Mark Walsh enjoys first Cheltenham Festival win on spare ride Bleu Berry

No jockey enjoys profiting from the misfortune of another, least of all when it's that of a weighing-room giant like Ruby Walsh, and so Mark Walsh's celebrations following a first festival success on chance ride Bleu Berry were understandably relatively understated.

However, it has been such a long wait for JP McManus' number-two rider that its significance was not lost on him, and when he has the opportunity to properly digest Bleu Berry's narrow defeat of Topofthegame in arguably the finish of the meeting so far he will reflect on a ride that he executed to perfection.

Walsh has enjoyed a host of top-level wins in his native Ireland, including Grade 1s on Jezki and Carlingford Lough, and more recently Simply Ned and Shattered Love, but he was set to watch the race from the weighing room following the withdrawal of Project Bluebook and came in for the ride on the 20-1 chance only after Paul Townend switched to replace Ruby Walsh on Max Dynamite.

He said: "I've waited a long time for this, and so it's something I'll cherish. I watched Cheltenham and Aintree from a young age, and this is somewhere every jockey wants to ride a winner. It starts to eat at you after a while, so that makes it all the sweeter.

Bleu Berry and connections after victory in the Coral CupCredit: Patrick McCann

"I was due to have plenty of good rides last year, but I was injured in the first race on this day and was out for two months. This time I was in the right place at the right time and Willie asked me to ride. It's swings and roundabouts."

View the full race replay along with the result here

Walsh, for whom this was a 24th ride at the meeting, added: "Paul and Willie told me to take my time and ride him for plenty of luck. Everything went perfectly and I had plenty of horse underneath me going down to the third-last, waiting for the gaps to come.

"Willie said don't hit the front too soon and he winged the last and then went about his business, sticking his head down well."

Mullins, who won Grade 1 novice hurdles last year for Bleu Berry's owner 'Lucky' Luke McMahon, was unaware Walsh had never before ridden a festival winner and was delighted to help fill that gap in his CV, notwithstanding the circumstances.

He said: "It was extraordinary Paul getting off the winner to ride Ruby's horse, but it's fantastic for Mark."

He added: "I knew Bleu Berry was good enough if we had him ready, but he'd had a troubled preparation. He travelled beautifully for Mark and the gaps opened, as they do when you're travelling like that.

"We call the owner 'Lucky Luke' because things just happen for him. He's got all his kids here today too, so it's a special day for him."

Paul Nicholls was just denied a first winner of the meeting, for the giant Topofthegame gave his all and was beaten only a neck.

Jockey Sam Twiston-Davies said: "I'm as happy as a jockey can be with a Cheltenham second. He's run a fantastic race and he's going to be a very good chaser."

Jack Kennedy was thrilled with the mare Barra in third, but Max Dynamite, placed in two Melbourne Cups on very different ground, was never a factor and dropped right away to finish last after a mistake three out.

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