SINCE the first steeplechase was run back in 1752 from Buttevant to Doneraile, when two Duhallow hunting men raced from steeple to steeple, the link between ‘chasing and hunting was born.

The link is alive and well, as evidenced by Cheltenham this week. The great jockeys, and most of them are Irish, learned and perfected their skills in the hunting field.