NO sooner had we last week praised Davy Russell for his riding and winners at Cheltenham than it became known that he had lost the ride on Lord Windermere. Then on Saturday afternoon a worse scenario came to pass when he suffered a broken arm in a nasty incident in a beginners chase at Gowran.

You couldn’t help compare and contrast the fortunes of top sportsmen over the week.

Win a Six Nations Championship, fans wait for hours to salute and you can have a great celebration, with a week to enjoy it.

Listen to Henry Shefflin announcing his retirement and telling of how he will miss the team celebrations after a big match win.

For a jockey, it’s a different story. Win a big race, enjoy a good Cheltenham Festival and what is the reward. An unhappy trainer and then a dodgy novice chaser waiting for you in the parade ring the next day.

Clear path to victory

NOW that the stalls for the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket are to be placed along the stands rail, let there be no complaints if we have 20 colts or fillies trying to race six abreast or find room to challenge at the two-furlong marker in the first classics.

These are the changes is called for after one Guineas with an unsatisfactory result. Anyone still remember Nureyev? Try Nahoodh or Six Perfections in the 1000 Guineas then. Let’s hope no trainer moans over any bad luck in running.

There’re off - or are they?

It’s the start of the flat season in Britain today. Oh no it’s not. But it’s the Lincoln, oh yes it is. But if you ride a winner, oh no it’s not, it doesn’t count.

If Great British Racing chief Rod Street is to be believed and racing’s seasons have lost their relevance, will we soon see the leading National Hunt jockey crowned at the Cheltenham Festival? Instead of making racing “relevant and interesting to new and current audiences”, the new winner of the jockeys title will be lost in the aftermath of the Champions Day races. There won’t be room for a jockeys’ title winning photo in the national press if Champions Day does what it was created for and produces an outstanding performance. It’s called flat racing, and it could get flatter by the year.

British hurdlers go missing

THE news this week that The New One has been sidelined by injury leaves the 10-year-old Rock On Ruby, the leading British-trained runner in the Aintree Hurdle in two weeks’ time.

With My Tent Or Yours likely to be nine next year, there appears to be a serious shortage of high class contenders for all those graded hurdle races unless Peace And Co and the four-year-olds measure up. It might not be just the Champion Hurdle that Willie Mullins has the first three home in next season.