Rightly regarded as the greatest trainer of all time, Vincent O’Brien built up a major profile as a brilliant National Hunt trainer in the 1940s and 1950s before switching his attention to the flat game while he then dominated for the best part of three decades.
He trained Cottage Rake to complete a hat-trick of Cheltenham Gold Cup victories in 1948, 1949 and 1950 while sending out Hatton’s Grace to win three successive Champion Hurdles at Cheltenham from 1948 to 1951 inclusive. In total, O’Brien trained twenty three winners at the Cheltenham Festival winning what is now known as the Supreme Novices Hurdle on a staggering ten occasions. However, perhaps his greatest feat that has stood the test of time in national hunt racing is his achievement of winning the Aintree Grand National on three consecutive occasions with three different horses – surely something that will never be equalled or surpassed. Early Mist started the ball rolling in 1953 followed by Royal Tan twelve months later before Quare Times completed the hat-trick in 1955. Vincent also saddled Alberoni to win the 1952 Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse and the Galway Plate later that year.
Vincent turned his attention to the flat in the 1950s with Chamier giving him the first of six Irish Derby triumphs in 1953 but it was the great Ballymoss who really kick-started his flat career four years later. Runner-up to the high class Crepello in the 1957 Epsom Derby, Ballymoss subsequently won the Irish Derby at the Curragh three weeks later before taking the English St Leger at Doncaster and as a four year old, he won both the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes at Ascot and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp. As his profile grew bigger and bigger in the late 1950s, O’Brien sent out El Toro to win the first of five Irish 2000 Guineas in 1959 while Barclay gave him a first of nine Irish St Legers later that season.
The early 1960s brought him a first Epsom Derby success when Larkspur won a dramatic renewal in 1962 while Long Look (1965) and Valoris (1966) notched up two successive Epsom Oaks successes. Glad Rags won the 1966 English 1000 Guineas, his only victory in that particular race, while at home Valoris won the Irish 1000 Guineas that same year having sent out Ancasta and Aurabella to take the Irish Oaks in 1964 and 1965 respectively. Sir Ivor was one of several legends of the turf that Vincent handled and this superb performer won the 1968 English 2000 Guineas and Derby before taking the Washington D.C. International Stakes at Laurel in America later that year.
With Sir Ivor packed off to stud, it did not take long for Vincent to find a replacement as in 1969, Nijinsky went through his two year old career unbeaten culminating with victory in the Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket. Nijinsky was to prove a brilliant three year old and indeed was the last horse to win the Triple Crown which consists of the English 2000 Guineas, Epsom Derby and English St Leger while he also won the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes and was only narrowly defeated in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Two years after Nijinsky had retired to stud, Roberto received a brilliant ride from Lester Piggott to win the Epsom Derby while Boucher gave Vincent another Classic success in the English St Leger and it was around this time that an alliance with leading owner Robert Sangster and a young bloodstock expert, John Magnier, resulted in the formation of Coolmore Stud.
The trio built up this operation to become one of the best studs in the world, a position which it has retained ever since and their frequent raids on Keeneland Sales to purchase the best American bred yearlings led to great successes on the racetrack. The Minstrel completed the English-Irish Derby double in 1977 followed by a thrilling victory in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes at Ascot while later that year Alleged won the first of two consecutive Prix de l’Arc de Triomphes, a race that no horse has managed to win on more that one occasion since then. At home, Jaazeiro won the 1978 Irish 2000 Guineas while Lady Capulet (1977) and Godetia (1979) landed the Irish 1000 Guineas and the likes of Caucasus (1975) Meneval (1976), Transworld (1977) and Gonzales (1980) all won the Irish St Leger.
