Racehorse trainer Phil Kirby, a player at Preston in the mid-nineties when David Beckham was at Deepdale, and who booted football into touch – heads for the Cheltenham Festival next week. Leader racing columnist Andrew Atkinson reports.
WHEN it comes to name dropping in football they don’t come much bigger than David Beckham.
“I was a Preston North End at the same time as David Beckham,” said Phil Kirby, racehorse trainer, who is heading for the Cheltenham festival next week with some of his stables stars.
Fellow Lancastrian, North Yorkshire trainer Kirby was at Deepdale in the youth team when icon Beckham was on loan from Manchester United in the mid nineties.
Kirby, a qualified farrier and former jockey, heads for the Cheltenham festival with stable ace Lady Buttons.
“Lady Buttons had been a star,” said Kirby.
“She is very straightforward, a nice character and a proper workhorse, with so much speed – rapid,” said Kirby.
“After football racing was always something I wanted to do,” said Kirby who has a 50-strong string of horses at Richmond, north Yorkshire.
“Lady Buttons has been a star for the last few years,” said Kirby ahead of the Cheltenham festival which takes place during March 12-15.
“She is entered in both the Champion Chase and Mares Race, with the latter looking likely the race she’ll go for,” said Kirby.
“Let’s see how things pan out,” he added.
Kirby woos about Lady Buttons: “She has natural ability, and handles a cut in the ground.
“She jumps really well – and knows where the winning line is. She goes best over two miles,” said Kirby.
Kirby, who helped him father during his teenage years in the greyhound circuit, something that has aided him well in his chosen racing career two decades on, has a plethora of entries at Cheltenham.
Whoshotthesheriff is entered in the Skybet Supreme Novices Hurdle; *Lady Buttons is entered in the OLBG Mares Hurdle and Niven is entered in the Close Brothers Novices Handicap on March 12.
Top Ville Ben is entered in the RSA Insurance Novices Chase, and *Lady Buttons in the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase on March 13.
Blaklion, set to run in the Aintree Grand National in April, has also been entered to run in The Pertempts Network Final Handicap at Cheltenham on March 14, and the Gold Cup on March 15.
“It feels as if things are coming together now. Fingers crossed,” said Kirby.
Kirby, who left school as became an apprentice jockey, winning on his first ride, quipped: “It went downhill after that.”
After three years in the saddle Kirby quit, turning his hands to become a farrier, of which still comes in handy when he occasionally shoes his horses.
Kirby also has entries at Cheltenham for Nautical Nitwit in the Sun racing Stayers Hurdle and Courtown Oscar in the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge on March 14.
Wemyss Point and Sakhees City are both entered in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys Handicap on March 15.
