13 March 2024 , 20:35
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It wasn't just a Merry Crambo for jockey Jonathan Burke.
The Long Walk Hurdle Christmas cracker with fan favourite Paisley Park was also the perfect birthday present. Burke, 28, is hoping to unwrap another Grade One gift on Thursday of Cheltenham week.
"It was the first time I'd had a winner on my birthday," he said about the December 23 celebrations. "I'm hoping he's my lucky horse."
As well as adding an extra candle to Burke's cake, Crambo lit up the festive period for Fergal O'Brien. Growing all the time, his Cotswold string had yet to make a breakthrough in open company.
Now the trainer tries to crack the Festival after four second places at the foot of Cleeve Hill.
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"Crambo is coming into the Stayers' Hurdle off the best piece of work he has ever done," said Burke, based in Britain for the past seven years. "A fresh horse with not many miles on the clock, who comes alive when he gets to the track."
Crambo is a top notch opportunity for the Irishman, on a list which features Harry Fry's unbeaten novice Gidleigh Park.
Burke's old friend Love Envoi, from the same stable, bowed out after a final run on Tuesday – two years after taking a starring role on jump racing's biggest stage.
"That was my best day when she took the Mares' Novices' Hurdle," said Burke, an ambassador for CopyBet.com.
"When you're on a horse's back at the Festival, it's like riding around a big field. You don't hear the shouting, or see the crowd – you block it all out as you're in the zone.
Love Envoi was a great horse for Burke (Getty)"So I tell any jockey, no matter what race you win, walk back on your horse and soak up all of the atmosphere."
Burke's golden moment, with Prestbury Park bathed in sunshine, was the ultimate reward for persistence.
In 2017, he was stricken on the sofa watching Sizing John become a Gold Cup champion. The top class stayer was his first Festival ride over hurdles, after 18-year-old Burke was handed one of the biggest jobs in the business. But a run of horrible injuries kept setting him back and the partnership with owners Alan and Ann Potts ended amicably.
"In a year I was wiped out by falls and it hit me for six," said the son of Liam Burke, Ireland's oldest winning jockey at the age of 66. "I was very grateful for the opportunity and ready to roll up my sleeves for a fresh start."
Fergal O'Brien trains key Paddy Power Stayers Hurdle contender CramboAgent Dave Roberts forged a first link-up on these shores for Burke, a fan of cooking and commentating in his spare time. He accepted a role with Charlie Longsdon, yet found himself homesick and craving the Irish way of life.
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"If I had a break, I would jump on a plane to go back home," he said. "I knew that was always an option if I didn't settle. Driving to places I didn't know and racing every day of the week was a real culture shock."
When senior colleagues Leighton Aspell and Love Envoi's syndicate manager Noel Fehily retired, Burke gained rides for Oliver Sherwood and Harry Fry.
"You have to have some luck for it to go right," he said. "Every season I have stumbled across a Saturday horse."
This week, Cheltenham feels like home as the Irish descend on Cheltenham. One of them is his former housemate Paul Townend, who helped Willie Mullins to a landmark Festival century.
Burke is flying along with his best book of rides to come – and feels glad he didn't book that one-way ticket after all.