IN any sport or in any walk of life, if you’re successful or in the limelight, you’re going to be in the firing line for criticism. Horse racing is no different and it definitely doesn’t excuse jockeys. With gambling in horse racing such a popular outlay, strong opinions will always be voiced.

I have seen first-hand face-to-face and through social media how critical punters can be. It came to a stage where Richard Hughes and Oisin Murphy deactivated their twitter accounts because they were being harassed by disgruntled punters. I have seen death threats being sent to jockeys and cancer being wished upon their family members. To see things like this would make you wonder what sort of people are really out there.

I only competed in National Hunt racing in Ireland with the odd exception so I can only speak for that sphere. The reason the standard of jockeys is so high in Ireland is because it is so competitive. Everybody wants to win - it’s not about the money, it’s all about having winners. So to see people giving out about Ruby Walsh’s recent run of bad luck with last fence fallers is absolutely laughable.

When Annie Power fell at the last in Cheltenham last year, it cost the punters millions. However, you can be assured that there was nobody more annoyed than Ruby Walsh. People said that he was paid to make her fall. If anybody has ever ridden in a race or has any clue about racing, they will know that that is not something that is a viable option.

Writing this with the injuries I have suffered, I am well aware of the dangers of being a jockey. I was well aware of these dangers ever before I got injured, as is every other jump jockey in England and Ireland. So for somebody to say that a jockey is getting a fall on purpose is ridiculous. With quite a few mishaps late on in races recently, Ruby Walsh will obviously be contemplating what he is doing wrong, but that’s just racing.

It was the same situation a couple of years back when Kauto Star kept making mistakes at the last. I think it’s just a case of coincidence and an unfortunate run of bad luck. Un De Sceaux ran too exuberantly on his return to action at Leopardstown and made a very similar mistake when he fell first time out in Thurles, but this was nobody’s fault. Killultagh Vic travelled extremely well down to the last, met it on a perfect stride, only to put in too good of a jump and get his hind end too high, which very nearly caused him to tip over.

Valseur Lido was very similar in the Irish Gold Cup. He travelled strongly down to the last and met it on a good stride only to leave his hind-end behind him a little and land too steep. He found his feet but shot left and Ruby had no chance of staying on board.

I would imagine it is extremely aggravating for Ruby, to have those big races robbed from his grip in the closing stages, but I have no doubt he is much more annoyed about the horse falling or getting unseated than losing the pot itself.

The fact that Ruby goes to the last fence in front more than any other jockey in Ireland, means he is more likely to fall at the last, when in front, more than any other jockey. These things happen and it’s just coincidental that it has happened a couple of times in close succession. It’s like Lionel Messi missing a penalty - it’s inevitable it’s going to happen and he might even miss two in a row, but he’s still probably going to win the man of the match and win the ballon d’or at the end of the season.