Racing legend Vincent O'Brien dies aged 92

VINCENT O'BRIEN, arguably the greatest racehorse trainer of all time, died on Monday morning at his home in Straffan, County Kildare. He was 92.

A statement issued on behalf of his family read: "He andhis wife Jacqueline have been spending their winters in Perth, Australia where their son David is now living with his family. Due to failing health he returned to his home in Ireland last week. At the end he was surrounded by his wife, his five children, grand-children and sons- and daughters-in-law. He will be greatly missed by his family and friends."


Nijinsky: 1970 Triple
Crown winner

PICTURE: Daily Mirror His funeral will take place at noon on Thursday at St Conleth's Church, Newbridge, County Kildare.

The trainer of 16 British Classic winners, including the Derby six times, and 27 Irish Classic winners, he won most of the major Flat races in Europe and also achieved big race success in the US with Sir Ivor in the 1968 Washington International and Royal Academy in the 1990 Breeders' Cup Mile.

However it was as a trainer of jumpers that O'Brien first made his name.

He became the only trainer to send out three consecutive winners of the Grand National at Aintree between 1953 and 1955 - Early Mist, Royal Tan and Quare Times(1955) .

He also won four Cheltenham Gold Cups, achieving a hat-trick with Cottage Rake(1948-1950) and also landing the prize with Knock Hard in 1953. He also trained Hatton's Grace to win three consecutive runnings of the ChampionHurdle (1949-1951).

His record saw him voted racing's greatest achiever of all time in the Racing Post's poll, carried out in January and February 2003, to list the top 100 racing greats.

O'Brien started training at his family's farm in Churchtown, County Cork in 1943 having previously assisted his father, Dan.

In 1951 he bought a 285-acre farm near the village of Rosegreen in County Tipperary for £17,000 and turned it into a training centre par excellence which became known to the racing world as Ballydoyle, an establishment which continues to flourish under Aidan O'Brien who was appointed trainer for the Coolmore partnership following Vincent O'Brien's retirement in 1994.


Having scaled the heights as a trainer of jumpers, O'Brien went on to surpass those achievements on the Flat and his record as a top trainer in both spheres remains unequalled.

Lester Piggott, who shared in so many of O'Brien's greatest triumphs, finished second in the poll.

In the early 1970s, along with Robert Sangster and John Magnier, he formed a syndicate which was to propelCoolmore Stud to the forefront of the international breeding industry by buying yearlings in the US, training them at Ballydoyle to achieve Group 1 success and then standing them as stallions.

His Derby winners were Larkspur (1962), Sir Ivor, who also won the 2,000 Guineas, in 1968, Nijinsky, the most recent winner of the triple crown in 1970, Roberto (1972), The Minstrel (1977) and Golden Fleece (1982).

His other British Classic wins were achieved in the 2,000 Guineas with Lomond (1983) and El Gran Senor (1984), the Oaks with Long Look (1966) and Valoris(1967), the 1,000 Guineas with Glad Rags (1966) and the St Leger with Ballymoss (1957) and Boucher (1972).


Ballymoss won the Prix de L'Arc de Triomphe in 1958 and was the first of O'Brien's three victories in the race which Alleged won in 1977 and 1978.

His total of 25 Royal Ascot winners included six, from seven runners, in 1975.

He was champion trainer in Ireland 13 times and was champion Flat trainer in Britain in 1966 and 1967 and champion jumps trainer in Britain in 1952-53 and 1953-54.

His first winner as a trainer was Good Days at Limerick Junction (now known as Tipperary racecourse) on May 20 1943 while his last winner was Mysterious Ways at the Curragh on September 17 1994. His retirement was announced a month later.

Very sad news, one of the greats Vincent O'Brien/ Lester Piggott combination was superb.

RIP

One of a kind. Has a biography/autobiograghy ever been written on him? I'd love to read it if it has.

Get the racing post 16 page pull out, will try and make a plan.

LEGENDARY trainer Vincent O'Brien passed away on Monday after one of the most successful careers in racing. Below are some of his big-race wins.

