Johnny Burke and Not So Sleepy target Christmas Hurdle glory at Kempton

He knows that the horse’s chances in the Grade One contest will be enhanced if there’s significant rain at Kempton ahead of the Boxing Day fixture also featuring the King George VI Chase.

Burke also realises that the Hughie Morrison-trained Not So Sleepy, owned and bred by Lady Blyth, is an enigmatic character with an unpredictable streak that can make fools out of the best horsemen.

But the rider, who celebrates his 26th birthday today, is relishing the chance to renew Oh So Sleepy’s rivalry with ex-Champion Hurdle heroine Epatante after they dead-heated in Newcastle’s Fighting Fifth Hurdle.

And the jockey heads to Kempton buoyed by this Grade One win – his first since relocating to Britain from his native Ireland over four years ago – and the chance to work with renowned Gold Cup-winning trainer Henrietta Knight who has also been integral to the quirky Oh So Sleepy’s success

“I can’t wait – but I’m more excited for the rain that is due to fall on Christmas Day,” the in-form Burke told The Yorkshire Post before riding a double at Ludlow yesterday. “The more rain that falls, the better. I’ll be watching the weather forecasts. If the rain comes, he should have a great chance. If it doesn’t come, the ground could be a bit quick and it will swing the other way.”

Either way Burke is proud to be back to the Grade One winners’ enclosure for the first time since his early successes in Ireland as a teenage phenomenon retained by the late Alan and Ann Potts before injuries cruelly intervened.

But he’s become established in Britain quietly – Tom George and Oliver Sherwood are two of his principle trainers – and derives much pleasure from Oh So Sleepy’s dead-heat ‘win’

“He means a lot to me – he’s been a big part of my progress in this country,” said the measured Burke, whose determination in the saddle was matched by Oh So Sleepy’s battling qualities in a rain-sodden Fighting Fifth. “He’s helped a lot from winning a big hurdle at Ascot two years ago to the Fighting Fifth. To ride for someone like Hughie Morrison and Lady Blyth, they are also great people to be associated with.”

Yet, while Oh So Sleepy’s now infamous kinks mean that he has to be ridden between horses to avoid ducking out at his hurdles, as happened to the luckless Paddy Brennan in the 2020 Fighting Fifth, it has enabled Burke to enjoy schooling sessions with the aforementioned Knight who trained Best Mate to three successive Cheltenham Gold Cup victories.

“To be asked to work with these people, it is a great feather in your own cap. He’s a bit of character at Hughie’s and they sent him to Hen’s to do a bit of schooling to see if they can control him. I was there one day and she asked me to ride him – and then Hughie came the next week,” added Burke, who is also optimistic about his Welsh Grand National chances on The Big Dog for Peter Fahey.

“When I was growing up, and watching Best Mate, Hen was a racing idol and to be able to work that closely with her is massive. She has a wonderful eye for horses and also riders – she sees things that others may not.

“To school there, and be told you’re doing things correctly, is also massive for your confidence.”

The appreciation is mutual as Knight enthusiastically descibes her work with the hurdler she calls ‘Sleepy’.

“Sleepy’s been coming to us ever since he started jumping, he comes back every year and is a real character,” she told this newspaper.

“He and Johnny have a very good understanding but you don’t tell Sleepy what to do. He tells you.”

She explained how ‘Sleepy’ always has lead horse in schooling sessions to aid his concentration and this, in turn, has led to slicker jumping which could make all the difference in the Christmas Hurdle.

And, while she likens the horse’s success to a “family story” because of the closeness of all connections, Knight has special words of praise for the man in the saddle whose horsemanship is matched by his humanity for others.

“Johnny’s marvellous, a lovely person. I’ve known him for many years and I know his father Liam. Johnny and I always get on and he has great understanding of racing and jumping,” she added. “You can always tell a person about how they get accepted by other people – and everyone loves him here. He’s a team player.”