In recent seasons, Davy Russell has undoubtedly been the most progressive jump jockey in the Irish weighing room and has firmly established himself as one of the top riders in the country. Russell started the 2011/12 campaign in full health and with the Gigginstown House horses making an electric start to the campaign, Russell has positively erupted out of the stalls in his bid to gain an overdue Champion Jockey title.
Principal Trainers: Charles Byrnes, Tom Mullins, Paul Nolan, Noel Meade, Gordon Elliott
Notable Wins:
Notable 
Wins: ‘For Auction’ Novice Hurdle (Il Fenomeno 2011), Dial-a-Bet
1800 721 821 EBF Novice Chase (First Lieutenant 2011), Dial-A-Bet 1800
721 821 European Breeders Fund Novice Hurdle (Sword Of Destiny 2011),
JNwine.com Champion Chase (Quito De La Roque 2011), Ben Dunne Gyms
Supporting Kildare GAA Poplar Square Chase (Noble Prince 2011), Star
"Best For Racing Coverage" Chase (Roi Du Mee 2011), Dolores Purcell
Memorial Novice Hurdle (Tavern Times 2011), Like A Butterfly Novice
Chase (First Lieutenant 2011), ITBA Fillies Scheme EBF Mares Hurdle
(Shop Dj 2011), Growise Champion Novice Chase (Quito De La Roque 2011),
www.thetote.com Handicap Hurdle (Jack Cool 2011), Irish Stallion Farms
EBF Mares Novice Hurdle Championship Final (Knockfierna 2011), John
Smith's Mildmay Novices' Chase (Quito De La Roque 2011), Coral Cup
(Carlito Brigante 2011), Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle
(First Lieutenant 2011), Nas Na Riogh Novice Chase (Roi Du Mee 2011,
Thyne Again 2008), Ten Up Novice Chase (Quito De La Roque 2011),
Thyestes Chase (Siegemaster 2011), Woodlands Park 100 Club Novice Chase
(Quito De La Roque 2011), Killiney Novice Chase (Magnanimity 2011),
paddypowerpoker.com Future Champions Novice Hurdle (First Lieutenant
2010), Bar One Racing Juvenile 3-Y-O Hurdle (Toner D’Oudairies 2010),
Dobbins & Madigans at Punchestown Hurdle (Solwhit 2010 + 2009),
Bobbyjo Bar Festival Novice Hurdle (Magnanimity 2010), INH Stallion
Owners EBF Novice Handicap Hurdle Series Final (Quito De La Roque 2010),
Rathbarry & Glenview Studs Novice Hurdle (Luska Lad 2010), RSA
Chase (Weapon’s Amnesty 2010), Boyne Hurdle (War Of Attrition 2010), Red
Mills Trial Hurdle (Luska Lad 2010), Toshiba Irish Champion Hurdle
(Solwhit 2010), Spring Juvenile Hurdle (Pittoni 2010), December Festival
Hurdle (Solwhit 2009), Inforthenight.ie Juvenile Hurdle (Carlito
Brigante 2009), Hatton's Grace Hurdle (Oscar Dan Dan 2009), Rabobank
Champion Hurdle (Solwhit 2009), Aintree Hurdle (Solwhit 2009), Albert
Bartlett Novices' Hurdle (Weapon’s Amnesty 2009), Champion 4YO Hurdle
(Won In The Dark 2008), Grand Annual Chase (Tiger Cry 2008), Coral Cup
(Naiad Du Misselot 2008), Deloitte Novice Hurdle (Forpadydeplasterer
2008), Baileys Arkle Perpetual Challenge Cup Novice Chase (Thyne Again
2008), Paddy Power Dial-A-Bet Chase (Mansony 2007), Clonmel Oil Chase
(Mossbank 2007), Scarvagh House Stud Mares Novice Hurdle (Megans Joy
2007), Newenham Mulligan Novice Hurdle (Major Finnegan 2007), Kilbegnet
EBF Novice Chase (Conna Castle 2007), Guinness Galway Hurdle (Farmer
Brown 2007), Kerrygold Champion Chase (Mansony 2007), William Hill
Trophy Handicap Chase (Joes Edge 2007), Ballymore Properties Novice
Chase (Cailin Alainn 2006), Powers Whiskey Novice Chase (Cailin Alainn
2006), Dr PJ Moriarty Novice Chase (The Railway Man 2006), Topham Chase
(Cregg House 2005), totesport Bula Hurdle (Back In Front 2004)
In recent seasons, Davy Russell has undoubtedly been the most progressive jump jockey in the Irish weighing room and has firmly established himself as one of the top riders in the country. He has proven the main challenger to Ruby Walsh’s domination in recent seasons and indeed, he made Walsh pull out all the stops in the 2007/8 jockey’s championship, winning a total of 126 winners next to Walsh’s 131 successes. Indeed, if it wasn’t for him missing a few weeks through injury at the latter end of the season, he might well have won that championship. While Russell didn’t have to contend with the sidelined Ruby Walsh in 2010/11, his replacement Paul Townend proved a more than able competitor and while Russell made a valiant bid to earn in his first Champion Jockey title, he came up just short again.
