Michael O'Leary was not present at Aintree on Saturday as Davy Russell retired from the saddle for a second time.
The pair have enjoyed incredible success together over the years, with Russell winning back-to-back Grand Nationals on Tiger Roll in 2018 and 2019 in the colours of O'Leary's Gigginstown House Stud.
But the Ryanair boss was not among the thousands of spectators at the Liverpool racecourse on Saturday as Russell landed his second Grade 1 win of the meeting on Irish Point ahead of the Grand National.
READ MORE: Davy Russell responds to Michael O'Leary criticism over retirement U-turn
The Cork jockey steered the five-year-old to victory in the Turners Mersey Novices' Hurdle just over 24 hours after he partnered Gerri Colombe (4/6f) to success in the Mildmay Novices' Chase, with both wins coming for trainer Gordon Elliott.
Russell was on board Galvin in the Grand National, who made a mistake and unseated the jockey at the first fence, before finishing fifth in on Pour Les Filles in the final race of the meeting.
It is understood that O'Leary was not at the meeting as he was on holiday abroad, with Russell admitting on Sunday that comments made about him by the racehorse owner last month "disappointed" him.
In an interview with ITV which aired during the Cheltenham Festival, O'Leary 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 comments came after Russell returned returned to the saddle back in January less than four weeks after he retired from the sport on a winner at Thurles.
The 43-year-old's decision came after Gordon Elliott's number one stable jockey Jack Kennedy suffered a broken leg in a fall at Naas and the Meath trainer asked Russell to come out of retirement.
Speaking the day after O'Leary's interview aired, Russell said he had "as much respect for Michael O’Leary’s opinion" as the Ryanair boss does for his.
But he admitted to Nick Luck on his Luck on Sunday Show that O'Leary's comments disappointed him.
He said: "I was just a little bit disappointed once he mentioned my family and my commitment to them. 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 there 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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