BILLY Lee may still be waiting for his first jockeys’ championship but he can claim to be the best chef in the weighroom, having won the inaugural Derby Masterchef in Kildare town.

Lee was up against Chris Hayes, Leigh Roche, Gary Halpin and Rory Cleary in the fun event which acted as a launch for the Kildare Derby Festival and Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby.

The five jockeys may be used to dealing with pressure on the track but here they were out of their comfort zone, trying to cook a gourmet omlette in front of hundreds of onlookers and getting smart comments from Fran Berry and Kevin O’Ryan.

Judges Johnny Murtagh and Willie McCreery were joined by Brian Redmond of RTÉ’s Dancing With The Stars to decide the winner and the verdict went in favour of Lee with Halpin second.

The Derby Festival kicks off on Monday week, June 26th, and one of the highlights will be the Nathan Carter concert in the town square on Saturday evening, July 1st, the eve of the Derby itself.

Web: kildarederbyfestival.ie