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Galway Profile – Val O Brien E-mail
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Wednesday, 25 July 2007
Name: Val O Brien
Occupation: Horse Trainer
Location: Athenry
Favourite thing about Galway: It’s nice and central for travelling to race meetings
Worst thing about Galway: It’s very hard to lose at the Galway Races when you’re from down the road!

Athenry man Val O Brien, whose stables are located six miles from Athenry town, has had enjoyed some memorable times at the Galway Races over the last number of years and is greatly looking forward to this year’s racing festival.

Val first became involved in horse training when he worked for Tom Draper in Co. Dublin in the 60s and 70s. He then went on to set up his own stables in 1985. Twenty-two years later, it is still going strong.

Val was thrilled last year when he took the first two races on the Saturday card at the Galway Races with Galway regular Half Barrell and Gerranjo, whom he trains for his wife Bernadette. Half Barrell is a specialist of the Galway course and is one to keep an eye on this year. The 15-year-old beat the odds to land the Low Low Galway Blazers Handicap Chase at last year’s Galway Races and claimed his fifth official win at Ballybrit.

The stables’ horses have recently come back into form with Barna Dream victorious in the Michael Burke Auctioneers Handicap Chase at Ballinrobe in June and the trainer is optimistic about his chances this year.

“It’s great to have a winner or two at Galway. It is a festival meeting and they are the kind of races that you want to win. I’m looking forward to it now. My main runners this year would be Western Bound, Janey Lad and the Half Barrell and I would be fairly optimistic about my chances. We have had a far bit of luck there before, so hopefully that will continue,” he says.

A day in the life of a horse trainer is a very busy one. Val begins his day at 7.30am, exercising the horses before bringing them out to meetings around the county. He usually finishes in the evening at about 4.30pm but says that he is never off duty.

“You don’t really have any spare time when you are training horses. It’s like any sport really: you have to be dedicated. You have good days and bad days. I suppose the best thing about the job is when you win and the worst is when you lose!” he says.

The Galway Races will run from Monday 30 June to Sunday 5 June at the Ballybrit Racecourse, with many of Ireland’s top jockeys and trainers taking part. The festival will kick off at 5.10pm with the GPT Sligo Novice Hurdle.


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