A true legend of racing, Davy Russell is one of the greatest National Hunt jockeys of all time. The Irishman has a long list of top-level successes to his name and continues to ride at the highest level at the age of 43.

After a long career in the saddle, Russell announced his retirement earlier in the year, but his time away from the sport was short-lived. After just two weeks, the elder statesman of the weighing room was coaxed back into action by trainer, and good friend, Gordon Elliott, after his stable jockey, Jack Kennedy, suffered a bad injury.

This page is dedicated to helping you follow Russell’s return to action, as we provide you with all of the information on Davy Russell’s rides today, Davy Russell’s rides tomorrow, and all of his booked rides in the future.

Russell predominantly rides in his native Ireland but does make the trip across the Irish Sea from time to time to ride in the biggest races on the calendar. Keep your eyes peeled on this page to be up to date on his booked rides and all of the prices for his mounts from the UK’s leading bookmakers and betting sites. 

There is also a multitude of free bet offers to use if you fancy one of Davy Russell’s rides.

Davy Russell Rides Today

This section provides you with everything you need to know about Davy Russell’s whereabouts for today’s racing action. It is always a good plan to be in the know of which horses Davy Russell is going to ride, as prices on horse racing betting sites can shorten quickly given his ability in the saddle and the likely talent of the horses that he will ride. 

Davy Russell Rides Tomorrow

As soon as Davy Russell’s booked rides for tomorrow’s racing are confirmed, this section will give you the latest info. Russell may or may not be riding on any given day, so it is best to find out his plans and get the early prices for his rides right here.

Davy Russell Future Rides

A jockey with the skill and experience of Davy Russell is likely to be booked to ride a horse in a big race in the future. He is currently attached to the Gordon Elliott yard, but he has strong connections with a number of owners and could be booked to ride their horses that are in training with other trainers.

To keep up to date with Davy Russell’s rides in the future, this is the place to get the information on those rides and also any ante-post horse racing prices that may be available. It can be unlikely that early prices are available at this moment in time, so it is important to keep a close eye here for any prices that become available.

Predicting Davy Russell’s Rides in Big Races

As stated above, Davy Russell will predominantly be riding the most talented horses for trainer, Gordon Elliott, in the big races of the season. A big part of his decision to cut short his recent retirement was to use his expertise and experience to succeed at the big festivals, including Cheltenham. 

Below, our experts will attempt to make educated guesses on which horses Davy Russell will ride in the big races of the season, and all of the updated ante-post prices for the selected horses will be available.

It can sometimes be wise to take a generous ante-post price on Davy Russell’s rides, as horses with his assistance can be well backed closer to the day of the race. This can mean that their prices will be considerably shorter come post time.

Who will Davy Russell ride in the Grand National?

Davy Russell played a massive part in the recent Aintree Grand National story of the legendary, Tiger Roll. Russell and Tiger Roll would win back-to-back Grand Nationals in 2018 and 2019, making Russell the first jockey in 45 years to achieve the feat.

For the 2023 Aintree showpiece, a lot will depend on whether Jack Kennedy will be in action after his injury layoff. If the young rider misses out, Russell is likely to take over on Gordon Elliott’s favoured horse, who, at this moment, looks like being, Conflated.

Conflated is set to take in the Cheltenham Gold Cup before heading to the Grand National, and he would have to be considered for both races if at his best. If Russell is pushed down the pecking order by Kennedy, he still has a good selection of horses to choose from.

Last year’s third place finisher, Delta Work, would be a great option for Russell to return to his retirement on a high note, whilst the likes of Fury Road, Galvin, and Minella Crooner, are also options for the veteran jockey.

Who will Davy Russell ride in the Champion Hurdle?

With Gordon Elliott apparently having little chance of a Champion Hurdle winner, Davy Russell is unlikely to achieve the first win of his career in the 2023 renewal. Last year’s third-place finisher, Zanahiyr, who has subsequently been disqualified, would be Russell’s best chance of a winner, although last year’s Triumph Hurdle third, Pied Piper, is not a forlorn hope despite his lofty odds.

Who will Davy Russell ride in the Champion Chase?

The Champion Chase is another major race at the Cheltenham Festival that has eluded Davy Russell, and it looks very unlikely that that is going to change this year. It is highly possible that Russell won’t have a ride in the race, but if a spare ride does come about, Russell is obviously a jockey that all connections would love to have on board.

Who will Davy Russell ride in the Gold Cup?

In what turned out to be one of the most dramatic finishes in history, Lord Windermere gave Davy Russell his sole Gold Cup win in 2014. Again, Russell’s ride in this season’s Cheltenham showpiece will depend on Jack Kennedy’s fitness, and possible rides will be from the aforementioned list, Conflated, Fury Road, and Galvin. All three are also entered in the Grand National the following month, so it will be interesting to see which ones will fulfil their Gold Cup engagement.

Davy Russell Biography

Davy Russell was born in Youghal in Co. Cork, Ireland in 1979 and was surrounded by horses from an early age. His father Jerry, a huge supporter of his son in later years, had been a racehorse owner, and a young Davy quickly became enamored with the sport.

The Irish point-to-point scene was beginning to flourish in the 1990s, and Davy Russell would soon become a huge part of the industry in his teenage years. After taking out his Amateur licence, he began what was to be a very successful period as a jockey between the flags, and captured the attention of some of the best trainers on each side of the Irish Sea.

A huge number of options were open to Russell once he decided to join the professional jockey ranks, but he ultimately decided to join Irish trainer, Ferdy Murphy, who by now was training in England.

Davy would enjoy a successful period riding for Murphy, but after two years, he decided that it was time to return home, and he took up a position with the legendary trainer, Edward O’Grady.

By this time in Ireland, owner Michael O’Leary was beginning to dominate Irish racing with his Gigginstown Stud operation, and once he decided to hire a retained rider for his group of high-class horses, it was Davy Russell who got the call.

So began a hugely successful period in both men’s racing lives. From 2007 to 2013, Russell and O’Leary would plunder the biggest races on offer in National Hunt racing. Russell would become known as an expert rider at the Cheltenham Festival and was successful in most of the biggest races at the meeting on horses such as Weapons Amnesty, First Lieutenant, Tiger Roll, and Sir Des Champs, to name just a few.

Russell and the Gigginstown operation went their separate ways after an ignominious break up in 2013, but the jockey would continue to enjoy some memorable Cheltenham moments, particularly when teaming up with trainer, Patrick Kelly, for wins on Presenting Percy and Mall Dini.

Although Russell’s career began to wane slightly in his later years, he did continue to ride for his close friend, Gordon Elliott, who by now was one of the most dominant trainers in jump racing.

Russell eventually called time on his illustrious career in the saddle in January 2023, but it was to be a short-lived retirement. Two weeks after making the announcement, Gordon Elliott’s stable jockey, Jack Kennedy sustained a broken leg in a fall, and Russell was persuaded to return to action by Elliott to fill the void as the big spring festivals approached.

The pair are now readying themselves for the Cheltenham Festival, and it is likely to be Russell’s final time to compete at Prestbury Park. If it is to be Russell’s swansong, there is no better place to bow out than at the greatest show of them all.