Sporting Life
Vincent O'Brien (right) pictured before the Derby
Vincent O'Brien (right) pictured before the Derby

Let's talk about... legendary Irish trainer Vincent O'Brien

By Sporting Life
13:42 · TUE April 21, 2020

Mike Cattermole looks back on the remarkable training achievements of legendary Irish trainer Vincent O'Brien - and we want your thoughts too.

What stands out when you think of Vincent O'Brien's career? Share your thoughts with us via racingfeedback@sportinglife.com and they will appear at the foot of the article.

Mike Cattermole: Vincent, the visionary

Michael Vincent (MV) O’Brien was, quite simply, a training genius whose record will always stand the closest scrutiny.

His namesake Aidan, no relation of course, continues to raise the bar with top level successes all over the globe, but there are those that will always say that Vincent is the greatest Irish trainer of all time.

To begin with, he focused on jump racing and persuaded his first patron to buy Cottage Rake, even though he had been spun by three different vets, twice for his wind and once for his foreleg.

It was an early example of O’Brien’s extraordinary eye for a horse as Cottage Rake duly notched up a hat-trick of Gold Cups between 1948-50 and also won a King George VI Chase.

O’Brien moved to Ballydoyle in 1951 and dominated the first part of that decade, winning the Gold Cup again with Knock Hard (1953), three successive Champion Hurdles with Hatton’s Grace (‘49-51) and three successive Grand Nationals with Early Mist (‘53), Royal Tan (‘54) and Quare Times (‘55).

He won his first British Classic with Ballymoss in the 1957 St Leger and then turned his attention exclusively to the Flat shortly afterwards.

He won the Derby six times, first with Larkspur in 1962 and then four with Lester Piggott - Sir Ivor (’68), the Triple Crown winner Nijinsky (’70), Roberto (’72) and The Minstrel (’77).

The last-named carried the colours of Robert Sangster, as did Golden Fleece, his last Derby winner, in 1982. By this time, with the input of John Magnier, O’Brien’s son-in-law, Coolmore was well under way with a massive emphasis on the bloodline of Northern Dancer.

The Sangster connection also yielded wins in the 2000 Guineas with Lomond in 1983 and El Gran Senor in ‘84, a race he had won earlier with both Sir Ivor and Nijinsky.

In total, he won 16 British Classics and 27 in Ireland. He won the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe three times, with Ballymoss in 1958 and twice with Alleged, in 1977 and ’78.

Sir Ivor also won the 1968 Washington International and then, in 1990, O’Brien teamed up with Piggott again to famously land the Breeders’ Cup Mile with Royal Academy.

A perfectionist and visionary, O’Brien was the first man to regularly transport horses by air, to save them the fatigue of long sea and rail journeys, and to weigh his horses on a regular basis.

His record overall is unmatched for diversity and stretched over five decades. His influence on the racing industry is immeasurable.

Send us your views

Send your own views on Vincent O'Brien's achievements and other contributions to racingfeedback@sportinglife.com and if you’ve any ideas for more topics you want covering over the coming days and weeks, please let us know.

Feedback from readers

Tim Williams: Greatest trainer across both codes. Not for him the scatter gun approach to bagging group 1's. Last man to train a Triple crown colt. Those were the days! 1970/71 golden years for British racing. I was sixteen and saw Nijinsky win the Leger and get beaten in the Champion Stakes, Brigadier Gerard win the Guineas, Cawstons Pride win the Lowther. What was the highlight? Easeby Abbey winning numerous times at Market Rasen of course!!I

Tony Harbour: I only got into racing in 1991 so although i have read and seen plenty about Vincent O'Brien my memory was of not only himself at the end of his career but also a certain Lester Piggott too - teaming up to win the 1993 Cork And Orrery carrying an 8lb penalty as it was only a Group 3 then. Lovely to watch on YouTube (see below) with Sir Peter O Sullivan commentating and I think John Hamner? Giving the result and sp with tote returns. Happy days!

1993 Cork And Orrery Stakes

Andrew Pelis: Dr Vincent O'Brien is the greatest trainer in racing history, anywhere in the world. He pioneered so many things. Irish racing has so much to thank him for. So too the Cheltenham Festival. So too the Irish breeding industry. He started with virtually nothing - bear that in mind when you think of what Coolmore has become. None of that would have been possible without his vision, expertise and intuition. He dominated jumps racing in an extraordinary way that brought Irish racing fans to Cheltenham for the first time, in large numbers. Look how that has grown over the past 50 years. He bought the farm land that he transformed into Ballydoyle. He flew horses to the races and opened-up a new world of opportunity. Not just to England. Remember Sir Ivor winning in America. Look how global racing has become today. He switched to flat racing and saw the need to look overseas for owners, at a time when Ireland's economy was struggling. It was a smart ploy that yielded purchasing power. He saw the potential in heading to North America for the yearling sales - and also saw the potential in Northern Dancer at a time when he was overlooked by many. That source of investment ultimately created Coolmore and Dr O'Brien's legend on the flat. He never had many horses - it was quality over quantity - and any race with a runner by MV O'Brien had been sprinkled to stardust and intrigue, in much the same way it would with Henry Cecil runners. The devil was in the detail with Dr O'Brien and nobody was more meticulous. Everything Dr O'Brien achieved was with wisdom and hard work - not privilege. He did dominate at times, but this was the result of his endeavour. His one let down was Classic Thoroughbreds at a time when Irish economic factors created an uneven playing field and British-trained horses ruled, because Ireland largely could not keep its best stock. But even that venture yielded a glorious racing moment with Royal Academy. Dr O'Brien truly changed the racing landscape in a way and to a level that no one person will ever match.

Thomas Pinto: Simply the greatest trainer of all time. The GOAT. Others like Sir Henry Cecil, Noel Murless, Aidan O'Brien to name a few are great trainers but Vincent was in a class of his own.

Dave Parker: What do you say about Vincent O'Brien top of the tree when training National Hunt horses and top of the tree with flat horses. Top owners all the way through his career, Mike Cattermole sums the great mans career up perfectly. He also reinvented Lester Piggott's career with Royal Academy or did the great man know something? When you think back to the winners that Lester road for Vincent O 'Brien over the years personally I think Vincent knew that Lester was the man for the job. I listened to a interview carried out by Donn McClean with a gentleman who worked for Vincent O'Brien and this chap told the story of Lester and him having lunch and reminiscing and apparently Sir Ivor was the best horse he ever rode, according to this gentleman. All I can say is the calibre of horses that Vincent O'Brien trained and the horses that Lester rode during his career Sir Ivor must have been exceptional. Not forgetting Pat Eddery who also rode some great horses for Vincent O'Brien and I think El Gran Senor was his pick. It just makes you wonder what he saw and what he knew amazing man.

Dave Youngman: The very mention of Vincent O'Brien conjures up images of SIR IVOR to me, I was at Epsom that June Wednesday in 1968 as I was with the Noel Murless trained CONNAUGHT that day, we knew we had a tall task to beat the O'Brien horse but thought we might outstay it. Sandy Barclay rode our runner Connaught and the Guvnor Noel Murless told Barclay to head for home early and make Lester and Sir Ivor come to him as the Irish colt was a doubtful stayer, how Lester gave Sir Ivor a brilliant ride, an inspired ride, saving him for one late challenge and he went past our runner Connaught close home, for us our lad had run a great race for owner Jim Joel. Sir Ivor later that season ran in the Prix De l'arc De Triomphe and was outstayed by Vaguely Noble ridden by Bill Williamson. Happy days and great memories for me of my early days in racing.

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