PLENTY has been said and written about how difficult it is to make training pay, and so despite the obvious perils involved, rookie Richard O’Brien grabbed the headlines on more than one occasion last year. The Limerick-based trainer looks set for more success this season and outlined his intentions when sending out Dianthus to win the valuable Madrid Handicap on the opening day of the flat season at Naas.

“I rode as an amateur for a few years and I was always immersed in racing,” O’Brien recalls. “I wasn’t much good as a jockey and I later qualified as a dentist (for humans), but it wasn’t until the end of 2016 before I got my trainer’s licence. In the meantime my wife and I developed the farm and we have 18 horses at the moment with plans to build on more boxes. To make the game financially viable, you need around 50 horses.

“When my wife was qualifying as a dentist in Edinburgh, I spent three or four days a week with David O’Meara. That went on for three years and it came at a time when David was just gathering momentum.

“We have tried to mimic everything that he was doing at the time and we tend to give them a short, sharp bit every day and once they are well, we don’t have to train them too hard and that way, you can race them plenty. David doesn’t overcomplicate the game and there was always on emphasis on simplicity.

O’Brien adds: “We have copied that model as best we can and we don’t have work days as such, or easy days for that matter. They just do a sharp bit every day. I think Mick Easterby has a motto in his office and it was something along the lines of – simplicity is genius.

“We started off last year with three horses and it has grown steadily since. The horses are there for racing and if they are thriving, they can take plenty of racing.

“I work as a dentist on a Thursday and Saturday. I’d get the important horses done early on a Thursday and keep in touch with the lads. Dentistry keeps the wolf from the door as you don’t make anything from training racehorses.

“Training just wipes its face now, but once we up the numbers, (financially) the whole thing will make sense. We hope to bring our numbers up to 40/50 horses and at that stage the whole thing makes sense. Within the next four to five months, we hope to put in another gallop and add on 20 more boxes. We’ll try and be a bit more proactive in trying to attract new owners and horses.

“We had a good season last year and this year, we have some nice horses, some have which are rated to run in premier handicaps.”

O’Brien has been pretty vocal about the need to replace the racing surface in Dundalk and remarked: “It has gone past the sell by date. Our horses are of a level where they have to go where the opportunities are, but the surface has the potential to be far kinder than it is.”

ALCATRAZ

6yo b g (595-8357)

Camacho - Spring Opera

Frank J Lynch & Michael Hartnett

He has run a few times for us – some of his efforts were better than others and there is a slight question mark over his resolve, but I think once he gets all his ducks in a row, he’ll be fine. When he gets into a good frame of mind, he could be a well handicapped horse. Seven furlongs or a mile seems to suit him and he is a horse that could run plenty for us during the summer.

ALANS PRIDE

5yo ch g (2210260-)

Footstepsinthesand - True Crystal

Charles J Maguire & Alan Devine

He won three times last year and he has been a great horse for us. He is back down to a nice mark so we’re looking forward to getting him started. He is hard on himself, so it wouldn’t be the right run him and let him pull the guts out of himself while the ground is as bad it is now. He is working well and once the ground dries up a bit, he’ll be ready to go.

ARC ROYAL

4yo ch g (38960-00)

Arcano - Royal Blush

Koya Equine Partnership

He has been disappointing. He lost his form before he came to us and he continues to be out of form. We’ll just tip away with him and if he started to show a bit of spark in the spring, he could end up being well-handicapped horse.

BEACH BAR

7yo b g (81-27130)

Azamour -Toasted Special

Koya Equine Partnership

He was great all winter and he was won three since he joined us last year. The edge has just gone off him since his last win at Dundalk, so we’ll give him an easy April and kick on again next month.

He has been a fantastic servant and there are plenty of options for him during the summer. The mile premier handicap at the Curragh on Derby weekend looks an obvious target for him, but I’d love to try him in the Scurry Handicap over six furlongs.

A flat-out gallop seems to suit him and I always feel that horses that are sharp enough to win over seven furlongs at Dundalk, can drop back a furlong.

He gets a mile as well and so it really depends on him, as when he is in tip top condition, he just wants to go a million. I can’t see him getting much further than a mile as he has gotten wicked forward going. Mind you he had form over a mile and a quarter before he came to me so we’ll see.

BIANCA MINOLA

4yo ch f (25/003147-)

Shakespearean - Transylvania

Clive Washbourn

She transferred to us this season and she is doing really well and looks fantastic. She is lowly rated and has a mark of 57, but we like her and she is due to run in the next few weeks. I’d like to get her out while the ground is soft and although I don’t have too many stayers, I think she’ll give her owner plenty of fun. I am delighted to have her and her best form would suggest that she wants soft ground.

