'It was always going to be training and it was always going to be hardship' - meet the former dentist drilling for more Galway glory
Training horses is undoubtedly one of the more volatile vocations one can undertake and not many have experienced the turbulent nature of the profession more than Richard O'Brien.
For the vast majority within the industry, there is little alternative as their enduring devotion to the breed supersedes any notion that their pursuit is financially irrational and will only be rewarded on a sporadic.
O'Brien is a prime example of that and one of those rewards came 12 months ago when he experienced the magic of the Galway winner's enclosure when Last Ammo thundered to an unexpected victory.
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- 'When you don't succeed at something, you learn an awful lot from it - the fear of failing drives you on'
- 'I'm single-handedly trying to bring up my father and it's not going well - I'm 22 and he's still 18'
- ‘No-one knew how good she was - but all the owners and quite a few of my friends did. They absolutely smashed into her’
- 'Short term our priority is to rebuild the trust in the brand' - new chief going 'back to basics' to get owners listened to
- 'He was no star, but they don't have to be stars to be a star to somebody. He's my favourite horse and always will be'
- 'When you don't succeed at something, you learn an awful lot from it - the fear of failing drives you on'