Ruby Walsh: Valseur Lido would've won Irish Gold Cup

Ruby Walsh feels he would've won the Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown last weekend had he not come to grief at the last.

Valseur Lido was clear of Road To Riches approaching the final fence but got rid of Walsh on landing, allowing Carlingford Lough to come from behind and land the spoils.

However, Walsh feels he had enough horse under him to close out the win.

He told Racing UK: "He jumped the last fine and that's maybe why I came off. I wasn't prepared for the landing. We stumbled, jinked left and I was going forward with him and fell out the side door.

"Of course I thought I would win, but then I'm biased as I'm on the jockey on his back.

"Carlingford Lough beat Road To Riches 12 lengths and I was going to beat Road To Riches 12 lengths coming to the last. I thought I'd win but we'll never find out unfortunately.

"Watching the race back at home on Sunday morning, Dessie Scahill, in his commentary, said that Ruby Walsh was yet to move a muscle. On hearing that, my six-year-old daughter Isabel said, "that's what you did wrong daddy, you never moved a muscle!"

"Perhaps I should have done something different with the benefit of hindsight, but you can't live your life with hindsight.

"I thought he was going to land and gallop and go forward. My body weight was forward but he pitched left and gravity took over and left me sitting in mid-air.

"You always look to see what you could have done better. However, the worst thing you can do as a sportsman is make a knee-jerk reaction and change what you're doing when, in the bigger picture, it's working quite well.

"Every jockey hates to be unseated, but even more so in a big race at the last. You take it on the chin and go again. You can only affect the future.

"I felt I had all those around me covered at a considerable distance from the winning post. I would think he's definitely a player in the Gold Cup."

For more thoughts from Ruby Walsh read his Racing UK blog here.