David ‘Davy’ Russell announced his retirement from the saddle, for the first time, at Thurles on December 18, 2022, having ridden Liberty Dance to victory for his long-time ally, Co. Meath trainer Gordon Elliott. However, when hapless stable jockey Jack Kennedy broke his leg, for the fifth time in his career, in a heavy fall at Naas on January 8, 2023, Russell was persuaded to return to the saddle on a short-term basis to solve an injury crisis at Cullentra House. Having done so, he endured a forgettable Cheltenham Festival in 2023, drawing a blank and standing himself down from his intended mount, Conflated, in the Cheletnham Gold Cup after being ‘too sore to ride’. Russell eventually retired, for the second time, on Grand National Day 2023.
Champion National Hunt Jockey is his native Ireland in 2011/12, 2012/13 and 2017/18, Russell is probably best known to the wider racing public for his association with Tiger Roll – trained by Elliott and owned by his principal patron, Gigginstown House Stud – on whom he scored back-to-back victories in the Grand National in 2018 and 2019. Nevertheless, it should not be forgotten that, for much of his career, the Cheltenham Festival proved a happy hunting ground for the Corkman.
Russell rode his first Festival winner, Native Jack, trained by Philip Rothwell, in what is now the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase on March 14, 2006. Thereafter, with the exceptions of 2019, 2021, when he missed the Festival through injury, 2022 and 2023, he rode at least one winner at the March showpiece every year. In 2014, Russell won the Cheltenham Gold Cup on Lord Windermere, trained by Jim Culloty and, in 2018, won the Ruby Walsh Trophy, presented to the leading jockey at the Chetenham Festival, with four winners. All told, Russell rode 25 winners at the Cheltenham Festival, placing him joint-fourth on the all-time list, alongside Pat Taaffe and behind only Ruby |Walsh, Barry Geraghty and Tony McCoy.