Strange times for rookie trainer O'Brien as debut season takes unexpected twist

Nothing is normal anymore. Everything seems strange, but it was always going to be strange for 21-year-old Donnacha O'Brien who is getting to grips with his first season as a fully-fledged trainer.

O'Brien had been hoping to get some of his forward juveniles out in the coming weeks, but he has had to be patient and back off them in the current climate. Plans for his unbeaten stable star Fancy Blue are up in the air too.

"It is strange, very strange. But, to be perfectly honest, everything was always going to be strange for me. I'm not doing anything I did last year so it's all strange to me anyway," admitted O'Brien.

The youngest of the famous O'Brien family trained his first official winner at Dundalk in February when Flower Garland won a fillies' maiden, and Mythologic doubled his account in a mile handicap at the same venue a few weeks ago. The floodgates were supposed to open but Covid-19 has closed them for the time being.

O'Brien said: "My routine and the whole routine of everybody here has stayed the same through all this. From my point of view I'm up at 5.30am and straight to the yard. We finish up riding out at around 12.30pm and grab some lunch. Back to work then and I would usually be finished up by around 3pm. It's the same every day for me. Nothing has changed.

"We have 35 horses riding out every day, and we are planning for racing to return in three or four weeks. Whether that will happen or not I don't know, but we have to plan for that. There is no point in racing starting back if not all of our team are ready for it so we need to be ready.

"I know every trainer always praises their staff, but mine are terrific. They really are. We only have a small group, but I'd be lost without them, especially in times like these."

Fancy Blue (nearest): has the option of the Irish and English GuineasCredit: Caroline Norris

The new trainer added: "The one thing I have had to do is back off a few of our two-year-olds. I had three that I wanted to kick on with early, but I have had to back off them and put them on the same programme as the ones who will appear in the middle part of the season.

"I do think there are a few nice two-year-olds there, and there are one or two in particular I'm excited about, but we have not been dropping down to have a look under the bonnet yet so I'm only guessing. You'd be hoping one or two of them are nice, though."

The nicest of his entire lot at the moment is definitely Fancy Blue, the unbeaten daughter of Deep Impact who is entered in the Qipco 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket on the first Sunday of May.

Speaking about the filly, O'Brien said: "Fancy Blue is in great form. She's done very well over the winter and got a lot stronger. I wouldn't say she's grown a lot but she has filled out a lot if that makes sense. Her work was really good, but I've backed off her a bit leading up to the last few week.

"I know they're saying there's a chance racing will return in England in May so, if it does, we will have to have her ready to go. That's what we're aiming at for the moment anyway."

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