Early Days
Like so many future stars of the weighing room, Russell began his riding career in the point-to-point field. He rode his winner between the flags in February 1999 and he wasted little time in rising to national prominence. He finished second to JT McNamara in the 1999/2000 leading rider’s championship with 36 winners and while his campaign to go one better the following season was halted by foot and mouth disease, he succeeded in sharing the title with McNamara in 2001/2 with a total of 56 winners.
Russell soon emerged as an in-demand amateur rider on the racecourse, both in bumpers and hunter chases. In April 2001 he rode Pizarro to win a bumper at Fairyhouse and 11 months later, that horse went on to win the Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival for Edward O’Grady. He went close to landing his first win at the Cheltenham Festival when riding Timbera in the National Hunt Chase in 2002, only for his old rival JT McNamara to narrowly get the better of him on Rith Dubh.
A Move To England
Despite lacking the big-race experience of many of the higher-profile jockeys at the time, following the retirement of the injury prone Adrian Maguire in November 2002, Russell was offered the position of stable jockey to Ferdy Murphy in England. It was an offer that Russell couldn’t refuse and having agreed to make the move to England, he turned professional. His first winner for Murphy, and as a professional, came on Inn Antique in a novice hurdle at Sedgefield on November 12th of that year.
Russell gained many high-profile successes during his two seasons in England, winning the Peter Marsh Chase at Haydock on Truckers Tavern in 2003 before going on to finish second on the same horse in that years Cheltenham Gold Cup. Other valuable wins on Murphy’s horses came on Tribal Venture, Ballinclay King and Historg. While the winners continued to flow for the combination, they parted ways in mid-2004 with Russell returning to the country of his birth to continue his rise up the ranks and he hasn’t looked back since.
Back To Ireland
Russell’s first winner as a professional rider in Ireland came on Colonel Monroe for Edward O’Grady at Limerick on 29th December 2002, and it was O’Grady that would provide Russell with the bulk of his rides during the 2004/5 season following his return from England. Undoubtedly one of his biggest wins of that season came on the O’Grady-trained Back In Front in the Bula Hurdle, but he had to endure the frustration of being jocked off that horse for the Champion Hurdle the following March. Another big win for Russell during that season came on Cregg House over the famous Aintree Grand National fences in the Topham Chase for Shane Donohoe. Despite these high-profile wins, his most valuable partnership of the season was with the game mare, Blazing Liss. He rode the John Kiely-trained mare to four memorable victories including two Listed races over hurdles.
An Upward Curve
The 2005/6 season saw Russell ride for a wide variety of trainers and register a career best tally of 75 winners from 567 rides. Perhaps the highlight of the season on the domestic front came when he won the Dr PJ Moriarty Novice Chase on the Arthur Moore-trained The Railway Man. Following the 1½l win, Moore described Russell’s effort as “as good a ride as I’ve seen”, high praise indeed coming from one of the veterans of the Irish training ranks. Another notable feature of that campaign was the amount of rides Russell had for the up-and-coming trainer, Charles Byrnes. He rode a total of 15 winners for the Limerick-based trainer, with the highlight of the partnership coming in the Monksfield Novice Hurdle when he rode an excellent race on Powerstation to get the better of Travino by a short-head. The 2006 Cheltenham Festival will always hold a deep significance for Russell as he gained his first victory on jump racings biggest stage when partnering the Philip Rothwell-trained Native Jack to victory in the Sporting Index Cross Country Chase, getting the better of no less than Spot Thedifference in the process.
