‘I didn’t really have a horsey upbringing,’ explains Fergal O’Brien, in a strong Irish lilt not anglicised by living here for over three decades. ‘My late Dad Bill was a bus driver and Mum Joan was cook. And I got into racing through my older brothers, Brian and David.’ To begin with, Fergal’s life was more hurling than ponies but this shifted towards the latter when he, aged about eleven, got his first pony for Christmas.
‘There was a peat bog not far from us, where my Dad had a bank. I learnt to ride on a donkey that he had for bringing peat from that bog. I was lucky to get that pony and that got me going,’ laughs Fergal.
Loudly and proudly from Ballina in County Tipperary, Fergal steadily climbed up the racing career ladder from stable lad to the successful trainer he is today. From doing his ‘own’ horses during evening stables to forays of riding in races, Ferg served his time in the yards of Captain Tim Forster and Nigel Twiston- Davies. During many years at Twiston-Davies’ as head lad, he oversaw Aintree Grand National winners Earth Summit and Binderee and Cheltenham Gold Cup victor Imperial Commander. Whilst getting to know the ins and outs of horses and racing, he also trained between the flags and in hunter chases, earning the accolade of Champion Trainer in the competitive West Midland area.
Yet, a step further upwards beckoned and Fergal started training professionally in 2011, sending out his first winner that October with Horsham Lad at Carlisle. One of Gloucestershire’s busiest trainers, he initially began training at Cilldara Stud, near Northleach, before returning to his old stomping ground of Twiston-Davies’ top yard near Naunton before, in 2019, moving to the purpose- built training establishment at Ravenswell Farm, near Cheltenham. There are more than a hundred stables, an uphill straight gallop, a round gallop, and a great team of staff.
The first Grade 1 winner Poetic Rhythm, winter days and Horaces Pearl at Aintree
This past winter was the fourth consecutive year that the yard sent out over a hundred winners. Poetic Rhythm was Fergal’s first Grade 1 winner when winning the Challow Novices’ Hurdle in ’17 and Crambo added to the tally when winning the Long Walk Hurdle in December ’23. Chase The Spud won the ’17 Midland Grand National and Fergal has steadily added many a Grade 2 winner, including Accidental Rebel in the ’22 Persian War, Springtime Promise in last year’s Jane Seymore and Horaces Pearl in the bumper at the Aintree Grand National Festival. In autumn ’21, Fergal joined forces with Graeme McPherson. Even though the alliance lasted until April ’23, he still clocked up over a hundred winners when going alone again.
From a previous marriage, Fergal, 51, has daughters Fern, 19, a successful amateur and bursting with knowledge from last season at Willie Mullins’, and Daisy, 17, who is studying at the Cotswold School. He is with ex-jockey and ex-trainer Sally Randell, who is also his assistant trainer, ‘for her sins,’ laughs Fergal. They live near Cheltenham and this winter, it’ll be onto the next hundred winners and beyond.
What’s your first racing memory? My two brothers David and Brian worked for a chap called Andrew McNamara. I remember coming home from school and watching Boreen Prince win the Arkle in 1985, who Andrew McNamara trained.
How did you get into racing? From the age of about nine, I went along with Brian and David, but mainly Brian, into Andrew McNamara’s yard, which was in a little village called Croom in County Limerick, spending the weekends there.
Later on during my school years, I rode out for Matthew Duggan, whose brother had a bookmaker’s and trained a few horses ten miles away from my home.
In 1987-8, I spent my first summer in England. By then, my brother Brian had moved over, working for Richard Francis near Bangor-on-Dee by the racecourse. That's how it all started; I went for a week and stayed for months.
What trainers have you worked for? After that summer spent with Brian, at fifteen, I went back to finish my inter cert, which is the Irish equivalent to GCSEs. I applied to the British Racing School in Newmarket but they couldn't take me until February 1989, so I went there then and did the nine-week course. I was very lucky that Major Griffiths from there sent me to Captain Tim Forster’s, who'd trained three Grand National winners in Well To Do, Ben Nevis and Last Suspect. I was there as a stable lad for three and a half years and the best horse was Pegwell Bay, who did the Paddy Power and Tripleprint Gold Cups double in a season, and Dublin Flyer too. That's where I met Richard ‘Sparky’ Bevis and Richard ‘Tex’ Curran; it's how we all became friends and we’re still friends to this day.
I spent one season with Colin Cowley, who was a private trainer near Wrexham. Colin used to work with Brian at Richard Francis’ so that's how I knew him. I tried to be a jockey but that didn't go well – I had only two rides. It wasn't Colin's fault but my lack of ability.
In about 1992, I then joined Nigel Twiston-Davis’ as a stable lad and I was there eighteen years. During my first year, I was in the ‘grain store’, looking after my horses and the following season, I went to Mrs Jenny Mould’s, where we had a barn and a row of six stables’. I looked after all of roughed-off horses and the six in training. I had two years as a lad then took over as head lad when Kate, who was Nigel’s head girl when I went there, left.
Fergal winning at Andoversford on Petoria Dancer, the thrilled happy connections
and at a long ago Christmas party with Timmy Murphy
Were you ever a jockey? I had those two disastrous rides under Rules. I had fifteen point-to-point rides and two winners for my ex-wife Jelly and owner Caro Mackness on Petoria Dancer.
