Vincent O'brien
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p p q RACING POST VINCENT O’BRIEN 1917-2009 Special commemorative 16-page pullout ## 2 Tuesday, June 2, 2009 racingpost.com VINCENT O’BRIEN 1917-2009 start to remove the earplugs before Lester Piggott, one half The Minstrel was put into the stalls. of the most formidable Vincent was taking no risks. He was always innovative in his partnership in Flat racing thinking, be it sending Sir Ivor to Pisa history, recalls the greatest A match made in to escape the cold and damp of the Irish winter before his three-year-old days he shared with O’Brien season, or using his own flying horsebox to transport his runners to England and France, cutting journey INCENT was the best times and thus minimising the stress trainer I, or any other and strain for the horse. jockey, ever rode for. I first racing heaven Vincent was the best trainer ever at met him in March 1954 at maintaining the value of a horse, a V the Cheltenham National the home turn and Gladness I agreed to think about it, but didn’t my long association with Vincent, this crucial skill in the late 1970s and Hunt Meeting, soon after I’d started showed great courage to resist all really take the suggestion seriously was the most satisfying winner I ever early 1980s when many of the horses riding over hurdles. By then he was that the other runners could throw at until he phoned again and invited me rode. in his care were worth millions. already a training phenomenon over her. to lunch in a private room at the Almost as memorable was Royal the jumps, having won the Champion I first rode a Classic winner for Berkeley Court Hotel in Dublin in Ascot 1993, when I won the Cork and IS insistence that nothing Hurdle three times, the Gold Cup four Vincent on Valoris in the 1966 Oaks, September 1990. Orrery Stakes for Vincent on College was to be left to chance times and the Grand National for the and for the next dozen years or so we Over lunch, Vincent promised that Chapel, who ran in Jacqueline’s could cause problems for first time, with two more Nationals to shared many great moments. Winning if I took out a licence for the rest of colours. Vincent was persuaded to me in the run-up to a big come. the Derby with Sir Ivor, Nijinsky, that season he’d give me first choice lead College Chapel into the winner’s Hrace. He tended not to His parting shot to me at our first Roberto and The Minstrel was of of his rides the following year, by enclosure, and received a wonderful decide until the last possible moment meeting was, “Let me know if you course very special, but so were the which time his arrangement with then reception. It proved his last Royal which horse would run, as he waited ever want to ride in the Grand two Arcs of Alleged. I rode plenty of stable jockey John Reid would have Ascot winner, and mine. to see what conditions were like on National”, but I never took him up on other top-class horses for him, finished. Moments like those are the the day. As a freelance rather than his that offer. including the sprinters Solinus, evidence of Vincent’s genius, but they retained jockey, I was having to keep By 1958 he was beginning to Thatch and Saritamer, and we teamed INCENT’S conviction that I don’t explain it. For me, his my own options open, which could be concentrate on the Flat, and he asked up for 19 winners at Royal Ascot, should ride in races again outstanding quality was his insight difficult if Vincent had not made his me to ride his mare Gladness in the including four in 1975. spurred me into action, into the individual nature of each and mind up. Gold Cup at Ascot. This was my first All wonderful memories, but the and in mid-October 1990 I every horse in his care. He That astonishing attention to detail ever ride for him, and I soon became most golden of all came late in the V returned to the saddle. instinctively knew what each of his was to be seen everywhere at aware that what made him so special day for both of us. The following week, with John horses was capable of, and of how to Ballydoyle, and it was noticeable that was the thoroughness of his In 1990, five years after my sidelined following a fall on Arc day, release each horse’s potential. he never had a very large string. He preparation, not only of the horse but retirement from the saddle, I’d gone Vincent asked me to go to the A vital element in this was his wanted to operate at the level where in this case of the jockey. to Ballydoyle to ride work, mainly for Curragh to ride four of his. They all attention to detail, and there are so he could get to know each individual As there was no opportunity for me old times’ sake. I’d agreed to ride in a won, and a few days later I was on many instances of Vincent making animal as closely as was humanly to sit on Gladness before the day of veterans’ race at The Curragh soon my way to New York to ride his colt sure that every base was covered. For possible. Everything he did was the race, Vincent set up a sort of after that, and Vincent put me up on Royal Academy in the Breeders’ Cup example, when saddling The Minstrel geared to keeping his horses happy makeshift cinema in his Ascot hotel his horse Legal Legend. Mile. before the 1977 Derby he stuffed the and relaxed at home so that they room and showed me films of her Three weeks after that race, in Sadly Vincent was suffering a bout colt’s ears with cotton wool, to lower would perform to their full potential previous races, talking me through the which I finished third behind Yves of flu and could not travel across, but the chances of the drawn-out on the racecourse, and the results best way to ride her. This was in those Saint-Martin and Willie Robinson, Jacqueline and Charles were there to preliminaries on a hot day making speak for themselves. days a highly unusual idea, but it Vincent phoned me and suggested, watch Royal Academy get up and win him boil over, and dispatched his There’s really no argument. Vincent worked. As planned, I kicked on at “Why don’t you make a comeback?” narrowly from Itsallgreektome. Given tallest assistant, John Gosden, to the was the greatest. Racing Post Tuesday, June 2, 2009 3 Colossus who rose to unassailable heights Yet three times on the bounce ‘the Quiet Master’ won it with different horses all equal to the task. But geldings being geldings, it is on the Flat that the O’Brien legacy will prove imperishable, an influence every bit as profound as Tesio’s piece of wood at the business end of the Epsom Derby which O’Brien made his own six times. Alastair Down At the end of a different classic – the matchless film Casablanca – pays tribute to the Humphrey Bogart says to Ingrid trainer who changed the Bergman: “We’ll always have Paris” face of racing forever and, thanks to O’Brien, those of us wheezing round middle age will always have Nijinsky, the last winner O passes the man against of the Triple Crown, a badge of whom every trainer in the equine excellence unlikely ever to be history of racing can be worn again. weighed in the balance and But if you want a vignette of Sfound wanting. Ballydoyle in full cry look no further The Bible tells us that “your old than the Derby victory of The Minstrel, men shall dream dreams and your a colt who looked as if he’d come out young men shall see visions”, but of a primary school kid’s drawing neither in their most fertile imaginings book, but who had the wherewithal to could begin to conceive of a set of respond to a ride of unanswerable ferocity from Lester Piggott, the achievements comparable to those of supremely selfish sportsman on whom Vincent O’Brien, man for all seasons you could rely to execute the coup de and benchmark for every age. grace with whatever bullet Vincent For over 50 years, first over jumps had so painstakingly loaded. and then on the Flat, he redefined No other racing double act, no forever what it was possible to win ‘O’Brien was a ‘He rightly pioneering figure returned, as in the incalculably heroes should, to important process die in the of restoring Irish spiritual home of national pride’ his native land’ with the racehorse at the highest level. alliance of different talents, has ever When he landed the Cheltenham Gold struck deeper fear among the hearts Cup with his very first runner in of their opponents. And folk were Britain the cynic might have said “well right to be afraid, to be very afraid, as it can only go downhill from here”. In they had about them in the pomp of fact Cottage Rake was not a summit their partnership an aura that was a but merely a springboard, a case of “I full-brother to the invincible. have ignition” before O’Brien blasted Vincent O’Brien rightly returned, as off into the stratosphere he was to heroes should, to die in the spiritual make his own.