JOCKEY PROFILE

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From Glengoura, Mallow, County Cork, Jonathan Burke is a son of trainer Liam Burke. He turned professional in May 2014 and enjoyed what can only be described as a meteoric rise in the National Hunt game. His first winner in the paid ranks came when he partnered Adrian Maguire's Golden Kite to success in the Connacht National Handicap Chase at Roscommon on June 9th, 2014. He was riding winners on a regular basis and in September of the same year landed the highly coveted job as the retained rider to leading owners Ann and Alan Potts. The trio got off to the best possible start with the then 18-year-old partnering the remarkable Sizing Europe to victory in the Grade 2 PWC Champion Chase at Gowran Park in October. Within two months, he landed his first Grade 1 success when partnering Sizing John to victory in the Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle at the Leopardstown Christmas Festival. He rode Sizing Granite to win a Grade 1 novice chase for Henry de Bromhead at Aintree in 2015 and also landed thetote.com Galway Plate on Shanahan’s Turn for the same trainer. In November of 2016, Burke brought his partnership with Potts' to an end and returned to the freelance ranks. Jonathan has tried his hand at race commentating and has called both pony races and point-to-points on the Cork and Waterford circuit. He called two races at Tramore's Bank Holiday weekend fixture in June, 2016 and also took to the microphone at Cork racecourse in December of the same year. Jonathan endured a terrible time with injuries in the 2016 and into the first half of 2017 but his luck certainly turned for the better when he was appointed as stable jockey to Charlie Longsdon on Monday, July 17th 2017.