Davy Russell has revealed that he was disappointed when Michael O'Leary mentioned his family while criticising Russell's return to racing.
Russell retired from racing earlier this year only to do a U-turn 18 days later and return to riding for Gordon Elliott after Jack Kennedy broke his leg in a fall at Naas.
The 43-year-old rode for Elliott at the Cheltenham Festival last month before calling it a day for the second and final time after the Aintree Grand National Festival.
READ MORE: Gordon Elliott horse suffers nasty cut from ladder thrown by Grand National protesters
Russell's decision to come out of retirement earlier this year was criticised at the time by Ryanair boss O'Leary, who in an interview with ITV during Cheltenham suggested Russell should "put his family first, not his riding career," and that there was "nothing to achieve" by coming back to the sport.
The Cork jockey responded to O'Leary a day later by saying he doesn't care what the Gigginstown House Stud supremo had to say, but in an interview with Racing TV this morning, Russell has confirmed that O'Leary's words irked him.
"I was just a little bit disappointed once he mentioned my family and my commitment to them," Russell told Luck on Sunday, "that was disappointing.
"It didn't anger me in any way, shape or form, I was just disappointed. You see, when I get up at 5 O'clock in the morning and get into my car, from there until the last race is ran, no problem, I'll take whatever anybody has to throw at me.
"But when I come back at 8 O'clock in the evening and I go back into my own house that's my own business, and what happens in their is my business not anybody else's.
"And that was disappointing. But I'm not convinced he meant it in the way maybe I picked it up.
"But I was just disappointed."
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