Aidan O'Brien was the story today as he trained his 100th winner at Royal Ascot. But it could be that his son Joseph will also dominate the next generation.
Tom Segal at the Racing Post had this to say about O'Brien Jr, who sent out another winner at the meeting today, earlier this month: “It may be only the start of June but if a trainer with the surname O’Brien isn’t trainer of the year then something is seriously wrong. The one I have in mind isn’t called Aidan. Being the son of a legend is never easy but Joseph O’Brien is making an extremely good fist of it and is well on the way to joining his father in the racing Hall of Fame.
“Just look at what he’s achieved in the last six months. He went within a nostril of back-to-back King George VI Chase victories at Kempton with Banbridge, he won the Stayers’ Hurdle with the 11-year-old Home By The Lee and might have landed the Grand National too, if Jordans had been ridden with more restraint. Things went to another level at Epsom last weekend, when Thundering On was a fantastic winner of the Oaks and cheap purchase James J Braddock ran third in the Derby.
“No doubt being Aidan’s son has opened doors that would be locked to others but Joseph has stepped through them and battered down a few more to boot. Don’t forget he’s won the Melbourne Cup twice, and conquering Australia’s most famous race is something his dad has never done despite loads of attempts.”
So that’s it for another Gold Cup day. I’m off to the races tomorrow so you’ll be in the capable hands of Niall McVeigh. I’ll be back in the saddle on Saturday.
Joseph O’Brien (left) and James Blunt (centre) after jockey Ryan Moore won the King George V Stakes aboard Enceladus on day three of Royal Ascot. Photograph: Aaron Chown/PA
