DAVY RUSSELL described Michael O’Sullivan as a “guy for the ages” following his tragic death on Sunday.
O’Sullivan, 24, passed away ten days on from a terrible fall at Thurles on February 6.
The Cork rider suffered fatal head injuries after the fall from Wee Charlie in a handicap chase at the Tipperary track.
The remainder of the card was abandoned and Michael, who died just a few days short of his 25th birthday, was airlifted to Cork University Hospital where he remained before his sad passing on Sunday.
He will be laid to rest in his home county of Cork on Wednesday, with Gardai instituting traffic directives on the day of his wake, on Tuesday.
Former champion jockey Russell appeared on Off The Ball to pay tribute to O’Sullivan, with whose family Russell has a close relationship.
Reflecting on the Irishman’s fall, the 45-year-old said: “I was waiting for one of the horses to run in one of the maiden hurdles or something and just wasn’t coming up.
“Next thing, I looked and it said racing was delayed. Then you look to see who got falls.
“I rang Darragh O’Keeffe because I saw it was Michael who got the fall and I rang Darragh because I know Darragh sits beside him in the weight room and they sit in the same line where I used to sit.
“I just didn’t get a good feeling about the whole thing and Darragh said it didn’t look good.
“As days went by, there didn’t seem to be much improvement and, thankfully, I went up to see him.
“I went up to hospital to see his parents because I have known the O’;Sullivan’s for quite a number of years.
“I remember [Michael’s father] William was riding when Michael was born and Alan a few years later.
“I went up to see them and they were very hopeful that things could happen but, unfortunately, he fought very hard but he wasn’t able to pull through.”
Russell’s relationship with the O’Sullivan family goes back to before Michael was born.
He revealed that he lived with Eugene – Michael’s uncle – while he looked up to his father William.
Michael O’Sullivan lived up to his family’s billing, landing his first Cheltenham winners in 2023.
Indeed, Russell disclosed that he first knew he was going to be something special at a very early age.
‘SOMETHING SPECIAL’
The 2014 Gold Cup winner explained: “I was asked to go down to the Duhallow pony club.
“I was going well at the time and I might have won the Gold Cup or something like that.
“They asked me to go down to present some prizes to the kids down at the pony club which you do.
“There were two kids in specific down there. Every word that came out of my mouth, they watched me from the moment I arrived and I just took a second and asked someone who were the two boys.
“One of them was Alan and the other one was Michael O’Sullivan.
“We gave them their prizes and I followed them from there on in.
“Both of them were good good riders. Better than good.
“I have a fierce grá for Alan. He is a very talented chap. Well educated, done their college degrees.
“Michael just showed something that he was going to be special. He was neat and tidy but he explored every bit of the equestrian world.
“From hunting to eventing, messing around riding ponies. He really enjoyed it.
“I spoke to him a number of times on different occasions.
“Obviously I was with him in the weight room as a jockey and very friendly with him.
“He would often ring me looking for advice – not advice really, just his dad was the main and his mam was the love of his life.
“He would often ring to say, ‘what do you think of this?’ or ‘what do you think of that?’
“I would give my opinion and he would go and make his own mind up. He was that type of a guy.
“He asked for advice but he dissected it himself in a good way. He was a great lad to be around.”
LASTING LEGACY
O’Sullivan was one of the rising stars of the weighing room.
He hit the big time when he won the 2024 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle on Barry Connell’s Marine Nationale.
And he made it an incredible day-one double later with victory in the Boodles Juvenile Handicap on Jazzy Matty.
However, Russell believes his lasting legacy will be that of a gentleman who just so happened to be a jockey.
He said: “I think the one mark that he left was that, if anybody spoke to him, they felt he was a gentlemen.
“He was a guy for the ages. He was a cut off his father.
“It is a trait that comes through with his family and if you are rearing a chap, you would want him to turn out like Michael O’Sullivan.
“His tidiness and his cleanliness and his dedication and his approach to life was very much a pleasing one.
“He was always out to please people and be there to help someone if you needed it.
“The one mark he left on everybody was he was a gentlemen.”
