RIP Vincent O'Brien

granger said:
Oh come on, how petty are you trying to be
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I'm not trying to be petty at all but if you regard it as petty then you're entitled to say so.

The "Doctor O'Brien" thing always struck me as a bit pompous. He wasn't a real doctor, was he? And if I see something that's a bit pompous then I reserve the right to say so.
 
Titles don't particularly bother me.

He was well before my time, but the stories my father and grandfather told of him are far more vivid than any formbook. Absolute legend.
 
Reading one obit today and it said that there was a bit of thinking that his persecution (well, prosecution, really) over CHAMOUR was possibly due to the Jockey Club thinking that anyone whose horses won so prolifically, and at such a sustained high level, might've been up to no good with the substances. Supposedly, a minute trace of methylamphesomething was found in CHAMOUR and he drew a warning-off. Was there a lot of jealousy aimed at him?

The more you just look at the plain stats for his top races, the more astounding they look - well, to me, anyway. Come on - SIX Derbys! And never mind the other Classics and the NH triumphs. Phenomenal. However, no matter how brilliant a trainer he was, one must surely give due credit to his choice of jockey, too, and he was lucky to find possibly The Greatest for the top occasion in his era. Synchronicity all round!
 
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