The genius who took Cheltenham by storm - and then conquered the Flat too
Whetting the appetite for Cheltenham every day until we're off and running
Festival Legends: Vincent O'Brien
We live in a world where up-to-date information is everything and anything more than ten minutes old risks being regarded as ancient history, but devotees of the Cheltenham Festival cling proudly to their great heroes and institutions, which is why Vincent O'Brien remains cherished, almost 74 years after his first Gold Cup success.
That 1948 win was with the equally legendary Cottage Rake, who went on to complete a run of three consecutive successes in the race under Aubrey Brabazon, to which Knock Hard added a fourth for O'Brien in 1953 (which, going slightly off the Cheltenham piste, was closely followed by three Grand National wins on the bounce).
Little did we know that his exploits as a Flat trainer would come to overshadow all that he achieved in his National Hunt career, but in the meantime the jumping community were happy to count him as their own icon and embrace the records he set.
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