Joseph O’Brien is a super star in the making

Epsom Derby-winning jockey Joseph O’Brien comes across as a young lad with his priorities firmly in place. Joseph arrived in India in the wee hours of Thursday but he showed his commitment to the profession by turning up for morning track work and was astride several horses. Later in the day he gave a peach of a ride to Pesi Shroff trained Shahenshah which he lost by a neck. Despite this being his first ride in India and in a crowded field, he nursed his horse brilliantly from the wide outside draw. He was beautifully balanced and in the final furlong when Shahenshah seemed to have shot his bolt, he goaded the horse to produce that bit extra before the horse lost in the final strides of the race being ring rusty. Surely his presence enlivened an otherwise drab day’s races. 

 The interest in Joseph is not because he is the son of Ireland’s most powerful trainer Aidan O’Brien and he rides for one of the biggest owners in the world. The boyish-looking jockey is a draw not only because of these factors but also because of the fact that he is the superstar in the making and racing indeed needs such talented people to boost its image. For someone so well placed in life, the temptation would be to take things easy rather than to take up the hard grind of being a professional jockey with its attendant pressures and risks but the 19-year-old Joseph seems to be excelling in the high-pressure job.

 Pesi Shroff was considered as being too tall for a jockey but when Joseph stood next to him in the paddock, he was completely dwarfed! Joseph stands tall like a basketball player and he is a six-footer. Possibly he is the tallest jockey in racing history. He could become one for his achievements as well if the problem with weight does not curtail his career. Does he consider his height to be a disadvantage?

 ``Being short has many advantages in that it helps to maintain weight at an acceptable level. For a jockey, height is not an issue as long legs help in better control of the horses. The problem is more related to maintaining weight.’’ He is right because some of the best jockeys in the world like Lester Piggott and the current reigning British champion Richard Hughes are tall by any standard. 

``I don’t foresee weight as a major issue for continuance as a jockey. I am sure that I will be around for quite a few years. I can say I have targets set for the next five years at least,’’ he added. 

 What was the experience like riding in India where jockeys take time to acclimatize given the fact that our horses are highly strung being confined to their stables most of the day and the jockeys rarely adhere to the virtues of lane discipline? ``It is tough but a jockey has to make the adjustments all the time as he rides in different environments all the time,’’ he said. 

``I am riding Montezuma in the Indian 2000 Guineas. I have worked the horse and he gave me a good feel,’’ he added. Is this just a one-off visit or does he desire to come to ride in India again? ``I am looking forward to riding in India again, possibly in the Indian Derby if the opportunity and the situation warrants.’’ 

 Joseph rode Camelot to a famous win in the Epsom Derby and Irish Derby. Camelot’s bid to win the coveted Triple Crown after Nijinsky achieved this feat way back in 1970 was undone by Encke who recoded an unexpected win. The Ballydoyle colt came up three-quarters of a length short in second place behind the 25-1 outsider Encke. Camelot was thus denied a slice of history. It was another rising star, 21-year-old Mickael Barzalona, who stole the limelight on that day as he seized a decisive lead on Encke less than two furlongs from home.

 ``Camelot had a hard race in the Irish Derby under testing conditions where the going was soft. Perhaps that run had blunted him. He did not give the same response as he did in the Epsom Derby.’’ Surely Joseph is a jockey who thinks on his feet, all the time analyzing what went wrong and what better he could do next time out. 

The demands of riding for a high-pressure stable like his father's could be unnerving even for the most seasoned jockey leave alone a young lad who is yet to step into his 20s. Joseph is a lad blessed with an ideal temperament to handle big race pressures. Among his famous wins which include success in Gr 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf in the USA, he rates his win in the Epsom Derby as the one he covets the most. It was also the first instance of a father-son combination winning the mega event. 

In his early days, Joseph won a bronze medal at the 2009 European Pony Eventing Championships. He rode his first winner on Johann Zoffany, trained by his father, at Leopards Town Racecourse in May 2009. He was Champion Apprentice Jockey in 2011 and Joint Champion Jockey in 2010. He has ridden 217 winners on the flat. In November 2011 at Churchill Downs, USA, Joseph was the youngest jockey ever to win a Breeders Cup World Championship race. It really takes likable superstars to make the sport popular and Joseph surely belongs to this rare breed.

(Joseph O'Brien who became a trainer at Ireland subsequently, is currently the champion trainer in Ireland and has a bag of big race success to his credit).