SIBLINGS RUBY AND Katie Walsh paid emotional tributes to their father, Ted Walsh, as the former jockey and racing analyst brought down the curtain on his legendary broadcasting career live on RTÉ.
Walsh, who has covered racing for the state broadcaster for the past 40 years, thanked his colleagues as he made the announcement during RTÉ’s coverage of the final day of Punchestown Festival.
“I got a great chance from RTÉ and I want to thank them very much for giving me the opportunity to comment on the sport that I love, filled with people I admire,” said Walsh.
“A lot of them are my friends.
“I loved it and I had a great response. I got myself into a bit of hot water here and there but that happens on live television. I’ve enjoyed it, it’s a great sport, a great game, it’s been good to all of ye, it’s been very good to me and everyone connected with it. Thank you all very much and thank RTÉ.”
Walsh paid his own tribute to RTÉ’s former head of sport Tim O’Connor, who brought him into the fold four decades ago, before adding: “Forty years is a long time to be doing anything and I’ve enjoyed every day of it.”
“Before I go off the air completely”, he added, “I want to thank my family as well too. They’ve been great supporters of mine throughout.
I’ve enjoyed the success that Ruby and Katie have had, and Jennifer and Ted, and their involvement in it as well too. And one particular person, my partner for life, Helen: without her, I don’t know what I would have done. Thanks, Helen.
“People at home may think it’s sudden, but I went to Cheltenham to ride Attitude Adjuster with the view that I might stop at Punchestown here the following April. And when I was walking back down the shoot, I said this is as good a time as any.
“Standing here with ye, and a great meeting here at Punchestown, a place I love… I’ve been coming here since 1961. My first time here, I came here with my dad and mam. There’s no better place, I’ll be coming here again.”
"It's not that it's sad. It's just the end of something... that's all." - Ruby and Katie pay tribute to dad Ted as he brings the curtain down on a 40-year career #RTEracing pic.twitter.com/SLjv5hZJYr
— RTÉ Racing (@RTEracing) April 29, 2023
Walsh’s son, racing legend Ruby, said that for as long as he could remember, “Dad was on television.”
“He’s given each of us a great… Well done,” Ruby interjected upon himself, audibly emotional, before hugging his father.
An equally emotional Katie Walsh said that her father remains a huge influence in the lives of his children, “and always will be.”
“It’s not that it’s sad; it’s just that it’s the end of something,” Katie continued. “That’s all.
“Absolutely brilliant. Caught us all on the hop, not gonna lie now. Caught us all on the hop. True Ted fashion!
“I’ll miss the controversy, I’ll miss the craic. That’s for sure.”
Ruby added: “But it’ll be like we’re back riding, now. He’ll be on the phone every 10 minutes: ‘What did ya say that for? What did ya do this for?’ He’s just going to be watching the whole time now!”
Standing beside Katie and Ruby, Ted said that he felt “very lucky to enjoy such good health and such good memory”, and “for these two to come along”.
“Every year I went to Cheltenham… I only trained a couple of winners there and rode a couple, but I was following this fella into the winners’ enclosure and I was following her in there on four or five occasions, and it was great. I got a great kick out of it.
I mean, how many people can say they’ve stood at the winners’ enclosure? Fifty-nine times with him and four times with her. That’s a rare thing.
“You put us there,” added Ruby.
