Following the right track.
When Donnacha O’Brien steered Forever Together to victory in the Epsom Oaks in 2018, the 19-year-old completed a feat that not even his older brother Joseph had managed in his riding career.
The eldest of the O’Briens had 10 Classics to his name when he hung up his whip almost two years ago now, and while he completed the Epsom-Curragh Derby double twice, he never landed the Oaks honour.
But just as Joseph did a couple of years before him, Donnacha is carving his own path in the weigh room. That triumph aboard John Magnier’s charge came less than a month after his first Classic win on Saxon Warrior in the 2000 Guineas with the younger O’Brien quickly showing he’s cut from the same cloth as his brother, father and sister.
Indeed, a stellar career in the saddle undoubtedly awaits the youngster who’s priced as one of the favourites to take this year’s flat jockeys championship crown, but in line with those growing credentials, the question of whether his physical growth will eventually curtail his riding career will become similarly prominent.
After fighting, and indeed succeeding in his battle with the weighing scales for five fruitful years, Joseph had enough of that diet of Red Bull and Wine Gums and he turned to training.
“Jockeys think nothing of waking up and losing eight, ten pounds in a morning before they go racing,” said Joseph of those struggles.
“It’s a tough game and I don’t miss it anyhow. Saunas and hot baths…there’s jockeys all over Ireland struggling with their weight, I suppose it’s part of the game,” he told SportsJOE.
At the moment, Donnacha is fighting the good fight. Inevitably, the parallels are already being drawn between himself and his older brother. After all, Joseph burst onto the scene at a similarly young age over his father’s explosive thoroughbreds and those tall O’Brien genes clearly aren’t spared on Donnacha either.
For the moment anyway, Joseph assured us, his younger brother is revelling in the challenge and he’ll ride for as long as he can.
“He’s having a great run of it so far. He’s riding well, he’s riding a good few winners and he’s managing his weight well.
“He’s very dedicated to it, he loves it and he’ll definitely stay with it for as long as he can.”
When asked if he’ll go down the training route eventually, Joseph insisted that the youngster is taking everything in his stride.
“He is tall though, and keeping that weight down can be a struggle but I suppose, he’ll cross that bridge when he comes to it.”
“For now, his focus is on the jockeys championship, there’s a few of them close together there, like Colin Keane who won it last year so he’s enjoying the buzz of being involved in that.”
As for himself, Joseph and his crew at the family yard at Owning Hill in Kilkenny are getting the work done in the fine recent weather.
“Joseph is only 24 but he has 97 lads working under him in the family yard” – @NiallMcintyre reports from Owning Hill https://t.co/gqhnnphM8G
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) March 13, 2018
“Everything is going well on the hill. When the weather is good, everyone leaps out of bed in the morning and it makes the work that bit easier.
“Not only for us, but for the horses too. They sweat a little bit more in it, but for us it’s all about recovery, and I suppose like any soccer, rugby or GAA player it’s about managing the workload and getting the recovery in.”
He’s readying himself for future challenges down the line, with Royal Ascot and the Irish Derby only over the horizon.
“Royal Ascot is coming up soon, so is the Irish derby. It never really stops all year round and I have to say I’m enjoying it all at the moment.”
It’s all go in Kilkenny.
