'If anyone was doubting me' - why Thyme Hill win meant so much to Tom O'Brien

How do you go about replacing the irreplaceable? Winning on your first big ride is a great way to start.

Tom O'Brien, the reliable understudy to Richard Johnson for so many years, stepped out of the legendary jockey's shadow with an exhilarating success on Thyme Hill.

On his first major assignment since the four-time champion retired a week earlier, O'Brien had to be at the top of his game to get the better of the Harry Skelton-ridden mare Roksana, who suffered more Aintree agony when going down by a neck.

It was a pivotal moment for O'Brien. He had already won Grade 1s and big handicaps like the Welsh National, but he has rarely got on a horse with the class of Thyme Hill.

Watch Thyme Hill edge out Roksana in a thriller

The Philip Hobbs-trained seven-year-old, owned by the England and Heywood families, was denied the chance to run at Cheltenham last month after suffering a minor muscle injury.

However, he more than made up for that by providing his new rider with a timely victory.

"I'm delighted he's won for everyone, really," said O'Brien, who punched the air after the line. "If anyone was doubting me, just to start off with a Grade 1 win is spot-on. He missed Cheltenham and to get it all right today is great.

"I'll never fill Richard's boots, all I can do is pull up my own. I've been in the same position for so long, it's kind of new and it's a different calibre of horse I'm dealing with.

"I've not ridden many like Thyme Hill. He's an uncomplicated horse and I watched all his replays this morning and he's been push-button all the way through. Harry came through on the inside, I had a battle with him and we won."

Tom O'Brien celebrates after Thyme Hill's win in the Liverpool HurdleCredit: Edward Whitaker

After an indifferent campaign, Hobbs could have been forgiven for thinking the duel with Roksana was going to go the other way.

"When we jumped the last, I thought we might win, half the way up the run-in it didn't look like we were going to get there and then he conjured up a bit more in the last 100 yards," the trainer said.

"It's very significant for Tom and he's over the moon to have a Grade 1 winner so quickly. It would have been great, in a way, if Richard had ridden him, but having said that, he's let the way in for Tom, which is great.

"Like Richard, Tom has been with us for such a long time. It must be 15 years as he came to us having not ridden in a race, and he was champion conditional to start with and it went from there."

Thyme Hill was cut to 5-1 favourite (from 8-1) by the sponsors for next season's Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle and, regarding the future, Hobbs said: "We'll have to think about it as he's schooled very well over fences. But I suppose when you're at the top end in one division you would stay over hurdles, I'd have thought.

"He's probably finished for this campaign, but if he's going to go anywhere, it will be the Champion Hurdle at Auteuil in May."

Roksana has finished second on all four of her runs here now, including when beaten a head in this race two years ago.

"I'm just gutted for the horse," said trainer Dan Skelton. "We've been just touched off here three times before. Maybe with a smoother preparation the winner would have beaten us easier, but it's gutting to lead up the run-in and get beat. I can't understand how she got beat, but that's racing and fair play to the winner."

The 2019 Stayers' Hurdle hero Paisley Park was pulled up with jockey Aidan Coleman inclined to blame the rigors of Cheltenham for his lacklustre effort.

He said: "A few horses who went to Cheltenham haven't turned up here, but all the signs were right at home. He had a hard race at Cheltenham and I wasn't going to let him have a hard race here."

Thyme Hill was ready for his hard race however, and so was his jockey.

Read more Aintree Saturday reports:

Laid-back Shishkin completes 'pretty flawless season' with 1-8 success

My Drogo strolls to Grade 1 success for Dan and Harry Skelton

'Fear kept me on' – Hometown Boy survives major error for more Edmunds success

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