Davy Russell recalls being stopped by gardai with 'stark naked' jockey in car

Davy Russell has recalled being stopped by gardai on his way home from a charity event after two other jockeys in the car decided to get stuck into a bottle of whiskey they had won.

The Grand National-winning rider was driving with Davy Condon and Martin Ferris in his car when one of them needed to go to the toilet while they were driving across The Vee, known for its rugged mountainous landscape and scenic views.

He told Matt Chapman and Paddy Brennan on Unbridled: "Myself, Martin Ferris and Davy Condon went to some charity thing that we were doing in Tallow and there was a raffle, as there is at every charity event in Ireland, and the lads won a bottle of whiskey.

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"Of course I was driving, I don't drink, so the lads decided to drink the bottle of whiskey on the way home. There's The Vee up over a mountain, it's a shortcut across from say Lismore to Cahir and half way across Davy Condon had to go to the toilet.

"You can the imagine The Vee as like going across the mountains in Yorkshire. It's big valleys, you're literally on the edge of the earth. There's a road and a big massive drop off it so Davy Condon was standing on the edge of the road going to the toilet. Martin Ferris saw his opportunity and kicked him in the arse and drove him over the side of the mountain.

"He rolled down and he rolled down, and there's nothing up there only sheep, and Davy Condon rolled into a carcass of a dead sheep. So he came back up, climbed back up the side of the mountain and I said 'no way, you're not getting into my car like that, not a hope, under no circumstances'.

Davy Condon
(Image: ©INPHO/Morgan Treacy)

"So we had to strip him down to nothing, like stark naked, and he was really, really under the influence from drinking the whiskey like he was just glassy eyed, really like there was a devilment in his mind.

"He was stark naked sitting in the back of the car and it was 2 o'clock in the morning. There's this shortcut then through Cahir, it's a one-way street. We were going the one way, but we were going the wrong way down the one way and the blue lights turned on behind us.

"I rolled down the window and I said to the guards 'I promise you it's not what it looks like'. Martin Ferris was drunk in the front, Davy Condon was drunk in the back stark naked, not a stitch of clothing on him, and I said to the guards 'I'm sorry, I can't explain it but I promise you it's not what it looks like' and they said 'Jesus lads we wouldn't have enough paper to fill out the form' so we got away with it."

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