Champion jockey Davy Russell announced his retirement from the saddle at Thurles on Sunday, bringing to an end an illustrious career which began in the pointing fields in the late 1990’s.
The Youghal native enjoyed his first success aboard Pat O’Connor’s Spanish Castle at Tallow in February 1999 and made an immediate impact in the sphere, with eight victories in that initial season saw him tie the champion novice rider’s title with Simon McGonagle.
Russell won the novice title outright the following year with a staggering 36 victories, a figure that Barry O’Neill came closest to matching in the subsequent 22 years when he reached the 33-winner mark in his 2010-winning campaign.
Although the Foot and Mouth outbreak of 2001 heavily curtailed that season’s action in the pointing sphere, it still proved to be a memorable year for him as he won the first of two national rider’s titles, adding to that haul the following year when sharing the 2002 crown with the late John Thomas McNamara.
In announcing his decision to retire for race riding at the age of 43 following the victory of Liberty Dance in the Billy Harney Memorial Irish EBF Mares Novice Hurdle, Russell paid thanks to those who assisted him through that early part of his career.
“After over 20 years riding as a professional jockey, I’ve decided to call it a day,” he wrote.
“My journey began 43 years ago with the support of my parents who gave me the most outstanding of childhoods – never restricting me and giving me the freedom to begin a journey. My mother is no longer here but she has always had my back – I still feel her watching over me today. As for my dad, I’m lucky to still have him in my life and he’s always been there for me too along with my brothers and sisters.
“I started in point-to-points where I rode for four years managing to become champion novice rider back in 1999. The last two decades have flown by and I’ve just so many to thank. If it wasn’t for Tom O’Mahony, I’d have never made the jump to become a professional. Then there’s the likes of Pat O’Connor, Arthur Moore, Pat and Mary Doyle, John Kiely, Mick O’Brien and Charles Byrnes to name just a few.”
In all, Russell rode 133 point-to-point winners before progressing to be one of the most successful riders to emerge from the sphere with 1,579 track winners between Ireland and Britain to make him the nineth winning-most jumps jockeys.
