New era dawns for the O’Brien family

The name Joseph O’Brien may not have been on the card, but Ivanovich Gorbatov’s win in the Triumph Hurdle heralded the dawn a new era for the O’Brien family as the former flat horse gave the soon-to-be official trainer, son of Ballydoyle supremo Aidan, his first Festival success.

The 22-year-old, whose short but successful career as a jockey yielded Classics on both sides of the Irish Sea and two Irish champion jockey titles, recently announced his retirement from the saddle to concentrate on his training career.

And O’Brien Jnr, who hopes to earn his full training licence in June, could hardly have made a greater impact, inflicting a rare reverse on a Willie Mullins filly at Cheltenham this week, as his horse beat Apple’s Jade in a thrilling finish.