Racing legend Vincent O'Brien dies aged 92

Magic did you get my email?

Will check tomorrow, Dave. I have read Horsetrader twice. The best racing book by a street. It is unputdownable, the first time I read it until I finished it at about 2 in the morning!

Magic its good news, one of our readers has a copy of the autobiography for you, so as they say in the movies "you've got mail".

Excellent! Thanks a mill, Dave.

You can thank Mr Naidoo, I am only the messenger.

Thanks, Mr Naidoo!

Simply the best.

Racing turns out to remember 'hero' O'Brien


CHARLES O'BRIEN bid farewell to his famous father in a moving and at times amusing address to the large congregation at the funeral mass for Vincent O'Brien in St Conleth's Church in Newbridge, County Kildare on Thursday.

At the other end of Newbridge town from the Curragh racecourse where the legendary trainer enjoyed so much success many of racing's biggest names came to pay their tribute to O'Brien who died peacefully at his home in Straffan, County Kildare on Monday at the age of 92.


The address, on behalf of the O'Brien family, came at the end of the ceremony and O'Brien started by saying that he was not going to list all of his father's professional achievements, commenting: "If you do not know them by now then you have probably wandered into the wrong church."

He went on to pick significant years in his father's career and other personal memoriesto be aired included the only two occasions when O'Brien would "lose the plot".

His son recalled: "It would happen every time Lester would come to ride work and he would sit seven lengths instead of a length and a half off the horse he was following and then give his mount a real drive up the hill. It could also happen on the golf course."


Among those in attendance were Sir Michael Stoute, John Gosden - a former assistant at Ballydoyle - Pat Eddery, Sir Peter O'Sullevan, Aidan O'Brien, John Oxx, Jim Bolger, Dermot Weld, Mick Kinane, Johnny Murtagh, Ted Walsh and Denis McCarthy, a former senior steward of the Turf Club and a long time friend of O'Brien.

The president of Ireland Mary McAleese was represented by her aide de camp Capt Murt Larkin while the Taoiseach Brian Cowen was represented by his aide de camp Commandant Michael Treacy.

At the end of his address CharlesO' Brien said: "Many people over the past few days have said that my father was their hero. He was a hero, too, to all the family and we are going to miss him a lot.