How many winners did Davy Russell ride at the Cheltenham Festival?

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.

Which was the last horse to win the King George VI Chase and the Cheltenham Gold Cup in the same season?

The Cheltenham Gold Cup and the King George VI Chase, in that order, are the two most prestigious weight-for-age steeplechases in the British National Hunt calendar. Indeed, along with the Betfair Chase, run over 3 miles, 1 furlong and 125 yards at Haydock Park in November, they constitute the so-called 'Jockey Club Chase Triple Crown', which offers a £1 million bonus to connections of any horse able to win all three races.

Of course, the King George VI Chase and the Cheltenham Gold Cup are both nominally 'staying' steeplechases but, granted that they are run on different courses, over different distances, nearly three months apart, each presents its own characteristic challenges. The King George VI Chase is run over 3 miles and 18 relatively easy fences on the right-handed, practically flat course at Kempton Park on Boxing Day. The Cheltenham Gold Cup, on the other hand, is run over 3 miles, 2 furlongs and 70 yards and 22 notoriously stiff fences on the left-handed, undulating and testing New Course at Prestbury Park. Relatively speaking, the former is a test of speed, while the latter is a test of out-and-out endurance.

Granted the versatility required to win both races, especially in the same season, it is no coincidence that the list of horses who have done so includes such luminaries of the staying division as Arkle, Desert Orchid and Best Mate, who were rated 212, 187 and 182 by Timeform. Unsurprisingly, the last horse to win the King George VI Chase and the Cheltenham Gold Cup in the same season was one of the most successful steeplechasers of the Timeform era, Kauto Star. Rated 191, Kauto Star was an impressive, 8-length winner of the King George VI Chase on Boxing Day, 2008 and headed straight to Cheltenham, where he was even more impressive in beating his stable companion, Denman, by 13 lengths.

Mick Fitzgerald

 

Nowadays, Mick Fitzgerald is best known as a television presenter on ITV Racing but, in his younger days, was one of the most successful National Hunt jockeys of his generation. Before being forced into retirement after sustaining neck and knee damage in a fall from L'Ami in the 2008 Grand National, Fitzgerald rode 1,295 winners, including 14 at the Cheltenham Festival.

Fitzgerald was leading jockey at the Cheltenham Festival twice. On the first occasion, in 1999, he achieved a notable double on Call Equiname and See More Business, both trained by Paul Nicholls, in the Queen Mother Champion Chase and the Cheltenham Gold Cup, respectively. That year, he also won the Triumph Hurdle on Katarino and the now-defunct Cathcart Challenge Cup on Stormyfairweather, both for Nicky Henderson. On the second, in 2000, he won the Arkle Challenge Trophy on Tiutchev, the Festival Trophy on Marlborough, the Stayers' Hurdle on Bacchanal and the Cathcart Challenge Cup on Stormyfairweather again; all four winners were trained by Nicky Henderson.

Remarkably, despite a 15-year association with Nicky Henderson – who is, nowadays, the leading trainer in the history of the Champion Hurdle, with eight wins – Fiztgerald never won the two-mile hurdling championship. In fact, in twelve attempts, two third places, on Blue Royal in 2000 and Afsoun in 2007, were the best he could muster.

The Fellow

Trained by François Doumen in Pau, southwestern France and ridden, for much of his career, by Polish-born jockey Adam Kondrat, The Fellow won the King George VI Chase at Kempton in 1991 and 1992. However, as far as the Cheltenham Festival is concerned, he is probably best remembered for winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup, at the fourth time of asking, in 1994. That said, anyone who backed him in the previous three renewals has good reason to remember that his defeats were attributable, at least according to some observers, to his jockey.

The Fellow made his first appearance in the 'Blue Riband' event in 1991, as a six-year-old, when has was sent off a largely unconsidered 28/1 outsider. However, despite Kondrat taking a wide route for the whole way and a bad mistake at the fifteenth fence, The Fellow was the only horse to make a race of it with eventual winner Garrison Savannah. Indeed, The Fellow 'sprinted' up the run-in, making up the better part of three lengths, but was denied by a short head.




On the back of that performance, and his subsequent win in the King George VI Chase, The Fellow was sent off 7/2 second favourite for his second attempt at the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1992. Kondrat rode a not entirely dissimilar race and, after a ding-dong battle with eventual winner and third, Cool Dawn and Docklands Express, on the run-in, The Fellow was headed in the final strides and denied by a short head for the second year running.




In 1993, The Fellow was sent off a heavily-backed 5/4 favourite for the Cheltenham Gold Cup, but could manage only fourth, beaten 9½ lengths, behind Jodami, having been outpaced from the top of the hill. He was back again, as a nine-year-old, in 1994, by which time it seemed his time had passed. However, sporting blinkers and ridden closer to the pace than had previously been the case, The Fellow was always travelling and jumping well and kept on strongly in the closing stages to beat Jodami by 1½ lengths and, finally, reward his connections' perseverance.

Gold Cup 2024 result, odds and replay

1 Galopin Des Champs 10-11F

2 Gerri Colombe 13-2

3 Corach Rambler 14-1

4 L’Homme Presse 16-1

5 Bravemansgame 14-1

6 Jungle Boogie 16-1