Jonathan Burke, who hails from Glengoura, near Mallow, County Cork, was only 16 when he rode his first winner, Trendy Gift, owned and trained by his father, Liam, in a mares’ bumper at Cork on April 9, 2012. He recorded his first major success on Very Much So, trained by Willie Mullins, in the Goffs Land Rover Bumper at Punchestown on April 29, 2014 and turned professional the following month.
Burke rode his first winner as a professional, Golden Kite, trained by Adrian Maguire, in the Connact National at Roscommon in June 9, 2014. Indeed, he was still only 18 and claiming 5lb when he was offered the job as retained jockey to the late Alan Potts, for whom he went on to win the Champion Chase at Gowran Park on Sizing Europe, the Future Champions Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown on Sizing Europe and the Maghull Novices’ Chase at Aintree on Sizing Granite, among other high-profile races.
An injury-plagued campaign in 2016 effectively sounded a death knell for the association with Potts and, in July 2017, Burke crossed the Irish Sea to become stable jockey to Charlie Longsdon in Over Norton, Oxfordshire. He has subsequently occupied the same position with Tom George in Slad, Gloucester and, more recently, with Fergal O’Brien in Withington, near Cheltenham, following the retirment of the previous incumbent, Paddy Brennan.
Burke enjoyed his most successful season on British soil in 2021/22, when he rode 63 winners. He has five Grade 1 win victories to his name, including the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle on Not So Sleepy, trained by Hughie Morrison, in 2021 and back-to-back renewals of the Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot on Crambo, trained by O’Brien, in 2023 and 2024.
