AIDAN O’Brien has enjoyed a fine campaign but his son Joseph has played an integral part this season and one imagines that when he is granted his full licence that the horses that are trained at Owning will come under his care.
“I love being involved with the jumping horse, but I ride out the first lot at Ballydoyle every day and it is around a forty minute drive to Owning,” Joseph explained.
“From a jumping point of view, we’d have around 25 or so ready to run on the track. We’d have another 10 or 15 four-year-olds and some of them will start off this season. They will either go for a bumper or go for a point-to-point. We haven’t done a whole lot with them just yet - we will let them find their feet, but as a bunch they look nice and I am happy with where they are at the minute,” he added.
“The horses that we have run in bumpers have done quite well and some of the four-year-olds that we have look sharp.”
I asked Joseph if there is a different approach to training flat horses to National Hunt horses and he replied: “The basics are fairly similar, in so far as you have to get them fit, but with the National Hunt horses, you would bring them along a bit slower than the flat bred horses. But the basics are much the same (for both). Much like the flat horses a lot of it has to do with where the horses are mentally.
“We have some great clients and hopefully when I get my full licence, I can then attract new owners. We have some lovely horses to run and a few of the unraced horses look nice as well, so we have a lot to look forward to.”
Speaking about obtaining his licence, he continued: “The next part of the trainer’s course is in March or April so hopefully I’ll have my full licence reasonably soon. We have a few new owners that have come to us in the last few weeks as well and at Owning, we can accommodate around 140 horses.”
Of the four-year-olds he explained: “We have a very nice horse by Flemensfirth and another by Oscar. They have just turned four, but we like them. They have yet to be named but I’d imagine that they will start off somewhere in a bumper within the next two months.
“We have been running a few in Dundalk on the flat over the winter and there is a good chance that a few of them will go jumping at some stage during the summer.”
ASPEN COLORADO
4yo b g (1)
Galileo - St Roch
J.P. McManus
He is a lovely horse that won well on Sunday at Leopardstown. We were a bit concerned about the soft ground for him, but he did it well and he has always been a nice horse. We’ll see what J.P. and Frank want to do, but I’d say he might go for a winner’s bumper. He’ll probably get an entry in the Cheltenham Bumper, but we’ll know a bit more about him after his next run. Being a Galileo, you’d imagine that he will improve for better ground.
BEST KEPT SECRET
4yo b g F (6597258-) NH (25)
Duke Of Marmalade – Rawabi
J.P. McManus
He ran a good race at Naas on Saturday, but the ground was a bit soft for him. He was a lowly rated horse on the flat, but he seems to have improved over hurdles. Hopefully he will be able to win his maiden hurdle.
CAPTAIN BARBOSSA
6yo b g (1133)
Gold Well - Queens Quay
J.P. McManus
He ran very well over hurdles at Leopardstown and he won two bumpers for us last year. He likes better ground so he will be kept as a novice until the new season. He should do well on the better ground next season.
CARRIGANOG
7yo ch g (-6112U0U)
Shantou - Penny Fiction
J.P. McManus
He is on a break now. He won a hurdle and a chase during the summer. He ran very well in the Munster National and was bang there only to fall at the last. I’d imagine a nice staying chase will be on the agenda for him. In time he could be an Irish National horse, but he just doesn’t like the ground too soft.
CRADLE MOUNTAIN
4yo b g F (621025R) NH (3)
Mastercraftsman - Sea Picture
J.P. McManus
He ran very well the first day at Fairyhouse and he has come out of that race in good form. It looked an above average maiden and I suppose he is another that might, depending on what he does the next day, get an entry in the Fred Winter at Cheltenham. He might appreciate better ground, but he does handle this bad ground well.
DRACO
7yo ch g F (2) NH (1457F-226)
Hernando - Easibrook Jane
J.P. McManus
He is a nice horse and is about six weeks off a run. He won a few races for us last summer and I’d imagine that he will have a spring/summer campaign. He wouldn’t like the ground too soft and he will start back in a handicap hurdle around the start of March.
EDWULF
6yo b g (F2-7F1)
Kayf Tara - Valentines Lady
J.P. McManus
He won well at Naas on Saturday and he looks a nice horse. He jumps fences better than he does hurdles, but I’d imagine that he will run a few hurdle races before the end of the season. I’d say he is a horse that will improve when he goes chasing next season. He got in a bit tight to a couple of hurdles at Naas, but he was still raw and wasn’t quite sure what to do. But he would have learned plenty from that run and in the end, he did it well. He jumped brilliantly (over fences) at Navan until he came down at the last and Saturday was his first run over hurdles. He jumped quite well at Naas, but he will improve on that front. We have no big plans for him and he will go for a novice or maybe a graded race somewhere in a months’ time. He handles this soft ground well.
