Mark Walsh has revealed he felt he had a point to prove after losing his position as JP McManus' retained jockey, admitting a four-timer at the 2026 Dublin Racing Festival came "just at the time" he needed to remind people what he could do.
Speaking to fellow jockey Danny Mullins on 'Tote's Danny's Diary: On Tour' ahead of the Tote Galway Plate, Walsh reflected on the disappointment of Harry Cobden being named McManus' new retained rider, but said his response was to let his riding do the talking.
"It came just at a time that I needed to get my name up in lights. The previous month, Harry Cobden had been named as JP's number one for the new season so it was good to show that I could still do it after that."
Walsh admitted he had to put the disappointment to one side and focus solely on the job in hand.
"When the news broke that Harry Cobden was going to be JP's new retained rider, I just had to get on with it.
"I had to bury it in the back of my head and not think about it. If you're thinking about something like that going out for a race, you're not going to do your job, so you have to just bury it and get on with the job in hand."
The 39-year-old believes experience helped him deal with losing one of the sport's most coveted jobs after years of riding many of McManus' top horses.
"Riding all those good horses for JP down the years, it's a high-pressure job. The older you get, the better you get at those things. I'm a good age now, so I think I dealt with it properly.
"I just kept my mouth shut. There's no point balling around crying about it; nobody is going to listen to me anyway. So I just kept my mouth shut, head down and kept working."
Despite no longer holding the retained position, Walsh reflected proudly on his record in the famous green and gold silks.
"I think I've won the most Grade Ones for JP out of any jockey, so that's a nice thing to have.
"I've won a lot of the big races. I've won the Champion Hurdle, the Ryanair, the Stayers' Hurdle and the Gold Cup, so the Champion Chase is the only one missing off the CV. I'd like to get that done before I retire."
Looking ahead to next week's Tote Galway Plate, Walsh also recalled his previous successes in the prestigious handicap, having landed the race aboard Bob Lingo and Early Doors.
"I've won the Tote Galway Plate twice before with Bob Lingo and Early Doors, which was for JP. Barry Geraghty had just retired that summer, so it was sort of my first big ride for JP. It was great to get a big pot that first summer.
"Early Doors was trained by Joseph O'Brien, who's a brilliant trainer and has been having a great time of things. I wouldn't mind being on one for him in the Tote Galway Plate this year."
