Walsh speaks of Gold Cup choice

Ruby Walsh admits there is "only a good jump" between Kauto Star and Denman.

Paul Nicholls' stable jockey is "not overly confident" he has made the right decision by opting to ride the former in the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Speaking exclusively on Betfred Talk, Walsh said: "I've had to make a decision and after winning two Gold Cups and four King George VI Chases on Kauto it's very hard to desert him.

"That said, it's only my choice and I've got it wrong in the past so I wouldn't be overly confident I've got it right this time either. They are two exceptional horses and there's only a good jump between them."

Walsh was pushed by Denman's owners into making a decision about his Gold Cup mount earlier than he would have wanted to.

He revealed he would have liked more racecourse evidence at his disposal before confirming his choice, with Nacarat, who was fourth to Kauto Star in the King George VI Chase on Boxing Day, due to give a pointer to the reliability of that form when he contests the Racing Post Chase at Kempton on February 27.

"There's still five and a half weeks to the Gold Cup and a long way to go," said Walsh. "I still have to get there myself so I don't tend to get too worked up about these things this far in advance.

"I'd love to have ridden Denman in the AON Chase and then watched Nacarat run in the Racing Post Chase to get all the form and everything in front of me before I made a decision."