Papillon ~ 2000 Grand National Winner
The photo above shows jockey Ruby Walsh straight after the 2000 Grand National win on Papillon.
Papillon is an Irish racehorse formerly trained at Greenhills stables, near Naas in County Kildare. Most famous for winning the 2000 Aintree Grand National, he was a first ever ride in the race for 20-year-old jockey Ruby Walsh, and was trained by Ruby's father Ted Walsh.
At one point nobody was sure if Papillon would even be entered as it's American owner, Mrs Betty Moran, was not a fan of the Grand National and it took considerable persuasion before she would allow him to be entered in to the race.
Papillon had started the day with odds of 33–1 but was backed down to 10-1 by the time the race began but conditions for the Grand National were very different in 2001 when he tried to win for a second time. He carried more weight and was brought down at the 19th fence but with very few completions Ruby remounted him to finish lin fourth place, earning £25,000 for doing so.
Jockey ~ Ruby Walsh
Ruby Walsh hails from Co. Kildare in Ireland and has been horse racing for most of his life. By the age of 19 he had won the Irish amateur title twice, in 1996/7 and again in 1997/8, before turning professional.
It took just two short years for him to stamp his name on the sport when he won the Aintree Grand National in 2000 at his first attempt, aged just 20, on Papillon, a horse trained by his father.
He then went on to win the Irish Grand National with Commanche Court the same year and four years later, in the 2004/5 season, he nearly had a clean sweep when he won three of the four Nationals: the Irish on the 2006 Grand National winner, Numbersixvalverde, the Welsh on subsequent 2007 Grand National winner Silver Birch, and the English on Hedgehunter. He rode Cornish Rebel in the Scottish, but was beaten a short head by Joe's Edge.
To date Walsh has ridden over fourteen hundred winners and at the 2009 Cheltenham Festival Walsh rode a record-breaking seven winners over the four days. This brings his Festival total to 24, more than any jockey currently riding, and only one behind the all-time leader Pat Taaffe.
Trainer ~ Ted Walsh
Formerly a top amateur rider, Ted enjoyed plenty of success in the saddle with notable victories on Hilly Way in the 1979 Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham while he also won the Irish Champion Hurdle on Daring Run in 1981 and 1982.
A fine trainer, he has never really built up a huge string of horses at his base in Kill but that hasn't stopped some top class performers passing through his stables including Commanche Court who won a total of 12 races and amassing over €400,000 in win prize money, Papillon, who won the 2000 Grand National, Rince Ri, another 12 time winner and True Blue Victory who also won 12 times.
Ted is also a presenter for RTE racing, where he is renowned for his forthright views.
