MansionBet At Doncaster Yorkshire Silver Vase Mares' Chase report: Lady Buttons wins thriller

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A strong field of seven lined up for the valuable prize and the race didn't disappoint, with Phil Kirby's pride and joy getting up in the shadow of the post to repeat last year's success, beating Happy Diva by a head at odds of 11/4.

Ridden by Thomas Dowson with her usual jockey Adan Nicol out of action due to injury, the prolific dual-purpose performer travelled and jumped sweetly throughout but needed every inch of the two miles, four furlongs and 115 yards to emerge on top.

La Bague Au Roi took them along in the hands of champion jockey Richard Johnson and she jumped and galloped with her old zest, hanging in there right to the death despite a shuddering mistake at the third last fence.

Happy Diva edged ahead on the run to the final fence but La Bague Au Roi kept fighting back and Lady Buttons was seemingly yet to be played with her finishing effort.

After the trio tackled the last together, Dowson got to work on touching down and the sprint to the line went right down to the wire, Lady Buttons responding to every urging to prevail and take her career chase tally to 5-7.

La Bague Au Roi was a length and a quarter back in third, while the only real disappointment of the race was well-backed 5/2 chance Casablanca Mix, who made some early errors under Nico De Boinville and finished a distant fourth.

Kirby said: "It's great for us but a shame for Adam (Nicol) again. Brilliant for Tommy (Dowson), sad for Adam.

"My priority was to get her back in one piece, because that was really a good race. She owes us nothing. She's an absolute star."

Lady Buttons exceeded his expectations.

"I wanted to win obviously, but I wouldn't have been disappointed if she had finished third or fourth in a cracking race like that," added the North Yorkshire trainer.

"She's put it in today, and she has done everything right. It's probably her best performance. The cheek-pieces helped her a little bit. She's not ungenuine - she's just getting a bit wise.

"She's only run over hurdles this season. You switch back and forth. Can you keep doing that? But she does. Not many can run over hurdles and flick back to fences, but she jumped sound enough.

"It's great, perfect really. I'd say she's odds-on to come back for the (Grade Two) Mares' Hurdle she won last year over two miles. It should suit her."

Dowson said: "I rode her last season and got there far too soon, but was on time today. She was Adam's ride, and he got hurt on Friday.

"As much as I've won on her, I'm gutted for Adam. He's done all the work on her. She put her head down and battled for us. She's done it well."

Warren Greatrex said of La Bague Au Roi: "She's run well. Dickie (Johnson) was critical of himself. He said she winged four out and he should have kept kicking and stretched them - but he was half waiting for them, and she's made a mistake at the wrong time.

"She battled back, and he said that was the best she's felt all year. She has shown all her enthusiasm.

"I'm not sure where we go now. It's frustrating, but they were three good mares in a battling finish. (I'm) gutted she hasn't won, but it's good she's back."

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