If this is the end of Davy Russell’s career it is a sad end – he deserved better than Cheltenham disaster

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IT was the best of times, it was the worst of times… well, for Davy Russell at least.

For many of us, the 2023 Cheltenham Festival was as epic a week of racing as there has ever been.

PARiding legend Davy Russell had a tough week at Cheltenham[/caption]

But it also gave us a reminder that this beast of a fixture can chew up and spit out even the most battle-hardened of campaigners.

Russell has been around the block more times than your average Mr Whippy man and has 22 winners at the Fez to his name.

So why was last week such an unmitigated disaster?

Let’s be fair, he might be the veteran of 21 seasons over jumps and have a reputation as a man of steel – but he still has emotions like the rest of us.

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There’s little doubt that something went seriously wrong behind the scenes, even before Michael O’Leary’s classless comments on the telly.

If you missed it, the Ryanair and Gigginstown Stud boss slated Russell for coming out of retirement and said he should have put his family first.

Russell bit back, saying on ITV: “I’ve about as much respect for Michael O’Leary’s opinion as he has for mine.”

O’Leary tried to play down the spat and gave Russell a smacker in the parade ring on Thursday, but the kiss was about as authentic as a Rolex in Shepherd’s Bush market.

No, the chipping away of Russell’s confidence goes back further than that.


Relations seemed strained between him and Gordon Elliott long before a horse had been saddled in anger.

Elliott reiterated throughout the build-up that crocked Jack Kennedy would ride the stable’s big guns if he made it back from injury in time.

And the main reason Russell came out of retirement in the first place was at the insistence of a number of Elliott’s owners.

Maybe that rubbed the trainer – who is loyal to his stable number two Jordan Gainford – up the wrong way as he never appeared to be fully behind the decision.

It became clear things were a little frosty between the pair when Russell revealed in February he hadn’t been in contact with Elliott for a number of weeks.

Now, the veteran jock was taking it easy after a heavy fall at Leopardstown, but it’s unusual to have no communication at a crucial point in the Cheltenham planning process.

Russell must have felt out of the loop and lacking in confidence heading into a meeting where a positive state of mind is vital.

And it played out that way on the track as he looked a shadow of the man who steered the likes of Lord Windermere and Presenting Percy to legendary Festival victories.

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Russell was tentative and over-cautious on Mighty Potter, had Teahupoo in a terrible position and, for some reason, didn’t use his whip in a tight finish on Pied Piper.

It’s fair to say that Elliott was visibly miffed after a couple of those high-profile defeats

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Now, the Pied Piper ride could be because he was feeling discomfort, and he ‘stood himself down’ just minutes before his ride in the Gold Cup on Conflated.

But speculation has been rife over the past seven days that it was actually O’Leary who demanded a change of jockey as he was not happy with how Russell was riding.

The gloomy expressions on the faces of Russell’s family and close friends in the paddock during the Gold Cup suggested that perhaps there is some truth to those whispers.

Russell has been off-grid over the past seven days – and it looks likely we have seen him in the saddle for the final time.

Kennedy is due to return from injury any day now and Russell doesn’t have any booked rides.

If this is the end, it is a sad end and not the one he deserved.

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