup (Cheltenham) before running at Aintree?
Ruby: I haven't studied the ratings yet, people are going on about the weights, to me it's more about the ratings and their official rating compared to the weights.
Danny: Finally, you've won the Grand National, you know what it takes to win the race. What makes Aintree and the Grand National such a special race to win?
Ruby: I don't know, it's probably the competition, there are 40 horses, it's so competitive. So many go into it with a genuine chance of winning and that's what probably makes it such a prestigious race to win. There's no true form as all form goes out of the window for the National and it's just such an iconic race with the whole world watching.
Danny: Thanks for your time Ruby and good luck with the recovery, hope to see you back to winning ways at Cheltenham.
Huge thanks to Paddy Power Racing for giving us time with their ambassador Ruby Walsh. Follow our Racing channel on Twitter over at ODDSbible Racing as well as our racing expert Danny Archer for all the best tips and offers ahead of Cheltenham and the Randox Health Grand National.
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