In the early 1980s, Pat Eddery became first jockey to the O’Brien stable and again the big race successes began to accumulate. Kings Lake won a controversial Irish 2000 Guineas in 1981 while Golden Fleece proved a hugely impressive winner of the 1982 Epsom Derby, the sixth and final one of Vincent’s career. Sadler’s Wells, who was later to become the world’s greatest stallion in the latter part of the 20th century, won the 1984 Irish 2000 Guineas at the Curragh under George McGrath before adding the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown while earlier that year, El Gran Senor, was a brilliant victor of the English 2000 Guineas. Starting an odds on favourite to win the Epsom Derby the following month, El Gran Senor narrowly failed to hold off the persistent challenge of Secreto, trained by Vincent’s son, David, in one of the most memorable races ever staged but he gained handsome compensation by defeating subsequent Prix de l’Arc winner, Rainbow Quest, in the Irish Derby three weeks later.
O’Brien won his sixth Irish Derby when Law Society took the 1985 renewal while Leading Counsel gave him another triumph in the Irish St Leger that same season. While now in the twilight of his career, Vincent saddled Prince Of Birds to win the 1988 Irish 2000 Guineas under Declan Gillespie while the same rider was aboard Dark Lomond as she strode to victory in the Irish St Leger later that year. Two years later, his Royal Academy narrowly failed to win the 1990 Irish 2000 Guineas but showed what a classy performer he was when taking the July Cup at Newmarket under John Reid. Later that year, O’Brien managed to coax the legendary Lester Piggott out of retirement to record a stunning triumph on Royal Academy in the Breeders Cup Mile at Belmont Park, a superbly executed success which brought back many memories for a combination which was easily one of the most successful of all time.
Vincent O’Brien’s last winner as a trainer was with a horse called Mysterious Ways in 1994. It was perhaps fitting that the horse should sign off with a win at the Curragh, the scene of so many wonderful triumphs for him. As well as 44 European Classic races (Caerleon’s 1983 French Derby success was his only Classic victory in that country), there were scores of victories at Royal Ascot to enjoy while in all the major two year old races in Ireland, he virtually dominated. O’Brien won the Railway Stakes on 14 occasions and enjoyed the same number of victories in the Beresford Stakes and Anglesey Stakes, while he won 16 National Stakes, 15 Blandford Stakes, 4 Moyglare Stud Stakes and 16 Futurity Stakes. He also won the Irish Champion Stakes (formerly known as the Joe McGrath Memorial Stakes) on five occasions, and the Royal Whip Stakes was successfully annexed on thirteen occasions.
The word ‘genius’ is often bandied abound much too frequently in modern times but in Vincent O’Brien, there is no doubt that he was quite simply a genius at training racehorses during his long and hugely successful career and no one deserved their position more among the ten recipients who received the ‘Celebration Of Irish Flat Racing’ Awards at the Curragh on Ryder Cup Raceday in 2006.
Vincent O'Brien passed away on Monday the 1st of June 2009 at the age of 92. Leading the tributes were:
President Mary McAleese said:
“As one of the most successful trainers in the industry, acknowledged both at home and abroad throughout his long and illustrious career, Dr O’Brien played a key role in the establishment of Ireland as a centre of racing excellence.”
Racehorse trainer and RTE presenter Ted Walsh pays tribute to Vincent O’ Brien:
“He was an innovator who could lay claim to be the greatest figure in the history of horse racing. He was a man before his time when it came to racing. He transported horses in aeroplanes before most people were travelling in them. In the 1960’s, he brought Sir Ivor to Pisa in Italy to acclimatise to the hot weather. He had an eye to every aspect in the bloodstock world. He spotted the Northern Dancer line in America which produced Sadler’s Wells, which in turn produced Galileo. That changed Irish breeding.”
Legendary jockey Lester Pigott who forged a noticeable partnership paid his respects:
“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.”
Long-time friend Peter O'Sullevan believes that no trainer equals O’ Brien.
“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 Grand Nationals 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”
To watch the RTE footage on the life of Vincent O'Brien titled "Master of Ballydoyle" click here.
Info supplied by Horse Racing Ireland – Updated June 2009
