The thrill of the National fences and weighing-room punch-ups

The former champion conditional jockey takes our weekly grilling

Tom O'Brien after winning on Poormans Hill at the Galway festival in JulyCredit: Patrick McCann

What is your earliest racing memory?
Watching Istabraq demolish the field to win his second Champion Hurdle for my uncle Aidan was quite something. He won by about half the track.

What advice would you give your ten-year-old self?
To listen to the people around you and take on their advice.

When did you first know you’d become a jockey?
I worked for my uncle when I was 13 or 14 and that adrenaline of riding a racehorse led to my mind being fixed on becoming a jockey.

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Published on 5 November 2016inFeatures

Last updated 13:28, 5 November 2016

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