'Ruby, Ruby, Ruby, Ruby!' Folk hero with a mind of his own and a singular talent

While the best of us may have to wait until death to pass into folklore, and the rest of us even longer than that, Ruby Walsh did it ten years before his career ended and in good time for him to savour the honour while still above ground.

It was Irish folk legend Christy Moore who paid the tribute to his country's favourite racing son when he released The Ballad of Ruby Walsh in 2009, and it was a fitting accolade for a man whose status as a sporting icon is ingrained in the national consciousness.

"Ruby Walsh saved me life below at the Galway races," Moore sang. They were words that resonated with countless punters across Britain and Ireland and it's not hard to imagine a band of beery racegoers hollering the chorus in imperfect unison: "Hey, Ruby, hold her back, give her the crack and up she'll go!"