From prolific racemare to lighting up Olympia: Lady Buttons as bright as ever as she makes racecourse visit

"Where are they now?" was an easy question to answer for Lady Buttons on Friday – she was a star guest at Musselburgh, parading on one of the biggest days of the year, with a race named in her honour.

The Racing Post Go North Lady Buttons Mares' Hurdle Series Final commemorated a hugely talented racehorse, who landed 15 of her 33 races for trainer Phil Kirby and earned nearly £300,000 in prize-money.

And success has continued since she retired at the age of ten in 2020, winning the Retraining of Racehorses Champion Rising Star Racehorse to Showhorse at Olympia just before Christmas.

Breeding rather competing had been the plan once racing was over but owner Jayne Sivills said: "We sent her to Coolmore to Walk In The Park and she was there about six weeks but they said she had underdeveloped ovaries so they couldn't get her in foal.

"That was a blow but I believe what's meant to be is meant to be, although it would have been nice to have one of her babies running now."

Lady Buttons with owner Jayne Sivills and rider Jennie DurransCredit: David Carr

Ending up in Seahouses on the Northumberland coast with Jennie Durrans, whose partner Adam Nicol is now a trainer but rode Lady Buttons in 26 of her 33 starts, had also not been the original plan.

"Phil's daughter was going to ride her then she went away to university and there was nobody else at the yard who was interested," Sivills said.

"So I made a phone call to Jennie and I'd hardly got the question out before she said yes."

Sivills has three horses in training with Nicol and said of Durrans: "She works really hard and she loves her to bits. Lady Buttons lives out the whole time and Jennie has her in great shape. She's thriving."

Durrans completed several circuits of the parade ring on Lady Buttons before paying tribute to a 15-year-old whose future is likely to include further showing and also possibly eventing.

"She's a lovely, lovely mare," she said. "She has a fantastic temperament, she's a lovely character and great to train and to ride. She's an absolute pleasure to have in the yard."

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