Ruby Walsh on Final Demand: 'I did the same thing on Denman and he came out and won the Brown Advisory'

Former champion jockey turned tv pundit Ruby Walsh gave his opinions on the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase on the latest Paddy Power podcast highlighting why Final Demand is worth a bet despite being short-priced favourite.

Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase — Final Demand, Ruby?

We’ve a shorty in it again this year - I’d hate to be against him.

His win in Limerick didn’t initially blow you away?

No it still doesn’t blow me away and even down the hill into the straight for a couple of strides you’re thinking ‘oh, is he, will he?’ Ultimately he goes and wins and Patrick was very happy with him.

I think he’s a brilliant jumper, but I still, whatever way you look at it, good horses win even when they’re not at their best and I think he got the job done. I think last year Paul said he probably went too slow on him in the Turners.

Funnily enough I did the very same thing on Denman and he came out and won the Brown Advisory and I think Final Demand will do the same.

If you ran him in the Gold Cup where would he finish?

Look you’d be hoping he’d finish at the winning post anyway — two ways of looking at it, I know there are people who will say ‘oh he could win, you should run him’. I think when you’re training racehorses, you’re ultimately trying to maximise a horse’s potential over their whole career.

Not over a short period of time so that is why I would be against running Final Demand in the Gold Cup. I think it would be too [soon], I’m not saying he couldn’t win the race, but I don’t think you’d have the same years out of him that you ultimately will get by building him through a novice season and bringing him to a peak at the right time.

So I think for his development, the novice chase is the right race and that’s where he should go. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it, I don’t think it’s unsafe — or I don’t think it’s any of those things, it’s not welfare or any of that people go on about.

This is purely as to maximising his full potential. I think the best way of doing that is running him in the novice, not in the Gold Cup.

Most likely winner and an interesting one at the prices?

I do think Final Demand is the most interesting winner — Rory has gone for a great one [Western Fold] at a price, what else do I like in the contest, I wasn’t sure I saw a whole pile to tell you the truth.

I think Kitzbuhel put the English stayers a little bit in their place and I still think he has a little bit to go to get to Final Demand.

Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase

Paddy Power: 5-4 Final Demand, 6 Romeo Coolio, 8 Kitzbuhel, 10 The Big Westerner, 14 Koktail Divin, 20 Kaid D’Authie, Kappa Jy Pyke, Wendigo, Western Fold, 25 bar