Champ Donnacha has one eye on training career

Donnacha O’Brien already has one eye on his next career as a trainer as he reflects on what he describes as an "incredible" year that has seen him crowned champion Flat jockey in Ireland.

The 20-year-old son of top trainer Aidan O’Brien has to battle with his weight, just as his elder brother Joseph did during his own outstanding riding career.

Joseph successfully took to the training ranks after being champion jockey in 2012 and 2013 - and that is a path Donnacha is considering in the future. "It’s been incredible. It’s been a great year, and better than I could have expected," he told the Friday Night Racing show on offtheball.com.

"It’s not easy. Every jockey is in the same boat when you’re doing your lightest weight. You’re not eating a whole lot, but I’m doing it to ride good horses. You take it as part of the job.

"I’m not going to be riding in 10 years' time, I’d say. I’ll take it one year at a time. It's no worse now than it was last year, so I hope I’ll get another year out of it — and then at the end of that year I’ll reassess. There are very few people in the world having the opportunities I have in terms of riding horses, so I’ll keep doing it for as long as I can.

"Since I was a kid, I wanted to be jockey and then go into training. I was fairly sure I wasn’t going to be a jockey until I was 50."

O’Brien is taking a well-earned break following a tremendous season that saw him chalk up six Group 1s, including three Classics - the 2000 Guineas on Saxon Warrior and Oaks on Forever Together for his father and the Irish Derby on Latrobe. for his brother.

"To win an Irish Derby was incredible especially, to beat two of dad’s. It was an unbelievable day,” he said. "The last few weeks I’ve been comfortably ahead (in the championship), and I’ve stopped doing some of the light weights. I felt I was clear, so I started to look back and appreciate what an amazing season it’s been.

"When you are working with dad and Joseph, you’re learning things the whole time. I hope, some day that (training) is the road I’ll go down.

"I think I’d enjoy it and I’d be hoping I’d be fairly OK at it. I like to think I’m learning." –