There wasn’t a dry eye in the house when Megan Jones retired Kirby Park Irish Jester on his home turf in Adelaide
It brings a lump to the throat every time when you see a great horse retired from competition. This time it was extra special.
Megan Jones and Kirby Park Irish Jester are a special partnership and we’ve spent a lot of time writing about them, photographing them and talking to them ( of course Jester can talk). We’ll be putting together a full tribute to Jester but here is just a quick look at his official retirement on Sunday (get ready to blub............)
"Let's go mum......."
A final time in front of their fans
Megan's parents, Margaret and Peter Jones watch the horse and daughter they bred
They popped over a couple of fences just for fun, much to the delight of the crowd
An emotional Megan makes her speech Photo: ESJ Photo
Time for the traditional unsaddling and Megan's husband-to-be James Deacon is on hand to hold Jester.........
...and consolation ( "Don't mind me" says Festy "I'll just have a nibble")
Bye bye Kirby Park Irish Jester ......... here's to a not quite so busy life in the future
Sorry about the poor video quality due to technical gremlins. There is also a lovely video tribute to Jester on Megan's website