Tom O’Brien, Cheltenham Winner Behind Dream Alliance, Dies at 39

Tom O'Brien, a two-time Cheltenham Festival winner who rode more than 1,000 winners, has died at 39 after a battle with cancer, according to The Mirror and the Irish Mirror. The jockey retired in 2023, and the British Horseracing Authority said the whole of British and Irish racing is mourning him.

Talksport reporter Alex Crook wrote on X that O'Brien died the previous night. His cancer diagnosis became public only days earlier, when fellow jockey Ciaran Gethings dedicated a win at Aintree to him, the Irish Mirror reported.

How O'Brien's career unfolded

O'Brien was born in Clonroche, County Wexford, and moved to Britain from Ireland as a teenager. He was a nephew of Ballydoyle trainer Aidan O'Brien, the Irish Mirror reported. His father, Jim, is Aidan's older brother. These are the milestones the outlets reported:

2004: He rode his first winner at 18.
2006: He was crowned champion amateur.
2007: He was champion conditional jockey, and the Mirror lists a win on Souffleur in the Challow Hurdle that year.
2009: He won the Fred Winter hurdle at Cheltenham on Silk Affair and the Welsh Grand National on Dream Alliance.
2018: He won the Welsh Grand National a second time, on Elegant Escape.
2021: He passed 1,000 career wins and took the Grade One Liverpool Hurdle on Thyme Hill, according to the Irish Mirror.
2022: He won the Pertemps Hurdle at Cheltenham on Third Wind for his second Festival victory.
2023: He retired from racing.

He finished his career with five Grade One wins, and the Mirror reported he also finished second in the Grand National. He was based mainly with trainer Philip Hobbs. The Irish Mirror said he rode for many years as second jockey to four-time champion Richard Johnson there, and that Johnson's retirement opened up more opportunities.

His 2009 Welsh National win on Dream Alliance became the subject of a documentary and a 2020 film starring Toni Collette and Damian Lewis, according to the Irish Mirror.

Tributes from racing

The British Horseracing Authority called his death a “devastating loss” of a friend and colleague. It said it would do everything to support those who knew and loved him, and sent its thoughts to his family.

Broadcasters described him as a gentleman and a humble man. Talksport's Ian Abrahams called him a great, humble man who would be greatly missed. Racing broadcaster Alan Marron recalled his ride on Third Wind in the Pertemps for the Hughie Morrison team. Racing TV presenter Tom Stanley and broadcaster Mike Cattermole also paid tribute. Trainer Christian Leech said O'Brien gave his stable its first Cheltenham winner, on the grey mare Magical Legend.

Gethings had ridden Javert Allen to win the 2-mile handicap chase at Aintree and told ITV Racing he hoped the win had “brought a smile” to O'Brien. He described O'Brien as a very special friend in the weighing room who was going through a tough time.

Why it matters to racing fans and the sport

For racing followers, O'Brien is linked to one of the sport's best-known stories. His ride on Dream Alliance carried the horse's Welsh National win beyond the sport's usual audience through the documentary and film. His career also ran from the amateur ranks to Cheltenham Festival success, and he continued riding until 2023.

The reaction shows how widely he was known in the weighing room, among trainers and among broadcasters, many of whom stressed his character as much as his results.

He leaves his partner, Hayley, and their two sons, Archie and Toby. The BHA referred to Hayley as his wife, while the Mirror described her as his partner. He would have turned 40 at the end of this month, according to the Irish Mirror. Funeral arrangements were not disclosed in the reports.

Around Prague, based on reporting by The Mirror, AOL.co.uk, Irish Mirror

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