CAPTAIN CAT

9yo b/br g (00-42720)

Dylan Thomas - Mother Of Pearl

Captain Cat Partnership

He ran a bit disappointingly in the Lincoln. He was formerly a pretty good horse, but he wasn’t showing us a great deal before Naas and he got a bit upset before the race and just wasn’t himself. He seems to be absolutely fine again and we’ll take our time with him. Once his work is of a sufficient standard, we’ll get him going again. He has a mark of 89 which suggests that he is a premier handicap horse and he could, on some of his previous form, be well handicapped. But it is a bit like unwrapping an onion; there is an engine in there somewhere, but he needs to start showing it to us.

CAUTIOUS APPROACH

3yo b f (0)

Dawn Approach - Al Tamooh

Cautious Approach Syndicate

She is a new addition to the team and she has settled in well. Once she starts to blossom and look well, she’ll be ready to start off. She is a tall filly and she had just the one run last season. I’d say that if she could do a little job before the end of the year that will be fine, as she could be a lovely filly for next season.

DIANTHUS

3yo b f (9P26-1)

Epaulette - Acts Out Loud

Ms R Carey

She was great the first day at Naas and that was a pretty good performance. She has gone up 11lbs for that win but I have no doubt that she is capable of defying that as I think she is a black type performer.

She is in the 1,000 Guineas Trial at Leopardstown today and we’re looking forward to running her. It’s a suprisingly big field and she is drawn poorly but we thought it was worth having a go as she is in good order and has a run under her belt.

KHABARAY

5yo b g (7738000-)

Intikhab – Rainbowskia

W O’Brien

He disappointed us towards the end of last year, but I blame myself for that, as I ran him when I shouldn’t have. He just wasn’t performing and while there weren’t any obvious reasons to stop with him, I shouldn’t have persisted. He is back in great order again now and he’ll go back for the same race that he won at Leopardstown at the end of May. He is best over a mile and he can’t have the ground quick enough.

MATHS PRIZE

7yo b g (503448-8)

Royal Applause - Hypoteneuse

Frank J Lynch & Michael Hartnett

He ran in the Lincoln and I thought he ran very well (8th). He had been working nicely beforehand but I am not convinced that he handles that bad ground. He still doesn’t look fantastic, but he is getting there.

A mile seems to be his best trip and I am sure that we’ll have plenty of fun with him on a bit of nice ground during the summer. He is a very sensible, relaxed horse, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he did get a mile and a quarter.

MAYMINE

3yo b f (unraced)

Mayson - Ermine

P Kavanagh

We were thrilled with her run at Naas yesterday where she finished second in a six-furlong maiden. It was a lovely start. Chris (Hayes) said she could drop back to five and so we might do that with her. There is a sprint maiden at Navan in 10 days time so we might have a look at that. She is a nice filly and whatever happens now she will win races in time.

Oneoveryou bolted up on just her second run for O'Brien at Dundalk Photo: healyracing.ie

ONEOVERYOU

7yo b m (341-2421)

Tagula - Sun Slash

Michael O’Dea

We have only had her for her last two runs and she was lethal the other day when she won at Dundalk. She is seven and she went up 11lbs for that performance, which I think was an overreaction as she got the run of the race. I just can’t believe that 11lbs is fair. She will go for the Rockingham and we’ll keep her going in all those good sprint handicaps during the summer.

THAT IS THE SPIRIT

7yo g (335963-0)

Invincible Spirit - Fraulein

William Esdaile & Westmeath Syndicate

We ran him at Dundalk this year, but he disappointed for whatever reason. He sat in amongst horses as he does like to make the running but things just didn’t pan out for him. We will get him back and we just need to take our time with him. There is a seven-furlong handicap at Leopardstown in May that he’ll go for. He is rated 93 now and hopefully he can develop into a premier handicap horse for us this year. He had some very good form when trained by David (O’Meara) and if he can get back to that, he’ll be a nice horse for us. I’d seven furlongs is his best trip.

UNRACED

LEIGH ON SEA

3yo f Born To Sea – Lucky Leigh

She was ready to run last year, but she just got a little bit hot, so we left her alone. We have been taking our time with her, but some of her work has been very good, so we’ll start her off somewhere in a six-furlong maiden in the next three months.

3yo f Lord Shanakill - Meanwhile

She is a lovely filly. I like her and we’ll get her started in a maiden and we should have a bit of fun with her.

3yo f Motivator – Silver Haze

She has been a bit slow to come to hand, but she is a nice filly and we’ll get her started in a maiden over a mile or mile and a quarter in the coming months.

2yo c Invincible Spirit- Law Of The Range

We got him started in December and he cantered away all through January and February and he is having a little break now. He has a serious pedigree and he can gallop. He’ll be ready to start off in a maiden in late summer.

2yo f Dark Angel – Stormy Blessing

She is a lovely filly and I’m delighted to have her. She has done all that has been asked of her and we are in no rush with her, but we like what we have seen to date.

details

Richard O’Brien

Address: Kilmihil, Ballingarry, Limerick V94 NNC2

Mob: 0874606204

Web: http://www.richardobrienracing.com

Twitter: @RJOBracing