THOUSANDS of mourners gathered in the Irish town of Lackagh to bid farewell to the teenage jockey killed in a suspected arson attack in Norton.

Our Lady of Knock Church, 15 miles from Galway city, was packed to overflowing, and hundreds more stood in silence outside.

Jamie Kyne, whose mum said wanted to be the next Frankie Dettori, died when fire swept through his apartment block at Norton in Yorkshire in the early hours of September 5.

Prayers were offered at Jamie’s funeral mass for Jan Wilson, the 19-year old Scottish apprentice who also died in the fire in Yorkshire.

Mourners were told that Jamie, 18, was regarded as a future champion of the turf, but he never got the opportunity to fulfil that potential.

Children from his former national school at Cregmore sang as gifts symbolising Jamie’s life were taken to the altar.

They included his jockey’s whip, the blue jersey of his Cregmore school hurling team, a black-and-white Turloughmore hurling jersey and his boxing gloves.

Trainer James Hetherton, who had introduced Jamie to one of Britain’s top trainers, John Quinn, only 15 months ago, said the teenager had created an enormous impression since arriving in North Yorkshire.

“He loved Malton — he owned the place and next year the Apprentice Championship was his for the taking. He was an immense credit to himself and his family,” said Mr Hetherton.

He said the traffic in Malton had come to a standstill this week as Jamie was carried to the local church by 20 of his colleagues for a funeral service prior to the one in his native Ireland.

Mr Hetherton added: “Yes Jamie, you were right. You were a champion—a champion of life.”

After the service, children from Cregmore National School and the local Turloughmore Hurling Club formed guards of honour as the cortege left the church grounds.

At the head of the procession, a group of young local children, all decked out in racing silks and carrying jockeys’ whips, led the way.

The previous night 18 men and women on horseback provided a guard of honour as the body of the teenage jockey was taken from the family home in Kiltrogue to Lackagh Mortuary Chapel.