Only over the past two or three weeks has the horse-racing community turned its attention to jumping but the National Hunt world has not been standing still. When Flat racing ended at Doncaster on 5 November, the racing phenomenon known as A.P. McCoy had already ridden 115 winners in the jumping season, which still has five months to go, while his perpetual pursuer Richard Johnson was on 88. Sadly, the same day came a stark reminder of the perils of the winter trade. If this is A.P.’s year, cemented by the great wave of public admiration and affection that greeted McCoy’s Grand National victory on Don’t Push It, it certainly hasn’t been Ruby Walsh’s year.
Just two races before McCoy rode Don’t Push It to victory in April, Ruby broke his arm badly in a fall from Celestial Halo. He was not back riding until August. On 5 November, no sooner had Ireland’s champion jockey ridden former Gold Cup winner Kauto Star to victory on his seasonal comeback at Down Royal than he had a horrific fall on Corrick Bridge in a handicap chase, suffering a double fracture of his leg which will again keep him out of the saddle for months; at the time of year that will really hurt.
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