Victorious Grand National jockey Davy Russell has dedicated his historic victory on Tiger Roll to former Cork footballer Kieran O’Connor.
The Youghal-native piloted the Gordon Elliott-trained horse to back-to-back titles, the first horse to do so since the legendary Red Rum in 1974.
But amid the celebrations, Russell remembered to pay tribute to O’Connor, who is battling Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer.
“There’s a guy at home, Kieran O’Connor, from Aghada, and he’s going through an enormous battle of his life,” said Russell just after passing the post.
“Just to let him know 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.”
A fundraiser to help fund O’Connor’s medical costs surpassed its initial target of €250,000 within days of being launched. Today, it rose above €315,000.
You can donate to the fund here.