Champion Hurdle: Hatton's Grace 1949, 1950, 1951.

Cheltenham Gold Cup: Cottage Rake 1948, 1949, 1950, Knock Hard 1953.

Grand National: Early Mist 1953, Royal Tan 1954, Quare Times 1955.

2,000 Guineas: Sir Ivor 1968, Nijinsky 1970, Lomond 1983, El Gran Senor 1984.

1,000 Guineas: Glad Rags 1966.

Oaks: Long Look 1965, Valoris 1966.

Derby: Larkspur 1962, Sir Ivor 1968, Nijinsky 1970, Roberto 1972, The Minstrel 1977, Golden Fleece 1982.

King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes: Ballymoss 1958, Nijinsky 1970, The Minstrel 1977.

St Leger: Ballymoss 1957, Nijinsky 1970, Boucher 1972.

Irish 2,000 Guineas: El Toro 1959, Jaazeiro 1978, King's Lake 1981, Sadler's Wells 1984, Prince Of Birds 1988.

Irish 1,000 Guineas: Valoris 1966, Lady Capulet 1977, Godetia 1979.

Irish Derby: Chamier 1953, Ballymoss 1957, Nijinsky 1970, The Minstrel 1977, El Gran Senor 1984, Law Society 1985.

Irish Oaks: Ancasta 1964, Aurabella 1965, Gaia 1969, Godetia 1979.

Irish St Leger: Barclay 1959, White Gloves 1966, Reindeer 1969, Caucasus 1975, Meneval 1976, Transworld 1977, Gonzales 1980, Leading Counsel 1985, Dark Lomond 1988.

Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe: Ballymoss 1958, Alleged 1977, 1978.

Breeders' Cup Mile: Royal Academy 1990.

hectic memories.

Sir Ivor and Nijinsky!! wow!
Roberto winning the derby (bucket shop, one of the best results of my life, had to live through the objection) long story.
Then Royal Academy with Piggott after his come back.

great stuff

I only remember Royal academy,think i was old enought to bet then..lol
Was that the same night sheik albadou won the sprint?

wow! one forgets that he won soooo many NH races as well as flat very few can say that.

may he rest in peace.

Piggott leads tributes


LEGENDARY jockey Lester Piggott led the tributes to the training genius of Vincent O'Brien, who died on Monday at the age of 92.

Piggott partnered many of the champions housed at Ballydoyle in the glory days of the late 1960s and 1970s.

These included Derby winners Sir Ivor, Nijinsky, Roberto and The Minstrel, and he was coaxed out of retirement by O'Brien to conjure a magical triumph out of Royal Academy in the 1990 Breeders' Cup Mile.


"Vincent's attention to detail was to be seen everywhere at Ballydoyle, and he wanted to operate at the level where he could get to know each individual animal as closely as was humanly possible," said Piggott.

"Everything he did was geared to keeping his horses happy and relaxed at home so that they would perform to their full potential on the racecourse, and the results speak for themselves.

"There's really no argument. Vincent was the greatest."

John Reid provided O'Brien with one of his final Group 1 winners before his retirement on Royal Academy in the July Cup at Newmarket in 1990.

"He did it in National Hunt racing and he did it in Flat racing - he was a true legend," said Reid.

"I rode for him for two seasons. He did not have the quality of horse at that stage of his career but he still had the magic, and the ability to get a horse spot on for the big day.

"The best he had then was RoyalAcademy. Sadly I had broken my collarbone and couldn't ride him in the Breeders' Cup, but it was some story when Lester Piggott rode the winner instead."

Long-time friend Sir Peter O'Sullevan believes O'Brien had no equal as a trainer of racehorses.

"His achievements were absolutely unparalleled in my view, not just for a 20th Century training career but of all-time," said the 'Voice of Racing'.

"To win three successive GrandNationals and four Gold Cups, three Champion Hurdles and to monopolise the Gloucestershire Hurdle (now Supreme Novices') so much. Then he translated that on the Flat, amazing.

