FORMER amateur and professional jockey turned equine dentist Jason McKeown finished fourth, and best of the overseas contingent, in the Golden Button Challenge over three or four miles (depending on which rider you talk to!) of the Ledbury Hunt country last Saturday.

Jason, whose life as a jockey took him all around Europe, described the Challenge as one of the highlights of his career. “It was a great buzz,” said the rider who hunts with the Newrys and South Tyrones and still rides out three mornings a week with Co Meath trainer Ger Lyons. “I wasn’t just pleased for myself but also for Wilson Dennison who very kindly lent me his horse, the former pointer Ardoyne, who I schooled once around Loughanmore.

“I should have won to tell you the truth. We were baulked before a drain when a horse slipped up on the flat, we were brought to a standstill when someone fell in front of us and then a horse in front of us suddenly ran out and we had nowhere to go but follow him! You really need to have your wits about you as things happen fast.”

Lost the win

After it was discovered that the unfortunate Becky Smith, who was first passed the post, had lost her lead cloth, the race winner was announced as Northamptonshire-based Rowan Cope, a joint-Master of the Quorn Hunt. He was on board Arthur (aka Better Hand) who was recording his ninth victory in a cross-country race having never been out of the first two in 14 starts. The chesnut is a 13-year-old Old Vic gelding who ran in four chases here in the winter of 2013 when trained by Eddie Harty for J.P. McManus.

Fermoy native Maurice Lenihan, a former conditional jockey with Jonjo O’Neill who now runs his own pre-training, breaking and sport horse dealing yard in Oxfordshire, finished second on another thoroughbred, Threapwood, with whom he lost all chance when carried out at the fifth fence. Maurice does a lot of team chasing on the 15-year-old British-bred Sulamani gelding who failed to win on the track but did win nine point-to-point races.

Holly grabs third

The first non-TB horse home in third happened to be ridden by the first lady home, international show jumper Holly Smith. While she and husband Graham are great supporters of the Irish Sport Horse, Holly was on board Gold de Riverland, a Selle Francais gelding by L’Arc de Triomphe. Only a six-year-old, and purchased in Belgium at three, this fellow is currently jumping 1.20m/1.25m but is regarded as a high-class event prospect by both Holly and Graham.

Jason didn’t attend the ball on Saturday night but did hunt all day on Friday with the Ledbury alongside his travelling companion, Mark English. That Donaghcloney-based show horse producer recorded a clear if slow round in the Challenge on his hunter, the eight-year-old Centre Stage gelding Trigger whose five-year-old half-brother, BLS Absolutely (by Ars Vivendi), is in the yard of William Fox-Pitt.

Check out the Golden Button Challenge Facebook for some great images including Jason McKeown’s headcam footage.