WALSH has been out of action since November 18th when he broke his leg in a fall from Let's Dance at Punchestown, but he has always maintained he would be back in time for the Cheltenham Festival.

"Initially, I would have said I'd be back race riding for the Red Mills Chase Day at Gowran (on Saturday), but that was probably a bit unrealistic," he told his Paddy Power blog.

"So, if it's not the weekend of the 24th, hopefully it'll be the weekend after.

"I could even be riding out by the end of next week. Things are going well, I just need to be patient and not do myself any damage. There's no real pain any more, but things can't be rushed."