Ruby Walsh has paid tribute to Hurricane Fly, whom he rates the number one hurdler he ever rode.
It was announced on Tuesday that the two-time Champion Hurdle hero and multiple Grade 1 winner had died at the Irish National Stud, aged 22, and Walsh described him as the "perfect horse".
Going into more details as to what made him so special and why Walsh ranked him as the best hurdler he was fortunate enough to ride, the former jockey told Wednesday's Nick Luck Daily Podcast: "Longevity, at the very very top.
"Obviously, Faugheen had some magical performances and Annie Power was an incredible mare, but Hurricane Fly just kept turning up and doing it over and over again.
"He was an incredible racehorse, it was great to have ridden him. Paul (Townend) rode him a good bit as well but he was just a fabulous horse to have in the yard.
"He had speed, he was a decent Flat horse in France so had the speed. He was very tough, he could win a battle, but to me it was his jumping - he was such a magical jumper, he always went at the hurdles and he never backed off. So jumping was an advantage to him, and that's what it should be. Jumping should be an advantage to a jumps horse and it most certainly was to him."
🗣️"You only played the game under his rules."
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) September 23, 2026
Willie Mullins reflects on the passing of Hurricane Fly - one of the best he's ever trained. pic.twitter.com/5K3loDF1lW
Hurricane Fly burst onto the scene in the winter of 2008, winning the Royal Bond at Fairyhouse and the Future Champion Novice Hurdle by a striking 10 lengths.
Despite having to miss the 2009 Supreme Novices' Hurdle on account of injury, as well as the following Cheltenham Festival having only raced twice during the 09-10 campaign, Walsh didn't have too many fears ahead of the horse's first outing at Prestbury Park in the 2011 Champion Hurdle.
"I was never worried about the track (Cheltenham) for him," said Walsh. "Leopardstown is a stiff enough track, so I was never worried. He was a bit keen maybe in that Champion Hurdle when he beat Peddlars Cross, but the track never bothered me. Still, he had to go and do it so I suppose there is that pressure going with it, you have a horse you think so much of and you want him to deliver on arguably the biggest stage, and he was able to do that.
"So it took him a while to get to Cheltenham, but when he did get there he was brilliant. To go from a horse that was all speed, to end up one that was all fight, he had a great mentality and a great mindset. Obviously, Willie did a brilliant job with him, to keep a horse going that long and to keep him as hungry for the game as he was, was a fair feat."
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