#Tom O'Brien

The exciting Jet Powered lost his unbeaten record in the Coral Racing Club Join For Free'Introductory' Hurdle at Newbury as Jupiter Du Gite recorded a wide margin success at 66/1. Sent off at a prohibitive price, Jet Powered tracked Jupiter Du Gite through the early stages with the field well strung out at halfway. The field closed a little on the…

Hermes Allen was a very easy winner of the Coral Challow Novices' Hurdle at Newbury, to give Paul Nicholls a third successive victory in the Grade One feature. Following on from Bravemansgame and Stage Star, Hermes Allen had to prove he could handle deep ground on this occasion. On paper at least, this year's renewal looked as strong as any in…

Hermes Allen (right): bids to deliver Paul Nicholls a record fifth win in the Challow Hurdle Paul Nicholls believes Hermes Allen has the potential to follow the trajectory of King George star Bravemansgame as he bids for Grade 1 success in Saturday's Coral Challow Novices' Hurdle (3.00). The five-year-old dazzled in Grade 2 company last month at…

Paisley Park won a third Ladbrokes Long Walk Hurdle in the rescheduled 2022 renewal at Kempton. Emma Lavelle's charge wasn't expected to be suited by the switch of venue from Ascot and turning in he was in third as old rival Champ and Goshen duelled up front. However he began to close and once in front going to the last, the race was over. the…

The crowds are about to descend on Aintree - the Grand National is finally upon us. Bookies will hold their collective breaths at 4.15pm, hoping for one of the outsiders to storm to the front and be first past the post. All of the best jockeys have a horse. The departing AP McCoy is on the favourite, Shutthefrontdoor, while Ruby Walsh will be…

Jockey Adam Wedge will miss the Cheltenham Festival next week after sustaining a fracture to his T12 at Newbury on Friday. Wedge won last year's Stayers' Hurdle on Lisnagar Oscar, and is expected to be replaced by Tom O'Brien on Tuesday's Champion Hurdle hope Silver Streak. Trainer Evan Williams said: "Adam has a fracture to his T12 - he did it at…

Kempton hosts an absolutely cracking card on St Stephen's Day as some of the UK's best National Hunt horses do battle. The King George is the feature race of the day at 2.30pm, but it's a cracking support card too with old rivals Champ and Paisley Park set to do battle again in the rearranged Long Walk hurdle before Champion Hurdle favourite…

Well two for Paul Nicholls and with neither Nicky Henderson or the Ditcheat maestro having runners in the feature - he looks firm favourite to take a 13th Trainers' Championship. We had a winner for Ireland - one for Scotland - and one for Wales... Make sure you join Andy Jones and myself for all of the action tomorrow from 10am. The feature race…

Once upon a time, Russell Wilson was an All-ACC quarterback at N.C. State. He also happened to be a fine college baseball player, which his football coach, Tom O'Brien, didn't exactly love. Why? Spring football. If your QB1 is on the diamond, he can't be in the huddle for important offseason practices. Eventually, after three often-marvelous…

The Grand National Festival ends with the world-famous steeplechase today. The three-day race meeting at Aintree began on Thursday, continued on Friday with Ladies Day and will culminate for another year today. Come 5.15 pm on Saturday there will be 70000 on the racecourse for the Grand National and 500 million people watching the racing across the…

A RARE Triple Crown attempt is on the cards for Constitution Hill as racing's most exciting prospect is finally unleashed at Newcastle today. After only three runs, Constitution Hill is just 7lb off officially being more talented than triple Champion Hurdle hero and legend Istabraq - that's why today's Grade 1 event is a'must win' event. Last…

There is a simple but effective example in the Plate of the sort of trends worth noting and those that are stories, which are of use to the casual viewer but not to punters. The link has been made from Celebre D'Allen to Salut Flo and Ballynagour, who both won this race in the same colours early in the 2010s. You would have heard less often that…

The Grand National isn't the most prestigious horse race in the world for nothing. It's an incredibly challenging course, featuring 30 jumps (16 fences, with 14 of those being jumped twice) on the four-mile and two and a half furlong race. But, while safety improvements have been made in recent years, the Grand National remains a challenging task…

Philip Hobbs gave Grade One-winning hurdler Thyme Hill a mark of "eight and a half" out of ten following his decisive success on his debut over fences in the Betway'Future Stars' Silver Bowl Novices' Chase at Exeter. The eight-year-old demonstrated that he could easily be as good over fences as he was hurdles when making his first outing over…

The presence of Bob Olinger and Galopin Des Champs has produced some Cheltenham Festival history as Thursday's four-runner Turners Novices' Chase (1.30) will be the first all-Irish race at the meeting. It is the smallest field at jump racing's showpiece event in almost 30 years and the race's lowest field since introduced in 2011. There were 16…

A pair of individuals who specialise in contrasting areas of expertise brought another incredible week for Irish trainers in Royal Ascot to a breathtaking climax on Saturday. lade Power benefited from a typically no-nonsense Wayne Lordan steer to claim a famous Diamond Jubilee triumph for Eddie Lynam, before Pique Sous excelled under a similarly…