How did you start training? Nigel was a great man to work for and I had the best job in the world there as head lad, assistant trainer, babysitter, tractor driver and councillor…you name it, I did it. I loved every minute and had a great time. There was great people, good horses and brilliant owners. In the eighteen years I was there, it wasn't all rosy; we had a few bad years and we learnt as much in a bad year as a good year.
I was already training point-to-pointers and hunter chasers from up the road and a change in yard dynamics and my role – maybe, I’d just outgrown it but I did love it there – made me rethink. I never had a real plan to train by myself – I already worked with great horses and people but without all the extra responsibility. Owner Chris Coley said he'd back me so that gave me the opportunity to go out on my own and I started training from Timmy Murphy's Cilldara Stud.
What were your best days as a head lad? The pinnacle of my time at Nigel’s was 2010 with Imperial Commander winning the Gold Cup, Baby Run winning the Foxhunters’
and Pigeon Island winning the Grand Annual for the late Raymond Mould, who was our biggest owner.
Imperial Commander was such a brilliant horse with great owners, headed by Ian Robinson, who always was a fantastic supporter of the yard. It was great to see people like that have a Gold Cup winner, and it was equally as great for us in the yard too.
Favourite racehorses: If I had to pick one it would have to be Ollie Magern. He came to us at Nigel’s and he had awful confirmation. He was turned out, his feet were turned in and he was a pony but he went and gave a hundred per cent every day of his life. After every run, he’d literally lie down for a couple of days because he'd be a little bit sore. Then, trying to give him a quiet day round the roads was impossible because he'd be dancing so much – you just have to get him back on the gallops. He won two Charlie Hall Chases, Grade 1s and round Cheltenham.
Look In The Mirror, who won the Horse And Hound cup for myself and Jelly, was also special.
Favourite racecourse: Cheltenham.
Race you’d most like to win as a trainer: The Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Horse you would have most like to train: Istabraq or Denman.
Racing hero: AP McCoy. To watch him break all those records – he was the ultimate professional. I’ve seen him get injured, limp out of ambulances and still get on another horse, and give it a hundred and ten per cent.
Best days as a trainer so far: That day I had my first winner. Also, giving Fern her first winner on Lord P at Carlisle. When someone's been at your heels from a young age, following you around and then to see her start to do something she really loves and has a passion for. To have followed her through pony racing and ‘pointing, then to get a horse to give her first winner on her first ride. That was a very special day.
Where did the bring-a-cake start? That was all Dr Simon Gillson on social media around the time the Great British Bake Off started on the TV. Dr Simon decided to do a bake off and therefore, open our doors to people who felt they couldn't come to the yard because they didn't know what a horse was or had any access to horses. Twitter was new then so Dr Simon put out a Tweet that anyone could visit the yard if only they bought us a homemade cake. That's where my diabetes and waistline have come from!
What is your favourite flavour of cake? I love Victoria sponge and I despise coffee cake.
What does racing mean to you? Racing is everything to me: my hobby and my profession. If I'm at home, I'll be watching racing. Sally and I, whether we're on holidays or out for a meal, talk about racing. I’m very one-dimensional and boring but racing is everything to me.
Sally and Fergal at Royal Ascot 2018, and all in a day's work with horses and cakes
How has racing changed for the better? Having come in at a low level as stable staff, I can say that pay and all conditions for stable staff have improved. For many years, stable staff were paid low and relied upon because it was their passion – doing it for love of horses was no reason to be paid. Horse welfare on racetracks is second to none, from padded hurdles, wash down hoses to the veterinary care – it's all changed for the better over the last thirty years.
And the worst? If I was being critical, I say the administration body. I don't want to blame the BHA, because they are the easy target but the administration for racing could be better as well as the breakdown of race days. Racecourses have too much power nowadays.
What is your favourite aspect to Ravenswell Farm? The yard has a great feeling with stunning views of the Cotswolds and the gallops are fantastic.
What is the best advice you were given about training racehorses? A very good vet, Alan Walker, who’s still at Stratford Racecourse now, once said to me when I was struggling to get training fees off a man, ‘No man needs to own a racehorse so make sure you get paid’.
Best racing celebration attended: After Imperial Commander’s Gold Cup, we partied for three days.
Favourite meal: Steak and mash.
Favourite drink: I’m a teetotaler so it’s a Coca-Cola.
Favoutire snack: I love all snacks.
Favourite breakfast: Sally’s poached eggs on toast. No one does poached eggs quite as well as Sally.
Favourite music: Country music. I love Garth Brooks and Luke Combs is another favouitre.
Favourite film: Dances With Wolves. When it came out, I was about 19 and went to see it in the Wantage cinema by myself, sitting alone for the whole three and a half hours.
Favourite holiday destination: Ambleside in the Lake District.
Hopes and dreams for the future: To stay solvent and to have something to hand over to my children.
If you weren’t with Sally, who is your ideal celelbritiy date? Julia Roberts.
Other hobbies/interests: I love watching rugby, especially Gloucester on a Friday night. We love walking in the Lake District, from Ambleside or Windermere.
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