Lady Buttons has Leopardstown target Phil Kirby's star mare Lady Buttons is set to return to Leopardstown for the inaugural Dublin Racing Festival early next month. The eight-year-old kicked off her campaign by chasing home La Bague Au Roi in a Listed hurdle race at Wetherby, before making a successful debut over fences in a strong race at Bangor. She reverted to the smaller obstacles at Leopardstown over the festive period and after running with credit to finish fourth behind Let's Dance at Grade Three level, she is set to return to the Foxrock venue for the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares Handicap Hurdle on February 4th. Kirby said: "She ran a very good race over Christmas. In the good races over two and a half, it just finds her out a little bit and she doesn't quite get home, but she ran well. "There's a 75,000 euros mares' handicap hurdle back at Leopardstown next month and that is over two-two, which will be perfect. "She's in good form, so all being well she'll go back to Leopardstown for that and I don't think she'd be badly handicapped, to be honest. "She might as well go there and have a go in a 75,000 euro race, rather than running around Doncaster or somewhere for 6,000 pounds."