2006/7 saw Russell better his winner tally from the previous season having come home in front on 79 occasions having taken a total of 616 rides, making him the busiest jockey in the country by some margin. Despite this increase in workload, the quality of his ride did anything but diminish, indeed, it increased significantly. He has gained three wins on the Tom Mullins-trained Chelsea Harbour, culminating in a win in a Grade 2 novice chase at Naas in January with another success at that level coming later that month on Hear The Echo in a Leopardstown novice chase. The James Bowe-trained Sweet Kiln also provided him with a notable Graded success in the Boyne Hurdle at Navan.
However, undoubtedly the highest-profile partnership that Russell has formed that season was with the Charlie Byrnes-trained mare, Cailin Alainn. He partnered her to victory on her chasing debut at Cork before she successfully stepped up in class to win a listed mares’ chase at Clonmel. Three weeks later the pair would again combine to claim the notable scalp of Schindlers Hunt in the Grade 1 Ballymore Properties Drinmore Novice Chase and she doubled her tally at the highest level when profiting from a patient Russell ride to prevail in the Powers Whiskey Novice Chase at Leopardstown. While she fell on her final two starts of the season at Cheltenham, Russell gained compensation for that reverse at the Cheltenham Festival when riding the Ferdy Murphy-trained Joes Edge to success in the William Hill Trophy Handicap Chase. He wrapped up an excellent season by giving the Arthur Moore-trained Mansony a fine ride to win the Grade 1 Kerrygold Champion Chase at the Punchestown Festival.
A Title Challenger
Better still was to come for Russell in the 2007/8 season, as he blew his previous seasonal best completely out of the water, narrowly failing to win the jockey’s championship in the process. The season started off with an agreement that would shape Russell’s future, with him coming to an arrangement to ride for the fast-rising Gigginstown House Stud whenever available. The Galway Festival is traditionally the first big meeting of the Irish National Hunt season and Russell very much left his mark on the meeting in 2007, riding the Pat Hughes-trained Farmer Brown to an easy win in the Galway Hurdle. He also formed a profitable partnership with the Jimmy Mangan-trained Conna Castle, winning four races on him culminating in the Grade 3 Kilbegnet European Breeders Fund Novice Chase at Roscommon in October. That month also saw him gain universal plaudits for his winning ride on the Liam Burke-trained Major Finnegan in the listed Newenham Mulligan Novice Hurdle at Limerick.
The following month he won the Grade 3 Scarvagh House Stud Mares Novice Hurdle at Down Royal on the Colm Murphy-trained Megans Joy and a fortnight later he won the Grade 2 Clonmel Oil Chase on the Michael Hourigan-trained Mossbank. He gained his second Grade 1 win on Mansony when winning the Paddy Power Dial-A-Bet Chase at the Christmas meeting at Leopardstown. During this period he formed a notable partnership with the Ado McGuinness-trained Beau Michael, winning three juvenile hurdles on him including a Grade 3 and a Grade 2. The Liam Burke-trained Thyne Again was another profitable partner, with the pair winning the Baileys Arkle Perpetual Challenge Cup Novice Chase at Leopardstown and the Nas Na Riogh Novice Chase at Naas. His momentum continued into February, winning the Grade 1 Deloitte Novice Hurdle on the Tom Cooper-trained Forpadydeplasterer.
However, the highlights of Russell’s season undoubtedly came at the spring festivals, with him completing a memorable double on the Friday of the Cheltenham Festival, riding the Ferdy Murphy-trained Naiad Du Misselot to win the Coral Cup and the Arthur Moore-trained Tiger Cry to win the Grand Annual Chase. At this point, Russell was marginally ahead of Ruby Walsh in the jockey’s championship with only a matter of weeks to go, but agonisingly he suffered a wrist injury that ruled him out for a couple of weeks, giving Walsh an opportunity that he seized with both hands, regaining the lead before Russell made his return. Despite this, Russell made his return and the Punchestown Festival bore Grade 1 fruit for him, winning the Champion 4YO Hurdle on the Sabrina Harty-trained Won In The Dark. While it was too little too late for the jockey’s championship, that win put the icing on what had been a tremendously successful season for Russell.
