O’brien aims to keep up fantastic start to jumps season

FERGAL O’brien has had more winners than any other trainer in the UK this season.

The Gloucestershire trainer led the championship throughout September until last weekend, when Paul Nicholls’ success at Chepstow helped him take the number one spot.

O’brien is one away from the 40-winner mark for 2020/21 – and his yard at Ravenswell Farm near Cheltenham has blossomed from its new beginnings.

“It is tough times and for us to have had 39 winners at this time of the year having missed two months of the season – we can’t really believe it ourselves,” he said.

O’brien talks through some of his team for the weeks and months ahead:

Hurricane Harvey

We went to Uttoxeter at the beginning of this month thinking if we can get round in the first three or four, I’d be absolutely delighted. Conor (Brace) gave him a fantastic ride. I couldn’t have been happier the way the horse travelled and jumped. He may go to Cheltenham for the three miler at the end of October.

Champagne Well

Was running a really good race at Cheltenham last year in the Coral Cup, Brian Hughes gave him a lovely ride. He missed the third last and that put the end to his race. We are looking forward to him going over fences.

Petite Power

Has been a fantastic horse for us. He gave Liam Harrison his first Cheltenham winner last year after being off for two years. He is up a bit in the weights now, I think we have got the Durham National pencilled in for him.

Jarveys Plate

Was very disappointing at Perth on his seasonal reappearance. We went to Perth thinking we’d be very competitive, and we were beaten a long way out. He’s back in one piece and we’ll find something else for him again soon.

Imperial Alcazar

He’s a beautiful horse, so laid back, so straightforward, he is very easy to train. I hope he turns out to be as good as we all hope he is. He won at Aintree last year and then won a nice race at Leicester. He will go novice chasing. We deliberately avoided

Australia aboard Addeybb earlier in the year, and is full of praise for his trainer William Haggas after producing him to win a first top-level prize on home soil.

He said: “It was unbelievable. Addeybb has done wonders for my career already, so to go and win on Champions Day was incredible.

“William has had the race as a longterm goal, and it was a masterclass in training. Taking him to Australia, bringing him back and having this race as his target and pulling it off - it’s hard to comprehend, to be honest.

“It’s the Champion Stakes and one of the hardest races of the year to win. You had Magical and other champions in there. We knew we had a top horse in

Cheltenham because we thought we would go to Aintree, a flat track. He’d already won around there and we thought we’d go there nice and fresh, but it wasn’t to be.

Totterdown

He has been great this year, he has settled into Ravenswell Farm and he will start off either at Market Rasen or Exeter. He is very exciting. He is late to the chasing game, but Paddy [Brennan] thinks it’ll be a great help to him. He didn’t do anything wrong for us last year, he won first time out and then he was a very good third at Sandown.

Benny’s Bridge

Benny’s Bridge won the conditional jockeys’ handicap hurdle race at Cheltenham’s October meeting last year. He was the third leg of our treble that day and he looked very impressive. He was then favourite for the Unibet Greatwood Handicap Hurdle at the following meeting at Cheltenham in November. He made an awkward jump at the second and he pulled some muscles in his back. He was never right after that. But he is now looking a million dollars. The plan would hopefully be to go back to Cheltenham. Paddy is keen to get him over fences and we have schooled him. He will be another nice two miler

Addeybb - but you can’t say you’re confident, going up against horses like that.

“We were looking forward to running and hoped he would put his best foot forward, but in your heart of hearts you can’t help but think it’s near on mission impossible trying to beat horses like that. How lucky we are to come across a horse that can do what he’s done.”

Marquand admitted the the scale of both his and Doyle’s achievement is still sinking in.

He said: “After racing we got in the car and looked at each other and started laughing - it’s ridiculous really.

“You couldn’t have written the day any better. We are both so lucky to be in the position we’re in.” chaser in time.

Ask A Honey Bee

Couldn’t have done any more last year, he won his three bumpers and then pitched up at Cheltenham in the Champion Bumper and finished 13th. We will start off in a two-and-a-halfmile novice hurdle somewhere.

Hunny Moon

We have had her since she was a three-year-old and everything that could have gone wrong with her, has gone wrong. I took her to Stratford on the Monday before the Cheltenham Festival last season and to her credit and she ran an absolute blinder. I was always hopeful she would run OK in a bumper, but I didn’t think she would win a Stratford bumper. She will have another go in a bumper and will probably go to Aintree.

Silver Hallmark

He did very well in his first bumper around Newbury, then came out and won first time over hurdles at Chepstow. We went from Chepstow to Sandown, to a Grade 1 (Unibet Tolworth Novices’ Hurdle) and he just didn’t fire at all that day. Adam Wedge has already schooled him over fences and I am really looking forward to him going chasing. No real plans yet, but he will start off over two and a half miles.

» »

» »

» »

» »

» »

» »

» »

» »

» »

» »

» »

Perfect Candidate

He is nearly as old as me! He has won out of every yard that we have been in. He did the business again last year – he was placed at Exeter and won at Haydock. He went back to Haydock and was placed in a good race. This year he is 13, he has done a bit of team chasing and a bit of autumn hunting. He looks in great form and I think we will go back to Exeter and Haydock.

Gino Trail

He did us proud at Doncaster last year, Paddy gave him a fantastic ride. Paddy got injured during the Cheltenham Festival and so Jamie Moore rode him in the Grand Annual. Jamie said he gave him a lovely feel, but the ground was too quick. We’re looking forward to getting him out, either at Sandown or Ascot at the end of the month, which will hopefully suit him.

Brief Ambition

Ran at Uttoxeter earlier this month and got beaten by a very good horse of Nigel Twiston-davies (One True King) which finished 10th in the festival bumper. We were 10 lengths behind him there and only got beaten by four lengths last time. It was a great start and we will step him up in trip.

» »

» »