Vincent O'Brien facts for kids

Vincent O'Brien (born April 9, 1917 – died June 1, 2009) was an amazing horse trainer from Churchtown, Ireland. He was so good that in 2003, people all over the world voted him the most important person in horse racing history! He was also voted the best trainer ever for both National Hunt (jump racing) and flat racing.

Vincent O'Brien trained six horses to win the famous Epsom Derby. He also won the Grand National three times in a row with different horses! One of his most famous horses, Nijinsky, was the only horse since World War II to win the British Triple Crown (three very important races). He was the only trainer in history to be the champion trainer in both flat racing and National Hunt racing. After he retired, Aidan O'Brien (who is not related to him) took over his famous Ballydoyle stables.

Early Career: Jump Racing Success

Vincent O'Brien started his training career in 1944. In his early days, he trained horses for jump racing, which includes steeplechases (races over fences) and hurdles (races over smaller obstacles).

Grand National Wins

He became famous for winning the Grand National race at Liverpool three times in a row!

• In 1953, he won with a horse named Early Mist.
• In 1954, he won with Royal Tan.
• In 1955, he won with Quare Times.

This was a huge achievement, as it's very hard to win this tough race even once.

Cheltenham Gold Cup and Champion Hurdle

Vincent O'Brien also trained some of the best jump horses of his time.

• His greatest steeplechaser was Cottage Rake, who won the Cheltenham Gold Cup three times in a row from 1948 to 1950.
• He later trained Knock Hard to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1953.
• He also won the Champion Hurdle three years in a row with Hatton's Grace (1949–1951).

In 1951, he moved to and set up the now world-famous Ballydoyle stables near Cashel in County Tipperary.

Moving to Flat Racing

Soon after his third Grand National win, Vincent O'Brien decided to focus on flat racing. This type of racing is run on a flat track without any jumps. He continued to train at his Ballydoyle stables.

First Big Flat Race Winners

• Ballymoss was O'Brien's first really successful flat racing horse. This horse won the Irish Derby Stakes and England's St. Leger Stakes in 1957. He then won France's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in 1958 and was named European Horse of the Year.
• In 1966, he trained a filly named Glad Rags to win the 1,000 Guineas Stakes.

Epsom Derby Victories

Vincent O'Brien was especially known for winning the Epsom Derby, one of the most important flat races in the world. He won it six times:

• Larkspur (1962)
• Sir Ivor (1968)
• Nijinsky (1970)
• Roberto (1972)
• The Minstrel (1977)
• Golden Fleece (1982)

He also trained Alleged, who won the famous Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe twice, in 1977 and 1978.

The Coolmore Syndicate

In the 1970s, Vincent O'Brien, along with owner Robert Sangster and his son-in-law John Magnier, started something called the Coolmore syndicate. This became a super successful business for racing and breeding horses. It was based at Coolmore Stud in County Tipperary, Ireland, and later grew to include farms in other countries.

The secret to their success was a Canadian-bred horse named Northern Dancer. Many of his children became amazing racehorses. One of Northern Dancer's sons was Nijinsky, who won the British Triple Crown. Many experts believe Nijinsky was the best horse Vincent O'Brien ever trained.

Other Great Horses

Vincent O'Brien trained many other fantastic flat racehorses, including:

• Gladness
• Valoris
• Pieces of Eight
• Long Look
• Boucher
• Thatch
• Lisadell
• Abergwaun
• Home Guard
• Apalachee
• Artaius
• Try My Best
• Cloonlara
• Godswalk
• Be My Guest
• Marinsky
• Lady Capulet
• Solinus
• Jaazeiro
• Thatching
• Monterverdi
• Solford
• Bluebird
• Lomond
• Godetia
• Storm Bird
• Kings Lake
• Caerleon
• El Prado
• Woodstream
• Capriciossa
• Prince of Birds
• Dark Lomond
• College Chapel

He also trained Sadler's Wells (another son of Northern Dancer), who won several important races and later became one of the greatest father horses (sire) in Europe.

Retirement

Vincent O'Brien retired from training horses in 1994. His last big win was in 1990, when he won the Breeders' Cup Mile in New York with Royal Academy.

After Vincent retired, Aidan O'Brien (no relation) took over the training at Coolmore. Aidan focuses on training the horses that Coolmore buys or breeds, continuing the success that Vincent started.

A Small Problem

In 1960, Vincent O'Brien faced a temporary ban from the Irish Turf Club. This happened after a horse he trained was found to have a tiny amount of a forbidden substance in its system. However, O'Brien fought the ban, and it was overturned in 1961, with him receiving a full apology.

Awards and Recognition

Vincent O'Brien received many honors for his amazing career.

• He was voted the greatest National Hunt trainer of the 20th century.
• He was also voted the greatest flat trainer of the 20th century.
• In a big poll by the Racing Post newspaper, he was voted the greatest figure in the entire history of horse racing! He got 28% of all the votes. His long-time jockey, Lester Piggott, came in second.
• He received special honorary degrees from the National University of Ireland and the University of Ulster.

In 1949, he was a pioneer in horse transportation. He was one of the first to fly horses to races by plane! He took three horses to the 1949 Cheltenham festival in a plane that used to be a military cargo plane. All three horses won their races!

Family Life

Vincent O'Brien married Jacqueline Wittenoom from Australia in 1951. They had five children: three daughters named Elizabeth, Susan, and Jane, and two sons named Charles and David.

Both of his sons, Charles and David, followed in their father's footsteps and became horse trainers. His grandson, David Myerscough, also became a trainer.

