O'Brien 11/8 For Group Success In First Training Year

By Gavin Beech  | 

Nov 25th, 2019 04:36 PM  |  2 mins

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Irish betting operator Paddy Power has come up with a number of Donnacha O'Brien specials after the sudden announcement that he was quitting the saddle at the tender age of 21 to focus on a career in training.

Donnacha who, like Joseph, won two Flat jockeys' championships in Ireland, has a training base already established in Longfield, County Tipperary.

In a whirlwind few years in the saddle, Donnacha rode 10 Group 1 winners, the last of which came, rather fittingly, aboard Magical, the superstar filly that he rode out every morning at Ballydoyle, in the Champion Stakes at Ascot.

He said in a statement on Twitter over the weekend: “After thinking about things for a while I have decided to concentrate on training next year.

Donnacha 16/1 for Royal Ascot Win in 2020

“Riding has been very good to me and I owe everything to the people around me. I want to give special thanks to the Magnier, Smith and Tabor families along with my own family for all their support.

“I look forward to training a small group of horses next year and will hopefully build from there.”

Donnacha is a 20/1 chance to land a Group 1 prize in his first season with a license, while he is 33/1 to do so in one of the classics, and 16/1 to saddle a winner at Royal Ascot.

For those that think Donnacha is sure to get off to a flying start, then the 20/1 about him training more Flat winners than his brother in 2020 might make some appeal.

Paddy Power spokesman Paul Binfield said: “Donnacha is by a champion trainer, out of a champion trainer and is a full-brother to a classic-winning champion trainer-in-waiting. So, no pressure, Donnacha…”

Joseph O’Brien got his training career off to a slick start when Intricately, ridden by Donnacha, won the Moyglare Stud Stakes in 2016. That was a real family success as it was Joseph's first official Group 1 win as a trainer, Donnacha’s as a jockey and the 25/1 outsider was bred by their mother, Anne Marie.

But things were to get even better for Joseph - he won the Melbourne Cup with Rekindling the following year before Latrobe gave him a first classic success in the 2018 Irish Derby.

Joseph has also trained a number of high-profile winners on the National Hunt stage so has quickly established himself as one of the leading dual-purpose trainers.