'He'll make a high-class novice chaser - he could go back to Cheltenham'
The top trainer tells Alan Sweetman about his scaled-down jumps team
The great Alan Rickman was given one of the most memorable lines in modern cinema in his role as Hans Gruber in Die Hard: "And when Alexander saw the breadth of his domain, he wept, for there were no more worlds to conquer."
By the age of 30, Alexander The Great had conquered much of the known world. Joseph O'Brien, who will reach that milestone next May, has done similar in racing, leaving a massive imprint on the sport through his brief but glorious riding career followed by a seamless transition to training.
The analogy with the imperious Alexander crumbles in conversation with the mild-mannered O'Brien, yet the young trainer exudes a sense of purpose that suggests he will always have a hunger for conquest, even when discussing a jumps team that has been significantly curtailed.
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Published on inStable Tours
Last updated
- 'The plan was always to go straight to Ascot - he's an exciting colt'
- 'He's better than that - you'll see a completely different horse next week'
- 'It could be an interesting change of tactic - this race can be won by fillies like her and it’s a massive grade drop'
- 'Everyone's agreed to supplement him and he goes there as one of the leading fancies'
- 'I think he's a serious horse - he has so much speed'
- 'The plan was always to go straight to Ascot - he's an exciting colt'
- 'He's better than that - you'll see a completely different horse next week'
- 'It could be an interesting change of tactic - this race can be won by fillies like her and it’s a massive grade drop'
- 'Everyone's agreed to supplement him and he goes there as one of the leading fancies'
- 'I think he's a serious horse - he has so much speed'