FORMER jump jockey Michael Byrne was laid to rest in Holycross, Co Tipperary, on Thursday. Aged just 36, he died unexpectedly last Saturday.

From Knockgraffon in Cahir, he was the son of trainer Michael and nephew of trainer Pat Doyle, and had been working in both yards lately.

He rode almost 100 winners during his career as a jockey and rode in the Grand National. He was associated mainly with trainers Peter Bowen, Tim Vaughan and Neil Mulholland.

His biggest wins included a listed mares’ bumper at Aintree on the Bowen-trained Big Time Billy, and a Cheltenham handicap hurdle on the Mulholland-trained Buck Magic. He rode the Bowen-trained Take The Stand to win hunter chases at Cheltenham and Aintree within 10 days.

Yesterday sports psychologist Camilla Henderson posted on social media an old photograph of Michael on holidays with fellow jump jockeys Liam Treadwell and James Best, both of whom took their own lives in 2020. Henderson wrote: “This needs to be spoken about. It’s chilling. All retired jockeys.”