FRANZ Ferdinand and Rooster are two groups who liked racing so much they named themselves after racehorses.
While Leeds United supporters Kaiser Chiefs clearly like football, I’m not sure if they are racing fans.
Even so, they have penned racing fans and punters an anthem for next week’s Cheltenham Festival.
You can go chanting “Ruby, Ruby, Ruby, Ruby” all the way to the bank next week, as Mr Walsh is sure to be among the winners.
Three of the feature contests look at the mercy of the talented Irish jockey.
Last year Brave Inca set up a profitable Festival for many punters, not least this column, with victory in the Smurfit-Kappa Champion Hurdle.
Tony McCoy was in the saddle that day, but with contractual obligations to P McManus, he is forced to step down off Colm Murphy’s champion to ride Straw Bear. And despite favourite Detroit City, dual winner Hardy Eustace and last year’s third Macs Joy, McCoy’s replacement Walsh can score a repeat on Brave Inca (4-1 William Hill, Stan James, Boylesports, SportingOdds, extrabet) to get the Festival off to a winning start.
Walsh is also on board Kauto Star (6-4 William Hill, totesport, Stan James, BlueSquare, VCbet, Paddy Power, Boylesports, extrabet), who despite a recent tendency to plough through rather than jump a few fences can cement his position at the head of the chasing ranks in the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup next Friday.
The defections of War Of Attrition, In Compliance and Hedgehunter means the recent Irish monopoly of the event may be at an end.
The class horse in the contest, Kauto Star, will be hard to beat.
Exotic Dancer (5-1 Coral, Paddy Power), three times a winner already at Prestbury park this season, will play a hand in the finish.
Meanwhile, with the going on the soft side, Nickname (9-2 Coral) could also be a winner for Walsh at Cheltenham in the Seasons Holidays Queen Mother Champion Chase.
