Grand National ante-post betting news: Russell hoping for better goodbyes at Aintree

Belfast Telegraph

11 April 2023

Grand National ante-post betting news: Russell hoping for better goodbyes at Aintree

Grand National betting news: Russell hoping for better goodbyes at Aintree

Davy Russell is eager to enjoy his farewell to Aintree this week after conceding that last month’s Cheltenham Festival was not the exit of his dreams.

The jockey, who won back-to-back Grand Nationals on Tiger Roll in 2018 and 2019, has confirmed that he is heading for the Merseyside venue this week, despite not racing since he stood himself down from Gold Cup duty in the Cotswolds last month, citing soreness.

Russell will hope to get back into the swing of things on Thursday and Friday before getting on board the 20/1 shot Galvin for Gordon Elliott in the big race on Saturday.

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En route back to Merseyside

The three-time Irish champion jockey has confirmed his intention to ride at Aintree, where his book will include Galvin on Saturday.

Russell had announced his retirement from race riding after winning on Liberty Dance at Thurles before Christmas, but made a dramatic U-turn barely a month later in the wake of Jack Kennedy breaking his leg at Naas in January.

He enjoyed Grade 1 success at the Dublin Racing Festival in February but at Cheltenham last month he went without a winner and he decided against partnering Conflated in the Gold Cup.

“It’s probably not ideal finishing up the way Cheltenham went so it would be nice, especially for Ronnie Bartlett [Galvin’s owner] and the horse has been so good to me over the years, to give it a rattle,” said Russell.

He had confirmed he would not be riding at Fairyhouse as he was “still a bit sore. I damaged my back at Leopardstown when I got a simple fall from The Tide Turns and it is still sore.

“Hopefully Gordon will have some for me on the Thursday and Friday at Aintree as well. I just need to be a bit fitter, so I will give it the week riding out and getting right.”

Trainer happy to have Russell on board

Elliott, hoping for a record-equalling fourth Grand National win, is fielding Galvin and 10/1 Delta Work, the horse that beat Russell into second spot on Galvin in last month’s Cross Country race in the Cotswolds.

The Cullentra handler is delighted to have his most experienced rider on the team for Liverpool.

“Galvin is Davy’s ride if he wants it,” he said. “Davy has been a big part of Cullentra and he’s coming to the end of his riding days, but I wouldn’t like to see him finishing up on the note he finished up on at Cheltenham.

“Obviously he was very sore and he made the right decision not to ride in the Gold Cup, but I’d like to give him a better send-off than that.”

Perfect finale in the offing

Russell has not confirmed if he intends to ride on for the end of the National Hunt season at Punchestown in a few weeks’ time, raising the prospect that Aintree could be the last occasion we see him in action, and Elliott would dearly love it to be a special farewell if that is the case.

The trainer said: “I don’t think there would be any better way for him to finish up than riding in the National, and if Jack doesn’t make it back there will be a lot of other rides for him at Aintree too.

“I would like to see one last hurrah out of Davy anyway.

“I think for Davy Russell, for horseracing and for anybody who knows anything about horses, he deserves a better send-off than the one he would have got if he finished up at Cheltenham.

“I've been talking to Davy since Cheltenham. He was sore, he wasn’t 100 per cent right and he made the decision [not to ride in the Gold Cup]. It was a big call but he wasn’t going to go out there and do wrong by the horse and the owners.”