Ruby Walsh has named three horses he would like to ride at this year's Cheltenham Festival.
The 12-time champion jockey was the leading rider at the famous meeting 11 times and has rode more winners at the Festival than anyone else.
Since retiring from the saddle, Walsh has become a regular face on RTE, ITV and Racing TV, quickly becoming one of the most respected racing pundits and analysts around.
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But the 43-year-old was asked a number of questions on Paddy Power's From The Horse’s Mouth’ podcast by racing fans this week regarding a number of races at Cheltenham.
The Mares' Hurdle has the potential to be one of the races of the week, with former Champion Hurdle winners Honeysuckle and Epatante potentially facing each other again, while two winners at last year's Festival, Love Envoi and Maries Rock could also run in the Grade 1 contest.
Willie Mullins has a number of entries in the race, including Brandy Love, Shewearsitwell and Echoes In Rain, but it is the latter of that trio that Walsh would ride if he had to pick one from the field to partner.
He said: "It’s a good race isn’t it or it’s potentially be a great race, looking at it you’d have to think about it tactically, how’s it going to work out. You can have six goes here and pick the wrong one – I’d nearly chance Echoes In Rain. I think there will be a good gallop there, it will help her settle.
"A couple of those will go at each other, just thinking of the other jockeys who will be riding them, where they’ll be getting involved, you can be watching it all happen in front of you there on Echoes In Rain until you get off the bend and you’re coming at whoever is left last.
"You’re just going to have enough of right horses in front of you so you’re not having to worry about Honeysuckle getting off the front with a load of ordinary mares stuck in the middle, there’s good mares all the way through that are going to go and follow her so even if you drop in, they’re going to drag you into the race.
"They’re not going to get caught behind a load of deadwood and Honeysuckle will be gone in the distance. That’s why she is for a holdup, she’ll be an interesting ride."
Walsh was also asked to pick one novice hurdler and novice chaser that he would like to ride at the meeting.
He explained: "I’m into winners so I would probably ride Mighty Potter, I think he looked rock solid at the Dublin Racing Festival and novice hurdlers, it looked fairly obvious two weeks’ ago and it’s not so obvious now, I’d probably go with Impaire Et Passe in the Ballymore."
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