JOSEPH AIMS TO WIN IN HIS NAME

JOSEPH O’BRIEN is aiming for success at the Cheltenham Festival in his own name when the meeting kicks off on Tuesday week.

O’Brien was responsible for the training of last year’s Triumph Hurdle winner Ivanovich Gorbatov but the four-year-old ran in his father Aidan’s name because he had not received his training licence.

“I expect to have three or four runners at the meeting,” said O’Brien, who rode two Derby winners despite standing well over six foot.

“Land of hope and glory will go for the Triumph.

“I wasn’t too disappointed with his run last Saturday at Fairyhouse as he hadn’t run for two months and it was heavy ground.

“I was happy with him. More than likely he will go for the Triumph rather than the Fred Winter.”

O’Brien is following in the footsteps of his father, who began his remarkable training career with jump horses – his most notable horse, Istabraq, won three Champion Hurdles. The 23-year-old O’Brien, who trains at Piltown, County Kilkenny, said: “My grandad trained from here and both my mum and dad trained from here. “We’re pretty much 50-50 jumpers and Flat horses. We’ve got a nice bunch of two-year-olds and some National Hunt horses.” O’Brien is expected to aim West Coast Time for the Weatherbys Champion Bumper. West Coast Time was not disgraced on his recent outing when chasing home the Bumper favourite Carter McKay at Naas earlier this month. He added: “West Coast Time is a possible at Cheltenham, but he wouldn’t want the ground too quick. He won well in soft ground at Cork. “Edwulf, a winner at Naas last Sunday, I think we will run in the National Hunt Chase.”

FESTIVAL RAID: O’Brien has select Cheltenham team