'I won't end up in the back of an ambulance for anyone else' - Paddy Brennan opens up on Fergal O'Brien bond

Paddy Brennan has revealed he will not ride for any trainer other than Fergal O'Brien this season – because he wouldn't be prepared to end up in the back of an ambulance for anyone else.

Brennan was speaking to the Racing Post for a major interview in Sunday's newspaper in which he opens up about the torment that came from his lowest moment in the saddle, his desperation to bow out with one more Cheltenham Festival winner before his retirement and his frustration at missing out on a Grade 1 winner just before Christmas.

The 42-year-old jockey was overlooked by O'Brien for the ride in the Long Walk Hurdle on Crambo, who won under Johnny Burke.

"That stung, massively," he said. "Fergal had a massive decision to make and he didn't choose me. I have to respect his decision, but I want to be competing at the very top in the biggest races, and on that day I was on the subs' bench.

"It was two days before Christmas, so it put a bit of a dampener on things. But that's my competitive edge. I'd love to say, 'I don't give a f***, let whoever you want ride him', but 100 per cent I want to be on horses like that. So no, it didn't go down well.

"I'm probably running out of time a little bit and I probably frustrate the hell out of Fergal because I'm in such a hurry to get on these horses and win Grade 1s, whereas he's got the next 25 years so he'll be all right."

It's far from the first disagreement between the pair, with Brennan adding: "They say when you live in Rome you don't argue with the pope, but if that was the case I wouldn't be here anymore because we argue a lot."

Knight Salute: Grade 1 winner under Paddy Brennan in 2022Credit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

However, the bond that goes back to the time the pair both worked for Nigel Twiston-Davies is so strong that Brennan made the decision he would ride only for O'Brien as he nears the end of his outstanding career.

"I made the decision if I was going to end up in the back of the ambulance again, it had to be for Fergal," he said. "As a jump jockey you're going to get injured, that's not something you can ever control, but if I get a fall or an injury, and it was for him, I'd feel a lot better about it.

"Not that I want it or anything. I used to mull it over all the time, but I can't control that. So crack on and if it happens I'll think about it then."

Read more from Paddy Brennan in The Big Read, available in Sunday's newspaper or online for Members' Club Ultimate subscribers from 6pm on Saturday. Click here to sign up.

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