Desperate break for luckless Russell

Popular Irish jumps jockey Davy Russell will quickly want to forget the events of September 16, a day that began badly and ended much worse, with him breaking his leg in a fall from Mister Two Fifty in a beginners’ chase at Listowel, writes Elliot Slater.

The first irish racing tips shock of the day for Russell was when he failed a random breath test on arrival at the track, a finding that proved not only shocking, but also baffling to the long-time teetotaller! It was only after successfully passing a second test that Russell was cleared by the Irish authorities to take up his riding commitments for the rest of the day. It later transpired that almost certainly the cause of the failed test was a mouthwash Russell had used shortly before leaving home to set out for the track.

At the sixth fence in the beginners’ chase Russell took a heavy fall from Mister Fifty Two and was immediately rushed to hospital where x-rays revealed he had sustained a fractured tibia and soft tissue damage. A decision will be taken in due course as to whether or not the leg will need to be operated on or will recover sufficiently with the aid of a plaster cast. Those looking at racing tips for today note how the injury will take a number of months to heal and means that Russell could well be out of action until mid-November, at the earliest.

Just to rub salt into the wound on a dismal day for the popular Irishman, Lough Ferrib, Russell’s other booked mount of the day went on to score in good style for his replacement Davy Condon, in the 5.30 event.