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Is this just a rumour or is there more to that than we might think?
What could be a logical reason to replace him by someone else? Surely it’s not the age nor the success. O’Brien is still very young and I can’t see him giving up the Flat and reverting to jumps only. Maybe someone knows a bit more about the past developments.Huge IF at this early stage but its not implausible to think that O’Brien might be growing tired of interference from ‘the lads’……The Gleneagles stuff seemed odd at times and jockey arrangements have looked messy and odd not least due to Ryan Moore’s injury.
Interesting all the same. Maybe the lads got sick of his son losing so many races by his poor judgement. Who knows.
I think you mixing up the stories regarding Joseph looking after the jump horses next year which would give him time to get ready for his inevitable training career once he loses the battle with his weight. I’ve always said that aiden has one of the hardest job anywhere with the lads deciding where horses run I’m sure contrary sometimes to what widen wanted. Camelot in the Irish Derby and tapestry running over a mile right after beating tag rooda brilliantly in the Yorkshire oaks are two that spring to mind. I do believe aiden wanted to run gleneagles over 10 f earlier than the lads. I’m sure sir Henry wouldn’t have put up with what aiden has but he does get to train the cream of horses. I’d only think he’d leave if he was offered say a huge contract by the qataris or someone of that magnitude or to train in the USA. Family is huge to him though and I doubt he will leave. The fact so many top jockeys have body swerved the coolmore job shows how tough it is especially pat smullen who must be fed up watching Joseph or Ryan Moore sweep past him on another ballydoyle winner.
Loyalty is a huge thing with coolmore though and I’m sure once we get the likes of Australia and came lots offspring in training ai den won’t want to be anywhere else. The one thing I would say is I wish agent would get a racing manager like other outfits do as he looks knackered doing the no doubt multitude of interviews he has to do. Sorry for the length of the post but I feel aiden Is much maligned unfairly in my eyes and is a true genius with horses alongside Vincent orient,sir Henry and Noel murless.Seamie heffernan is first choice when Joseph can’t do the weight and colm odonohue rides the next in line horse or if Joseph is riding elsewhere. Same arrangements for many years.
I heard that he does have his own training yard which has been upgraded over the years and I would imagine that at some point (probably around the time his son can no longer ride on the flat and switches to the jumps) he may do a Vincent O’Brien in reverse and turn his hand to NH and maybe link up with JP McManus.
I think relations with ‘the boys’ took a turn for the worse after Joseph’s ride on Australia in the Irish Champion Stakes and added to his ongoing struggle with not being able to ride under 9st (which they probably reluctantly put up with to date), I think that they have probably decided to have more control over specific riding plans (hence Ryan Moore taking over in the big races until his recent injury) & also what future targets their marquee named horses are aimed at.
From Aiden point of view, he has pretty much broken every flat record there is in the book so what more does he have to prove on that score, it can’t be much fun now having to juggle everything that is going on and he may just start wondering whether its the right time to move on and find a new challenge
I think probably withing the next five years he will have moved on from Ballydoyle – I would think that David Wachman would be the most obvious contender to take over being that his wife is the daughter of John Magnier (Coolmore’s founder and driving force). Lets face it, given all the tools that are at your disposal, any competent trainer should have no problem suceeding in that job and David Wachman is so much more than a competent trainer.
http://www.racingpost.com/news/live.sd?event_id=11302524&category=0
The story is carried in the Racing Post.
Its not the first time that this sort of rumour has been started – I seem to recall that around the time of Johnny Murtagh quitting the job there was a rumour going about that “the lads”were unhappy with a result in which they believed a horse Murtagh was onboard had not been ridden to achieve the best possible placing, and that O’Brien had been implicated and was also on the way out. At the time David Wachman was said to be lined up to take over – being Magnier’s son-in-law he is often assumed to be the trainer in waiting at Ballydoyle.
However nothing came of that and we are in the silly season.
I don’t think Aidan has done a lot wrong over the years. He has nearly surpassed MVOB in nearly all of the top races in terms of numbers won, and whilst he has been given enormous firepower we only have to recall Michael Dickinson’s awful experience at Manton to know that even if a trainer has all the tools success is no guarantee. Add to that the comparative lack of success for a succession of Godolphin handlers and O’Brien’s achievements start shine even brighter.
Also I cannot think of a humbler man, always first to give the credit for his horses’ success to others.
He came in for a lot of criticism for putting his son ahead of more experiences riders, however I cannot think of a lot Joseph has done wrong – the Australia ride wasn’t so bad, and I believe the best horse won on the day. Ryan Moore has got beaten on plenty of Ballydoyle horses he perhaps should have won on, and yet doesn’t come in for a fraction of the criticism young Joseph has. To win two Epsom Derby’s at such a young age with all the pressure that goes with that is testament to Joseph’s nerve not to mention his father’s faith in his riding ability.
Also Joseph won himself a lot of fans with his articulate and well mannered performance in the York stewards room last week – compared with the sneering and sarcastic display from Pat Cosgrave. If one thing is sure going forward at Ballydoyle, Cosgrave won’t be picking up too many rides from them in the future!
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