“HE’S champion jockey and he’s not champion jockey by luck. Take your cap off Paul Townend, you’ve given horses wonderful rides all year but you can hang that picture on the wall and look at it for the rest of your life and say, I was brilliant that day.”

The words of Ruby Walsh on the RTÉ Irish Grand National coverage. Ruby’s analysis often requires him to highlight errors or weaknesses in horse and rider, and it’s not too often you have cause to disagree with him. Certainly, no one could argue that he did not hit the nail on the head with this statement.

Watching a race from the stands at the track, you inevitably miss some of the out in the country action and the build up to the climax.

Watching the Irish National back later, it was one of those rare occasions when you had to say to yourself and check, am I watching the right horse? Did I Am Maximus really win this? Even before the first Ballyhack he looked in trouble. A slow jump at the last first time round added to the amazement at the result. Even coming to the final Ballyhack section of the track, when switched outside, not even the stoutest believer in miracles would have kept the faith.

The jockey will have reason for reaching for this replay any time punters or professionals cast doubts on any of his decisions in the saddle.

My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius Townend, commander of the Armies of Closutton, Loyal servant to the true emperor – stick with me, Willie!

On Twitter

Vaughan Lewis@VaughanLewis1

Best defence is education about horses. They absolutely love racing. They get injured all the time, whether in field, stable, racing or walking up a road. Injuries and death are a fact of horses, not of racing. No hypocrisy here, the only way to have no horse deaths is no horses.

IAN GATWARD@gatwardian

Rough guess, over 12,000 races take place every year, the news and media channels could not really give a monkeys, Grand National and all of a sudden, all out and about questioning about racing.

Jack@PuntingWinners

I think today showed 2m is his trip, the extra half mile blunted his speed. I’d like to see a Champion Chase campaign next season, no need to mess around with an Arkle. [On Constitution Hill]

mrmacranatuaithe

@mrmacranatuait1

Getting Joe Biden to park the beast outside Boylesports in Dundalk has to be the best advertising Boylesports have ever done.

Scott Burton@seenthestars

129 for #Equinox from the

@LonginesEq Worlds Best Racehorse Rankings after his Dubai Sheema Classic win.

That puts him within 1lb of a mark that would have made him the world leader in six of the last ten seasons, and he’s only just got going for the year.

Michael Looby@michaellooby2

5 of the 6 G1s plus the G2 so far won by Irish pointers, Inthepocket still quite green,ended up in front a bit too soon, should be a fine chaser