“Queen of the North” and crowd favourite Lady Buttons is retired

PHIL Kirby has hailed Lady Buttons as the “horse of a lifetime” after his stable star was retired following a slight training setback.

The 10-year-old was discovered yesterday to have heat in the same leg where she suffered a tendon injury earlier in her career.

Kirby discovered the slight lameness as he prepared to take the horse out for a hack.

Both Catterick-based Kirby, and the mare’s owner-breeders Jayne and Keith Sivills, agreed that they didn’t want to risk Buttons – dubbed racing’s “Queen of the North” – aggravating the injury in any future race.

The award-winning horse, who won 15 out of 33 races, had been due to reappear in a mares’ race at Wetherby next month where she would have been seeking a hat-trick of wins.

Equally adept over both hurdles and fences, this was was due to be her final season in competitive action before retiring for a career as a broodmare.

In a moving tribute, Kirby, and his team, said: “Our horse of a lifetime, and the people’s favourite, Lady Buttons, has been retired.

“What a legend she has been, and the decision to retire her this morning was typical of her devoted owners, putting their mare first.

“A small setback meant she would have been on the sidelines until Christmas, and a Spring return would not have been in Buttons’ best interests.

“We’re delighted that she will remain with us to become their broodmare.”

They added: “We can’t wait to see her in the fields with a foal by her side….one chapter is over but the next one begins.”

This was echoed by Jayne Sivills who owns a North Yorkshire pub with her husband. “We’ve made the decision – she owes us nothing,” she said.

“She needs at least six weeks off and, by the time, she’s back, it wouldn’t be until February and March and the bigger races.

“God forbid we raced her and she broke down altogether. We are all of the same opinion – she owes has nothing – and she has another job.”

Lady Buttons has been integral to the rise of Kirby and the careers of recently retired jockey Adam Nicol and, more recently, Tommy Dowson.

Social media was awash with tributes, notable racecourse commentator Gareth Topham who tweeted: “Hadn’t appreciated the popularity of this mare until the roar that went up when she jumped the final flight clear at Wetherby last season.

“Commentated on her twice, and loved every second.”

British racing faces a “severe threat” if crowds are not allowed back on racecourses for another six months - as suggested by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The stark warning was issued on behalf of racing’s tripartite leadership bodies (British Horseracing Authority, Racecourse Association and Horsemen’s Group) following the announcement that plans to get spectators back to sporting events from October 1 had been postponed for the foreseeable future due to Covid-19.

Barely 24 hours after Warwick had staged a successful pilot scheme with up to 450 racegoers, a similar trial Newmarket’s Cambridgeshire meeting this week is now off.

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James Mitchinson

Editor