Davy Russell is hoping to ride Galvin at the Grand National in Aintree next weekend after confirming that his riding career isn't finished just yet.
Many feared that the Cork jockey would not return to the saddle after a Cheltenham Festival that didn't go to plan for the 43-year-old.
Russell returned to the saddle in January just weeks after announcing his retirement after partnering Liberty Dance to victory at Thurles.
READ MORE: Gordon Elliott: Davy Russell deserves better send-off than how Cheltenham ended
But he made a retirement U-turn after Jack Kennedy broke his leg in a fall at Naas, with trainer Gordon Elliott asking Russell to return to the saddle ahead of the Dublin Racing Festival and Cheltenham.
But the jockey's Cheltenham ended after he stood himself down ahead of his scheduled ride on Conflated in the Gold Cup, who went on to finish third under Sam Ewing.
The decision came due to pain Russell was feeling and after he had tasted defeat on short-priced favourites Mighty Potter and Teahupoo, who both finished third in the Turners Novices' Chase and Stayers' Hurdle respectively.
However, Russell is planning on riding at Aintree next week for Elliott.
He told The Racing Post: "It's probably not ideal finishing up the way Cheltenham went so it would be nice, especially for Ronnie Bartlett [Galvin's owner] and the horse has been so good to me over the years, to give it a rattle.
"I won't ride at Fairyhouse as I am still a bit sore. I damaged my back at Leopardstown when I got a simple fall from The Tide Turns and it is still sore.
"Hopefully Gordon will have some for me on the Thursday and Friday at Aintree as well. I just need to be a bit fitter, so I will give it the week riding out and getting right."
He added: “He’d be a great ride round there and he’s a horse who has been kind to me in the past.
“I’ve got to get through a couple of checks first and I would need to ride before the National — whether that’s at Aintree or beforehand, I’m not quite sure.
“But the National is a race that means an awful lot to me before Tiger Roll — it means a lot to every jockey — and I’d love to come back for it.”
The comments came after Elliott said he would love to give Russell the chance of a fitting finale to his career at Aintree by partnering Galvin in the National.
“If Galvin is there, it is Davy’s ride if he wants it,” said Elliott.
“I suppose it all depends on if Jack gets back, but Davy has been a big part of Cullentra since I started training and he’s coming to the end of his days. I wouldn’t like to see him finish up on the note he finished on at Cheltenham.
“He was sore after Cheltenham and he made the decision he didn’t feel 100 per cent right to ride in the Gold Cup. It was a big call, but that is the man he is – he would never do wrong by the horse and the owners.
“Obviously he was very sore and made the right decision not to ride on, but I would like to give him a better send-off than that. I don’t think there would be any better way for him to finish off than in the National.
“If Jack doesn’t come back there will be plenty of other rides for him at the meeting, but I’m not 100 per cent sure what he is going to do.
“I would like to see one last hurrah for him at Aintree. It’s him and that’s the type of jockey he is – you saw at the Dublin Racing Festival, up until he got the fall that he was riding like a man in his 20s.
“I think, for Davy Russell and for the whole of horse racing, he deserves a better send-off than if he finished at Cheltenham.”
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