Ruby's retirement marks the end of an era, says Willie Mullins

Willie Mullins said Ruby Walsh’s decision to retire marks “the end of an era” and that he had no inkling he was going to call time on his career.

The pair have worked together for more than 20 years and scaled the greatest heights but Mullins was caught on the hop by his jockey bringing down the curtain on his career after guiding Kemboy to victory in the Coral Punchestown Gold Cup on Wednesday evening.

"The R word is never discussed in our house for people or horses,” Mullins said.

"Ruby just got off him and said 'can you find someone for Livelovelaugh?' and I was thinking is he lame, concussed or dehydrated, but he said 'I'm out of here' and the penny dropped.

“What more can you say? I just shook his hand. It was totally out of the blue for me as well - we'd never discussed it. I had no idea.”

He added: "It's the end of an era. What a career he's had with me and Paul Nicholls, what a career. It will be strange without him.

"He was just a natural, he rode them naturally, from the first time I put him up on a difficult filly in a 24-runner bumper."

Walsh always enjoyed great days with serial British champion trainer Paul Nicholls, who was also swift top pay tribute.

Nicholls trained Kauto Star and Walsh was aboard for each of his five King George VI Chase wins, as well as his Festival triumphs among numerous other wins.

He said: "The relationship with Kauto Star obviously particularly comes to mind. We had some amazing days with him, all the King Georges, the Gold Cups.

"We had some fantastic horses at that time - Denman, Neptune Collonges, Big Bucks, Master Minded - they were all just great days.

"I thought when I saw him ride that winner that I wouldn't be surprised if he called it a day after that, and it's just great to see him go out doing what he does best.

"He's been a fantastic jockey, a fantastic ambassador for the sport and he's just a great man. He's one of the best jockeys ever to ride for us and will always be a friend.

"I just wish him all the best and I'm thrilled to see him go out like this, in one piece with no more injuries."

AP McCoy had Walsh had many great battles on the racecourse, but have always been friends off it.

“It’s a sad day for racing that he’s not going to be seen any longer on a horse,” McCoy told Racing TV.

“He was the best jockey I ever saw or ever rode against. He’s like Lionel Messi playing football – you can’t teach kids to be like that, he’s just different.

“He genuinely had no weakness, he had the style and the strength, the temperament, the judge of pace – he had everything you would want in a top-class sports person and that little bit extra, he was different.

“I don’t think people will ever get how mentally and physically strong he was to come back from the falls time and again, you have to be a seriously hard person to do what he did.

“He got to go out on his own terms and not everyone is lucky enough to do that.

“The tough thing is he was as good on Kemboy as he was on any horse in his life, so it’s a hard thing to walk away from.”