Rider Ruby Walsh given the honour of carrying the Olympic Torch through Dublin
Jockey Ruby Walsh has joined the ranks of other sport celebrities by carrying the Olympic Torch in the historic ceremony through the streets of Dublin, Ireland.
Walsh was joined by Olympic-winning runners, Ronnie Delany and Sonia O'Sullivan, and footballer, Paul McGrath.
Ruby Walsh has had a magnificent career since he started racing, scoring a number of times with some of the best runners in the sport.
Some of the most remarkable victories of Walsh’s career are his rides on Kauto Star, as he led the runner to two Cheltenham Gold Cup victories.
Walsh took control of the son of Village Star, out of Kauto Relka, in the Totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase in March 2007, where he claimed the victory over Jonjo O'Neill trained Exotic Dancer by 2 ½ lengths.
Walsh guided the Paul Nicholls trained Kauto Star to a magnificent victory in the Grade 1 Totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase in the Cheltenham Festival, where he defeated, Denman by 13 lengths on 13th March, 2009.
Walsh also mounted the twelve-year-old gelding in the Grade 1 Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup on 16th March, 2012, but could not complete the race as he pulled up the runner.
In his most recent start, Ruby Walsh was paired with the W. P. Mullins trained Sin Palo, in the Follow Kilbeggan on Facebook Maiden Hurdle at Kilbeggan on 3rdJune, 2012, where he led the runner to a 5 ½ length victory over, Chase The Favorite.
In order to acknowledge his brilliant career, he was asked to take part in the prestigious ceremony - which was well-organised.
Chair of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games, Lord Coe, was pleased with the way the event turned out as he stated:
"The welcome has been extraordinary. They've been 10, 15, 20 deep, they're hanging out of office windows, and I saw somebody halfway up a lamppost. That's commitment.
"I'm really pleased we came here. I felt it was a right thing to do. This is a country that's excellent at sport. You've got an extraordinary history in sport and having Michael Carruth run with it this morning symbolises what it's all about."
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