JOSEPH O’Brien plans to scale back his riding commitments next season as he prepares to saddle a team of horses in point-to-points starting this autumn.

As revealed by The Irish Field last week, O’Brien has been granted handler status by the Turf Club and he is in the process of securing a trainers’ licence. He plans to continue dividing his time between riding out for his father Aidan at Ballydoyle and overseeing the training of a National Hunt team at Owning, Piltown in Co Kilkenny.