IVANOVICH GORBATOV
4yo b g F (3/11-) NH (1)
Montjeu - Northern Gulch
J.P. McManus
He won very well at Christmas time and he looks a very exciting horse and he will go to Leopardstown for the Grade 1 on February 6th. We thought the ground would be a bit soft for him, but he won very well and he has come out of the race in good form. There has been a lot of hype about him and hopefully he can live up to that. We’ll see how he gets on the next day, but you’d be hoping that he will take his chance in the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham. He didn’t have an ideal preparation for Leopardstown, so hopefully there is a bit more to come from him. He looks an exciting horse and is one that will be better on better ground, but he goes on the soft ground as well so I’d say ground isn’t a huge issue for him.
KALOPSIA
5yo b f (2-271164)
Flemensfirth - Lunar Beauty
J.P. McManus
She developed into a good bumper mare last year and she had a nice first run over hurdles at Fairyhouse. She likes better ground but she has been on the go for the best part of 12 months, so she will have a break now. She will be back after May 1st and she will run away over hurdles for the summer.
KING OF ARAGON
4yo b g F (9/2109-) NH (43)
Montjeu - Crazy Volume
J.P. McManus
He ran a bit keen the first day at Punchestown, but he settled a bit better at the weekend at Naas and he should be better on better ground. Hopefully he will come on from that and he will go for a maiden hurdle in a couple of weeks of time. If he managed to win a maiden hurdle before Cheltenham you never know he might be a Fred Winter horse. He is a full-brother to Plinth and there is more to come from him when he races on drier ground.
MACBRIDE
7yo b g (1115-26)
Oscar - Carioca Dream
J.P. McManus
He was a very good bumper horse, but he has had a few issues. We expected him to run better at Leopardstown, but he disappointed us. He will have a little break now and we’ll have him back for the new season. I’d say he is a horse that would appreciate better ground.
MARCHESE MARCONI
7yo b g F (42102532/) NH (-22155)
Galileo - Charroux
J.P. McManus
He was sixth in the Galway Hurdle last summer and he will be going novice chasing. He is about three weeks off a run. He is a huge big horse and he wouldn’t want it too soft. He should do well for us over fences this year.
OUTSPOKEN
4yo b g F (1213-) NH (2)
Galileo – Riskaverse
J.P. McManus
He was just beaten at Fairyhouse. He made a mistake at the last, but he picked up a little injury that day so you won’t see him for a while. He is a nice horse though and you’d hope that he’ll win his maiden hurdle.
PLINTH
6yo b g F (90/0/40-) NH (0241F53)
Montjeu - Crazy Volume
J.P. McManus
He has been a great horse for us. He is a star really and he gives his running every time he runs. He will more than likely run on Sunday in the Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown and he loves his work. He could go for the County Hurdle at Cheltenham – Frank and J.P. will decide on that, but you can be sure that wherever he runs, he will bring his A game with him. He owes no one anything and it is possible that he could go chasing during the summer. He wouldn’t have the scope to go chasing at this stage of the year, but on better ground around a country track, I am sure that he would win a chase, but we’ll see.
TIGRIS RIVER
5yo b g F (6/415/3-) NH (3112144)
Montjeu - Hula Angel
J.P. McManus
He ran a lovely race at Leopardstown on Sunday. The ground may have been a bit too soft for him, but he still ran to the line and we were delighted with him. I’d say he’ll win a nice handicap on nicer ground. That was his first time to run in a handicap, so he’d have learned plenty from that. He likes a big field and he likes to be covered up as well. He ran a blinder and Jody McGarvey felt that on nicer ground, he’d have finished a bit closer.
TESSERACT
5yo b g (6-31115)
Trans Island - Ballinagar Lady
J.P. McManus
He won three bumpers during the summer and I thought he ran well over hurdles at Leopardstown last month, but the ground was too soft for him. We’ll keep him as a novice for the new season. He should do well for us on better ground during the summer.
FACTFILE
Trainer: Joseph O’Brien
Address: Carriganog Hill, Owning, Co Kilkenny
Numbers: 25
Jockeys: Barry Geraghty, Sarah O’Brien, Jody McGarvey and Mark Walsh