Success On The Biggest Stages
While 2008/9 didn’t start off in the best way for Russell, with him missing the Galway Festival as a result of a fractured wrist, once he had returned to the saddle normal service was very much resumed. Indeed, Russell exhibited just why he is considered one of the shrewdest jockeys in the weighing room in a remarkable renewal of the cross-country chase at the November meeting at Cheltenham. Prior to riding Dix Villez for Paul Nolan, Russell identified a potential shortcut on the complex track and having confirmed the legality of the route with the stewards, he executed his plan to devastating effect, saving much more ground than his eventual winning margin of three lengths. He went on to ride a multitude of Grade 2 and 3 winners in the months following that win, with the wins of Mansony in the Normans Grove Chase at Fairyhouse and the Amazing Thailand Chase at Punchestown perhaps being the highlights, but it wasn’t until the spring that Russell’s season really went into overdrive.
The festival meetings at Cheltenham, Aintree and Punchestown are the focus of all the top jockeys attentions through the season and Russell made a notable impact, riding a Grade 1 winner at all three meetings, with all three of them coming on horses trained by Charles Byrnes. The first of them came at the Cheltenham Festival with Russell giving Weapon’s Amnesty a fine ride to win the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle. After that, Solwhit very much stole the show by winning both the Aintree Hurdle during the Aintree Grand National meeting and the Rabobank Champion Hurdle at the Punchestown Festival, very much stamping himself as a future Cheltenham Champion Hurdle contender.
More Grade 1 Glory
2009/10 was another high-successful season for Russell. He regained the title of Ireland’s busiest National Hunt jockey and while he was comfortably held by Ruby Walsh for the Champion Jockey title, if that championship had been decided on prize money earned rather than number of winners ridden, he would be crowned champion. In terms of seasonal highlights, Solwhit once again proved to be the star of the show, with him winning the Dobbins & Madigans at Punchestown Hurdle, the December Festival Hurdle at Leopardstown and the Toshiba Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown. While that horse failed to give Russell a memorable win in the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, he did not leave the Festival empty handed having ridden the Charles Byrnes-trained Weapon’s Amnesty to success in the RSA Chase. Russell wrapped up another satisfying campaign with an excellent Fairyhouse Easter Festival, winning valuable contests on the likes of the Shark Hanlon-trained Luska Lad, the Colm Murphy-trained Quito De La Roque and the Dessie Hughes-trained Magnanimity. The season was also a very satisfying one for Russell’s retained owner, Michael O’Leary’s Gigginstown House Stud, with them being crowned Champion Owner.
Another Bold Bid
While Russell did not have the clearest of passages through the first half of the 2010/11 season, with two separate ankle injuries interrupting his momentum, he wasted no time making an impact once he returned to health in October. Solwhit struck for him, winning the Dobbins & Madigans at Punchestown Hurdle in November, while the Mouse Morris-trained First Lieutenant gave him another Grade 1 win in the paddypowerpoker.com Future Champions Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown’s Christmas meeting. Russell continued his good form into the New Year, winning two Grade 2 novice chases on the Colm Murphy-trained Quito De La Roque in quick succession and, in between those wins, claiming the Thyestes Chase at Gowran Park on the Dessie Hughes-trained Siegemaster. The Cheltenham Festival again proved to be a happy hunting ground for Russell, with him winning the Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle on the aforementioned First Lieutenant and the Coral Cup on the Gordon Elliott-trained Carlito Brigante. A wrist injury in between Cheltenham and Aintree hurt his Championship prospects, but he wasted no time getting back in the groove at Aintree and Punchestown, with him winning both the John Smith's Mildmay Novices' Chase at Aintree and the Growise Champion Novice Chase at Punchestown on the aforementioned Quito De La Roque. However, despite his best efforts, he still came up just four winners short of Paul Townend in the race for the title of Champion Jockey.
An Overdue Championship?
Russell started the 2011/12 campaign in full health and with the Gigginstown House horses making an electric start to the campaign, Russell has positively erupted out of the stalls in his bid to gain an overdue Champion Jockey title. The exciting novice chaser First Lieutenant has already claimed Grade 3 contests at Tipperary and Cork, while Noel Meade’s promising novice hurdlers Sword Of Destiny and Il Fenomeno have won Grade 3 contests at Cork and Navan respectively. However, the pick of Russell’s wins thus far this season was unquestionably his last-gasp success on his old friend Quito De La Roque in the Grade 1 JNwine.com Champion Chase at Down Royal in November.With his strongest ever team of horses at his disposal, granted a clear run on the injury front, Davy Russell looks to be the one to beat in the race for the Champion Jockey title and given the number of near misses he has had in the past, no one would begrudge such a talented rider that prestigious title.
Updated November 2011.
