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hope Santa Barbara turns out to be a top mare then Camelot will get the chance to take Galileos mantle.
Did you see the AOB remarks after the Belmont Oaks?
“Santa Barbara has a lot of speed. I suppose we always wondered how far she’d stay because she’s very quick and you could see that at Belmont. She quickened up off what was a very slow pace and was impressive.“Distance-wise, we could stay around a mile and a furlong or a mile and a quarter because she has a lot of speed.”
It makes me think of those subliminal messages flashing up on the characters’ TV screens for a millisecond in comedy films:
!!—CAMELOT—NOT A NH SIRE—!!Do you think all the Camelot foals have to go for neurolinguistic programming lessons? Do they play AOB on a loop in their stables? Fast….so quick….so much speed…turn of foot…speed, so much speed….
Any Camelot colts who talk wistfully at family parties of dear departed brother Sir Erec or wanting to be like big brother Latrobe running in the Irish St Leger get sent to bed without any oats. “Any more of that talk and you’ll be sold to Australia. Bringing disgrace on the family. I saw that copy of “Chasers and Hurdlers in Training” hidden under your haynet. The shame!!”
To be fair, AOB’s comments after any of his horses wins are the same.
“Listen. (Insert horse’s name here) has a lot of speed.”
Yawn.
I agree with Gladiateur.
It must be about ten years now since I listened to an O’Brien interview.
They were always the same back in 2011 and from I read they haven’t changed.
He’s obviously a talented trainer, but he is basically Coolmore’s slave – unenviable IMO – a retarded gerbil could win pattern races sent he quality he is given, and I actually think his greatest true achievement is as a parent.
Not one but two sons who could mix it with the best and ride Group 1 winners and are now able trainers (though again with a lot of financial support) in their own right.
Obviously there have had privileged starts but, even allowing for that Joseph and Donnacha were genuinely decent in the saddle and had a good attitude.
My O’Brien verdict: good trainer, very good parent.
Bit like Galileo, really, good on the track, but far better as a sire!
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"I think Donnacha was a good, sometimes very good jockey.
I think Joseph was an average jockey who was very fortunate to get on some good horses. However, his limitations were often badly exposed. His rides on Camelot in the St Leger and Australia in the Irish Champion Stakes were both poor, as was his ride in the Lagadere when he rightly got disqualified.
I take the point that O’Brien gets to work with prime raw material but you still have to get the results. He does, under what must be huge pressure.
I wish he did give better interviews beyond the cliches of “Listen” and “We were delighted really” but that is just how he is. I expect he does not have any interests outside of racing so he is never going to be articulate like Gosden.
Considering he went through Mick Kinane, Jamie Spencer and Johnny Murtagh I’d imagine he is very clear in his views away from the cameras
Donnacha was as good as any jockey around as he showed on Kew Gardens at the champions day. Superb ride to get up and win. I’ve always said coolmore should get a spokesperson to speak to the media. Someone like fran berry would be perfect. Very knowledgeable and calm. It’s unfair on aiden when his heart must be pumping after big races to ask him questions when he must have a million thoughts running through his head. No wonder he gives bland answers. He has the most pressured job in racing imho.
AS for aiden being a slave coolmore is a 4 billion pound entity so the guys who put the money should certainly have input but I wish they would give aiden and his team more leeway in discussion targets. His handling of st marks basilica shows how good he is yet he ran in a group one as a maiden. Bonkers. If aiden somehow wasn’t at coolmore jI’m sure there would be many big spenders sending their horses. We’ll never know how good aiden is and I’m sure Joseph will take over when aidens has enough. By then he will have set unbelievable records. Once the Galileo production line stops do we really think aiden won’t still have ten to 15 group one winners a year.
Interesting to think of Aidan as Coolmore’s slave.
Do you reckon they keep him chained up in the cellar? Might explain his pasty complexion…
Is Joseph oBrian that good a trainer though? Haven’t checked but strike rate was a bit crap I recall and a few of his just seem to go backwards. Maybe I’m being unfair because his interviews are even more painful than his dads
This passing to sons thing is always interesting. Hanson obvious success as was the great alan berry…
Interesting to see how Thady does given his excellent mentor but also his disability
If the programme researchers have searched deep enough they will be spoilt for choice with material to work from. They could show clips of the ITV racing team doing one of their ‘ Where Are They Now’ features, which, let’s face it, are ‘all live happily ever after’, John Craven’s Newsround type presentations. Then, they could break down the numbers of the mass number of animals that leave training each year, and compare against the number that are taken in by the struggling charity supported establishments that train ex racehorses for second careers. They could note that there is a big discrepency between those leaving training and those whose whereabouts can be traced. Next, they show grim scenes from slaughterhouses, and recount the dreadful fates of such illuminaries as Exceller and Ferdinand, and ask the question, ” If this can happen to world class racehorses, what hope is there for those further down the ladder ability wise?” ……..This has the potential to open one big can of worms and inflict some real lasting damage on the sport.
Aiden won’t have they conveyor belt of top class horses at his disposal once the final Galileo crop are on the ground as I don’t see any of the current Coolmore stallion roster being even half way as prolific – it may mean that access to top class horses will be potentially available to more people through the sales ring.
No one can predict with any degree of certainty who the next big stallion will be. Australia is certainly showing promise but remember we had the same scenario when saddlers wells retired. Coolmore have been lucky in having sadlers well followed right after with Galileo and it could well be they don’t have another one in their ranks. They do have an immense roster of broodmares which I’m sure will produce plenty top horses. I’d love to see the northern trainers getting top class horses again.
Last month or two the yard has been woefully out of form
Jim bolger may have a wry grin
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