Cheltenham Festival-winning jockey Tom O'Brien dies

Tom O'Brien, the jockey who won the Cheltenham Festival twice, died at the age of 39 after a long battle with cancer. O'Brien retired from riding in April 2023. He won five Grade One races during his career.

O'Brien made his name with trainers Peter Bowen and Philip Hobbs. His 2006/07 season, in which he rode more than 100 winners, heralded his breakthrough. He won his first Grade One race on Souffleur, trained by Bowen, in the 2007 Challow Novices' Hurdle.

In later years he formed a strong partnership with Hobbs' fan favourite Thyme Hill. On that horse he won the 2021 Liverpool Hurdle and the 2022 Kauto Star Novices' Chase. O'Brien also achieved a seemingly impossible victory in the 2009 Welsh Grand National on Dream Alliance. That story inspired the Hollywood film Dream Horse.

Johnson White, who co-trains alongside Hobbs, described O'Brien as a very hard-working, kind-hearted family man. British Horseracing Authority Chief Executive Brant Dunshea said O'Brien was held in great respect across the sport and that his death had been very hard for everyone. Trainer Christian Williams remembered him as a kind, talented and humble gentleman. He leaves behind his wife Hayley and two sons.