David O'Brien's Success

Vincent's older son, David, had a very memorable win in 1984. He won The Derby with his horse, Secreto, beating his father's horse, El Gran Senor, by a very small margin. David also won the Irish and French Derbies in 1982 with a horse named Assert. He holds the record for being the youngest trainer ever to win the Epsom Derby, Irish Derby, or French Derby. However, David surprised everyone by retiring from horse racing in 1988.

Vincent O'Brien and his wife spent half of each year in her hometown in Australia and the other half in Ireland. He passed away at his home in Ireland on June 1, 2009, at the age of 92.

Major Flat Race Wins

Here are some of the most important flat races Vincent O'Brien won:

Great Britain

• 1,000 Guineas – (1) – Glad Rags (1966)
• 2,000 Guineas – (4) – Sir Ivor (1968), Nijinsky (1970), Lomond (1983), El Gran Senor (1984)
• Ascot Gold Cup – (1) – Gladness (1958)
• Champion Stakes – (2) – Pieces of Eight (1966), Sir Ivor (1968)
• Cheveley Park Stakes – (3) – Lalibela (1967), Woodstream (1981), Capricciosa (1990)
• Coronation Cup – (2) – Ballymoss (1958), Roberto (1973)
• Coronation Stakes – (1) – Lisadell (1974)
• Derby – (6) – Larkspur (1962), Sir Ivor (1968), Nijinsky (1970), Roberto (1972), The Minstrel (1977), Golden Fleece (1982)
• Dewhurst Stakes – (7) – Nijinsky (1969), Cellini (1973), The Minstrel (1976), Try My Best (1977), Monteverdi (1979), Storm Bird (1980), El Gran Senor (1983)
• Eclipse Stakes – (5) – Ballymoss (1958), Pieces of Eight (1966), Artaius (1977), Solford (1983), Sadler's Wells (1984)
• Golden Jubilee Stakes – (5) – Welsh Saint (1970), Saritamer (1974), Swingtime (1975), Thatching (1979), College Chapel (1993)
• Haydock Sprint Cup – (1) – Abergwaun (1972)
• International Stakes – (2) – Roberto (1972), Caerleon (1983)
• July Cup – (5) – Thatch (1973), Saritamer (1974), Solinus (1978), Thatching (1979), Royal Academy (1990)
• King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes – (3) – Ballymoss (1958), Nijinsky (1970), The Minstrel (1977)
• King's Stand Stakes – (5) – Cassarate (1962), Abergwaun (1973), Godswalk (1977), Solinus (1978), Bluebird (1987)
• Middle Park Stakes – (1) – Junius (1978)
• Nunthorpe Stakes – (1) – Solinus (1978)
• Oaks – (2) – Long Look (1965), Valoris (1966)
• Queen Anne Stakes – (1) – Imperial March (1975)
• Racing Post Trophy – (1) – Apalachee (1973)
• St. James's Palace Stakes – (2) – Thatch (1973), Jaazeiro (1978)
• St. Leger Stakes – (3) – Ballymoss (1957), Nijinsky (1970), Boucher (1972)
• Sussex Stakes – (4) – Thatch (1973), Artaius (1977), Jaazeiro (1978), King's Lake (1981)

Ireland

• Irish 1,000 Guineas – (3) – Valoris (1966), Lady Capulet (1977), Godetia (1979)
• Irish 2,000 Guineas – (5) – El Toro (1959), Jaazeiro (1978), King's Lake (1981), Sadler's Wells (1984), Prince of Birds (1988)
• Irish Champion Stakes – (5) – Inkerman (1978), Fordham (1979), Gregorian (1980), King's Lake (1981), Sadler's Wells (1984)
• Irish Derby – (6) – Chamier (1953), Ballymoss (1957), Nijinsky (1970), The Minstrel (1977), El Gran Senor (1984), Law Society (1985)
• Irish Oaks – (4) – Ancasta (1964), Aurabella (1965), Gaia (1969), Godetia (1979)
• Irish St. Leger – (9) – Barclay (1959), White Gloves (1966), Reindeer (1969), Caucasus (1975), Meneval (1976), Transworld (1977), Gonzales (1980), Leading Counsel (1985), Dark Lomond (1988)
• Matron Stakes – (3) – Kalamaika (1978), Magisterial (1979), Calandra (1980)
• Moyglare Stud Stakes – (2) – Woodstream (1981), Capricciosa (1990)
• National Stakes – (15) – Sir Ivor (1967), Roberto (1971), Chamozzle (1972), Cellini (1973), Sir Wimborne (1975), Monteverdi (1979), Storm Bird (1980), Glenstal (1982), El Gran Senor (1983), Law Society (1984), Tate Gallery (1985), Caerwent (1987), Classic Fame (1988), El Prado (1991), Fatherland (1992)
• Phoenix Stakes – (2) – Cloonlara (1976), Achieved (1981)
• Pretty Polly Stakes – (7) – Little Mo (1959), Ancasta (1964), Iskereen (1967), Rimark (1968), Godetia (1979), Calandra (1980), Dark Lomond (1988)
• Tattersalls Gold Cup – (5) – Nardoo (1963), White Gloves (1967), Selko (1969), Cavo Doro (1973), Golden Fleece (1982)

France

• Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe – (3) – Ballymoss (1958), Alleged (1977, 1978)
• Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère – (1) – Sir Ivor (1967)
• Prix du Jockey Club – (1) – Caerleon (1983)
• Prix Maurice de Gheest – (1) – College Chapel (1993)

United States

• Breeders' Cup Mile – (1) – Royal Academy (1990)
• Washington, D.C. International – (1) – Sir Ivor (1968)