F EATURE KIAN BURLEY
S topping to chat with ITV Racing presenters Ed Chamberlin, Oli Bell and Francesca Cumani, he then posed for pictures with the many who wanted to say hello by the paddock. He ran through the card with Racing TV’s Nick Luck and chatted pre-race tactics with jockeys and trainers by the Weighing Room, even offering advice of his own. While this might be perfectly normal during Festival week for the likes of JP McManus, Michael O’Leary and Rich Ricci, the one receiving all the attention was a nine-year-old-boy called Kian Burley. Kian was diagnosed with cerebral palsy on his first birthday, leaving his family devastated. Mum, Hannah, said: “I was heartbroken when I first found out. It just wasn’t something I ever thought would happen. But
“Kian’s never speechless but when Paddy walked in he didn’t know what to do or say. I was stood in the corner with some other teachers and we were all crying!” Kian himself admitted: “I was so surprised. I couldn’t believe he’d come all the way to my school to see me and my friends!” The surprise was captured on film by The Jockey Club with the video going viral. As a result, when Kian turned up at Cheltenham with his mum and grandparents, Tina and Dave, he had celebrity status. Hannah laughed: “We hadn’t got ten yards through the gate and he was having his photo taken with Ruby Walsh. Then we were into the Weighing Room, meeting the ITV team. Kian was asking Ed Chamberlin if he could have his job! It was surreal to see Kian chatting away to jockeys like Barry Geraghty and Davy Russell. He was in his absolute He’s a confident boy who just loves racing and everything about the sport. The whole day was fantastic and a dream come true for him.” Kian capped his extraordinary day by catching up with his favourite trainer Fergal O’Brien and, of course, Brennan, before sending him on his way out to the track with his now famous shout of “Go on Paddy lad!” Brennan and Cap Soleil managed sixth in the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle. However, the result was unimportant to one of Jump racing’s most passionate, ambassadors. Kian said: “I’d been to Cheltenham before but not for The Festival. It was amazing. It’s a shame Paddy didn’t win but I had a fabulous day.” And while Kian might be Brennan’s biggest fan, it’s fair to say the feeling is mutual. Brennan smiled: “Kian’s probably the bravest racegoer you could imagine. It could be snowing and he’s just sat out there waiting for me to come out of the weighing room, no matter what the temperature is. Some things in life you can ignore, some things in life you walk past, but you definitely don’t walk past Kian. It’s great to see his enthusiasm. He loves racing and loves the buzz of going racing. We could do with a few more Kians!” element. At one point he even asked Gordon Elliott if Paddy could ride Tiger Roll in the Grand National!
he’s never let anything beat him. He’s always carried on with a smile on his face.” With a zest for life and a love of all things sport, Kian has followed horseracing passionately for years. His love of the Jumps, in particular, has prompted mum Hannah to drive him
Some things in life you walk past, but you definitely don’t walk past Kian
around the country at every opportunity, usually to support his favourite jockey, Paddy Brennan. So in February 2020 The Jockey Club’s communications team hatched a surprise plan to get Kian to Cheltenham for Day One, giving him and his family the VIP treatment. In just 24 hours his headteacher at Rossington St Michael’s CE Primary School in Doncaster agreed to give Kian the day off and allowed The Jockey Club to hijack school assembly. Paddy Brennan jumped at the opportunity to deliver the surprise in person, despite a 5am alarm and 300-mile round trip from the Cotswolds. There were gasps from Kian and his fellow Year 4 pupils when Brennan walked into the school hall, clutching four VIP tickets and the original Cheltenham Gold Cup. “Paddy’s brilliant with Kian and always stops to chat with him,” said Hannah. “He’s given him goggles, cufflinks, racecards and all sorts over the years. We’re always going racing to the smaller meetings and I’d told Kian that when he’s ten he can go to the Festival.
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