"The great thing about him was that he was so meticulous and so dedicated. He was a real stickler for detail and for the right details. He was a master of his craft."



With the likes of El Gran Senor and The Minstrel, the blue, white and green colours of the late Robert Sangster were seen with great regularity aboard O'Brien's stars.

Sangster was heavily involved in the Coolmore operation as a syndicate partner of John Magnier, and his son Ben said: "It's very sad news and our condolences go out to his wife Jacqueline and the rest of his family.

"My late dad had such a fortunate time with him through all of the wonderful horses he had over the years.

"He was so forward in his thinking, especially in his ability to scout out all those brilliant yearlings and we were so lucky to be associated with him."



The Newmarket trainer said: "We don't use the word lightly when we say he is one of the legends of racing. Grand Nationals, Cheltenham Gold Cups, Champion Hurdles, the Derby, the Guineas, he did it all.

"I was lucky enough to be his assistant during a golden era. He opened up the world of international racing as well as bloodstock, through the 35 years of the Northern Dancer line. We will see the fruits of his labour in the Derby on Saturday."

Mike Dillon of Ladbrokes first met O'Brien in the 1970s.

He said: "He was so modest, warm and genuine of spirit that those of us who were naturally in awe of his training feats in the world's biggest races were made at ease in his company.

"No man in racing, or anywhere else, wore true greatness more lightly."

Ian Balding, the man responsible for the mighty Mill Reef, was a young trainer when O'Brien was in his pomp and for him the Irish master was in a league of his own.

"He was my number one racing hero," said the retired Kingsclere handler.

"He was such a versatile trainer, to train all those Gold Cup winners, Grand National winners, Champion Hurdle winners then go and win the Derby so many times.

"He used to buy all those yearlings himself, he was just the top man in his trade without a question and a lovely man too."

O'Brien was simply the best, according to Channel 4 Racing pundit John McCririck.


"He was the greatest trainer of all time, beyond dispute," he said.

"He didn't inherit it or was put in a position by wealthy patrons. It was by sheer skill, knowledge of horses and a fantastic feel and flair for a horse.

"In a poll in the Racing Post in 2003 to find the greatest, I voted for Vincent and so did the majority of the public. He was the most influential figure in racing ever."

Top Irish trainer John Oxx told At The Races: "He was ahead of his time in so many ways. He started designing the first all-weather gallops and was the first to think of so many things. He was a great pioneer and just had remarkable success.

"Vincent was the man really who made the dreams come true."

Dermot Weld added: "He was the doyen of Irish racing. He was a man ahead of his time, he was probably 50 years ahead of his time.

"He was a man for all seasons. I don't think anyone, no matter what they achieve in training, will ever achieve what he did.

Derby riders will pay tribute to O'Brien


THE flags at Epsom were flying at half mast on Tuesday in honour of the late Vincent O'Brien, who will be remembered formally on Investec Derby Day, when the big-race riders will all wear black armbands as a mark of respect to the legendary trainer.

Having first sought the approval of O'Brien's family, Epsom announced that the death of the six-time Derby-winning trainer will be marked by the reading of a tribute during the Classic's preliminaries. A lasting memorial to O'Brien is set to have been decided and put in place before next year's Derby.

Epsom managing director Nick Blofeld said: "At our instigation, the Derby jockeys will all be wearing black armbands and we will also be staging a small tribute as the horses go to post for the Derby."

To answer my own question there are a couple of biographies, including one written by his wife. Amazon, here I come! (sighs, contemplating further damage to credit card).

Magic, I have that one...brilliant read!! Try and get hold of a copy of Horsetrader as well. written by Patrick and Nick Robinson which tells you the whole story of O' Brien, Sangster and Magnier. I promise you will not get any work done till you have read the last page. Unfortunately it is out of print, so if you can find a copy you will be blessed as well as out of pocket. The 2nd hand copies on Alibris Books are over a R1000, but it truly is a book you will treasure and a collectors item...so buy it.