Ruby Walsh won’t race at Listowel with nasty-sounding injury

Ruby Walsh has confirmed that he won't be race-fit for this week’s Listowel festival.

The 12-time champion jockey and Paddy Power racing ambassador has been on the sidelines since taking a crashing fall at Killarney last month, and has still not recovered from bruised ribs - bruises on every one of his rib bones.

“There is still very deep bruising in the bones in all of my ribs and around my back. I’ll just have to wait until it’s right,” he told Paddy Power News. “I was hoping that it was going to heal sooner than it has. We have loads of good runners this week but I’m just too sore. Until I’m ready, I won’t be back. "Next week is quiet and Gowran Park and Tipperary at the end of the month are the next meetings that there is good racing at  so hopefully I’ll be okay for then, with a bit of luck."

Walsh also shared his views on the potential high profile match-up this Saturday when Lah Ti Dar is set to lock horns with Kew Gardens in the English St Leger over the 1m6f trip at Doncaster. And there’s no doubting who he’s looking more forward to seeing line up in British racing’s oldest Classic.

“I thought Lah To Dar was amazing in York and the way she opened up and the way she went away. That win was over 1m4f but 1m6f on the Flat at Group 1 level for three-year-olds just seems to be a different proposition. "Kew Gardens is a big powerful galloping horse and he looks certain to stay. Lah Ti Dar is definitely the classiest horse in the race and if she gets the trip, I think she’ll win."