Davy Russell had one man in mind as he celebrated back-to-back wins in the Grand National.
On board Tiger Roll, Russell emulated Red Rum’s heroics in the 1970s with consecutive victories in what many consider to be the world’s toughest horse race and after thanking Gordon Elliot for the faith shown in him, Russell wanted to dedicate the win to former Cork footballer, Kieran O’Connor, who has been going through a tough time of it lately.
O’Connor, a former All-Ireland winner, continues to battle a rare form of cancer that forced him to have his lower leg amputated in January.
Having undergone surgery and chemotherapy for Ewing’s sarcoma in 2018, O’Connor has had to deal with the return of the disease on more than one occasion but the 39-year-old continues to fight.
"I can't believe it. Ah jaysus, I can't."
Brilliant interview with @_Davy_Russel_ after the Corkman wins back to back Grand National's on Tiger Roll!#Aintree #GrandNational pic.twitter.com/G6c6zJzpMB
— Virgin Media Sport (@VMSportIE) April 6, 2019
And there is no doubt that the tribute paid to O’Connor on the brightest stage of horse-racing would have meant the world to the Aghada man.
“There’s a guy at home called Kieran O’Connor from Aghada and he’s going through an enormous battle in his life,” Russell said in his post-race interview.
“And I just want to let him know that we’re thinking of him. He played football for Cork and he gave his life to sport.
“He’s a real fan of mine and this one’s for Kieran.”
