“If I was in his shoes, I wouldn’t really want to be somewhere like Clonmel on a rainy Thursday and see Cobden steer home a quality McManus novice on the bridle, while I was a distance behind on something trained by Mr trains half a dozen winners a season if he is lucky.”
Through the McManus job, Walsh has forged a relationship with lots of Mr Trains Half a Dozen Winners already and could be the chosen jockey if Mr 6W gets his hands on a good horse. Of course, many of these will be snapped up by JP – Saratoga’s trainer , Padraig Roche, trained 6 winners in the Irish jumps season just gone- but not all. Ted Walsh also trained 6 winners this year,the most recent being a listed winner at Punchestown. Jessica Harrington trained 9, and has used Mark Walsh before on non JP horses, as has Mouse Morris.
Walsh is a safe pair of hands on a graded horse, but can also give a youngster a nice education and of course can smuggle one around for a mark so has plenty of skills. I don’t think he’ll be too short of rides even if they’re not grade 1 steering jobs.