Katie Walsh (born 18 December 1984) is a retired

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

who, in 2012, came third in that year's Grand National on Seabass, giving her the highest finish to that date for a female competitor. Walsh is the daughter of amateur jump jockey, trainer and television pundit,

Ted Walsh Ted Walsh (born 14 April 1950) is an Irish amateur jockey turned racehorse trainer who was born and raised in Co. Cork but based in Kill, County Kildare, Ireland. Ted is also father to amateur Irish National Hunt jockey, Katie Walsh and profes ...

and the sister of top class jump jockey,

Ruby Walsh Rupert Walsh (born 14 May 1979 in Kill, County Kildare, Ireland) is an Irish former jockey. He is the second child, and eldest son, of former champion amateur jockey Ted Walsh and his wife Helen. Walsh is the third most prolific winner in Britis ...

. She rode three winners at the

Cheltenham Festival The Cheltenham Festival is a horse racing-based meeting in the National Hunt racing calendar in the United Kingdom, with race prize money second only to the Grand National. The four-day festival takes place annually in March at Cheltenham Rac ...

. On 6 April 2015, Walsh became the third woman to win the

Irish Grand National The Irish Grand National is a National Hunt steeplechase in Ireland which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Fairyhouse over a distance of about 3 miles and 5 furlongs (5,834 ...

riding Thunder And Roses.

Early life

She was previously successful in the sport of

Eventing Eventing (also known as three day eventing or horse trials) is an equestrian event where a single horse and rider combine and compete against other competitors across the three disciplines of dressage, cross-country, and show jumping. Thi ...

. She began her riding career in 2003. Her first winner was Hannon at Gowran Park in 2003.

Career

During the 2010

she rode her first two Cheltenham Festival winners. She won on Poker De Sivola on the first day of the Festival in the

National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup The National Hunt Challenge Cup is a Grade 2 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain for amateur riders which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenh ...

. She won on Thousand Stars on the last day of the Festival in the County Handicap Hurdle. Walsh made her

Grand National The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England. First run in 1839, it is a handicap ...

debut in 2012. She rode Seabass, who was trained by her father Ted Walsh. She finished third, which remained the best finish achieved by a female jockey in the Grand National until

Rachael Blackmore Rachael Blackmore (born 11 July 1989) is an Irish jockey who competes in National Hunt racing. In 2021, she became the first female jockey to win the Grand National in the 182-year history of the race. She also became the first woman to be lea ...

won the

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

race. Walsh became the third woman to ride a winner in the Irish Grand National on 6 April 2015. She won on Thunder And Roses who was trained by Sandra Hughes and owned by Gigginstown. On 27 April 2016 Walsh had her first grade 1 win. It was Blow by Blow in the

Champion INH Flat Race The Champion INH Flat Race is a Grade 1 National Hunt flat race in Ireland for amateur riders which is open to horses aged four to seven years. It is run at Punchestown over a distance of about 2 miles and ½ furlong ...

at Punchestown. In March 2018 Walsh rode her third winner of the Cheltenham Festival. It was the

Champion Bumper The Champion Bumper is a Grade 1 National Hunt flat race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four to six years. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 2 miles and ½ ...

, which was a grade 1 race. She brought her mount Relegate from the back of the field 5 furlongs out to catch the leader just at the line.

Other work

Walsh began working as a racing ambassador for the

Grand National The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England. First run in 1839, it is a handicap ...

Festival at

Aintree Racecourse Aintree Racecourse is a horse racing, racecourse in Aintree, Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England, bordering the city of Liverpool. The racecourse is the venue for the Grand National steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase, whi ...

in 2015 and continued in 2016 and 2017.

Personal life

Walsh married her long-time partner, the race horse trainer Ross O’Sullivan in Kildare in July 2013. Her sister-in-law is the Irish jockey

Nina Carberry Nina Carberry (born 19 July 1984) is a retired Irish female National Hunt jockey. She hails from a racing family and is the daughter of jockey Tommy Carberry. Career Carberry got her first Cheltenham Festival win in 2005 on Dabiroun in the Fred ...

, who married Walsh's brother Ted Walsh Junior.

Major wins

Ireland *

-(1) Blow By Blow (2016) ----

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

-(1) Relegate (2018)

References

External links

Katie Walsh
at GoRacing.ie Living people Irish female jockeys 1984 births {{Ireland-equestrian-bio-stub