MONDAY’s announcement by Mark O’Hare that he was retiring from the saddle brought an end to the career of one of the most stylish amateurs ever to grace the racecourse or point-to-point field in this country.

The Banbridge farrier hung up his boots following his victory in the bumper at Listowel on Jesse Evans whose trainer, Noel Meade, has supplied the majority of the rider’s racecourse winners in recent years.