The big occasions have not fazed him either. O'Brien has won 20 top-level races in his career so far, at some of the most prestigious venues in British racing — Cheltenham, Aintree, and Sandown Park among them. These are not minor footnotes; Class 1 races represent the absolute pinnacle of the sport in Britain, the equivalent of a footballer winning at Wembley. His most recent came at Market Rasen in January 2026, following a Class 1 success at Newbury back in March 2025. He also landed a race at Sandown Park on 31 January 2026, continuing a pattern of winning at the tracks that matter most.
When the ground dries out, O'Brien becomes especially dangerous. On fast, dry ground his runners win 6 from every 20 races — a 30% win rate that is more than double his already-solid overall figure. That kind of jump tells you something important: either he picks his targets carefully when conditions suit, or his horses simply thrive with a firmer surface underfoot. Either way, it is worth paying attention when his runners appear on a dry summer's day.
His most reliable weapon on the track has been jockey Jonathan Burke, who has ridden 39 winners from 253 races for the yard — winning at 15%, or just over 1 in every 6 rides. That volume of rides speaks to a genuine working partnership rather than an occasional arrangement, and the results back it up. Not every combination clicks quite so well — his pairing with Madame De Labrunie has produced nothing from four attempts — but even the best yards have a few that refuse to cooperate.
Five hundred and twenty winners in four years, twenty at the top level, and still building. O'Brien is not a trainer to follow eventually. He is one to follow now.
| Course | Races | Wins | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uttoxeter | 59 | 10 | 16.9% |
| Market Rasen | 38 | 11 | 28.9% |
| Huntingdon | 37 | 6 | 16.2% |
| Ludlow | 32 | 7 | 21.9% |
| Southwell | 32 | 3 | 9.4% |
| Taunton | 28 | 1 | 3.6% |
| Warwick | 27 | 2 | 7.4% |
| Cheltenham | 25 | 3 | 12% |
| Worcester | 24 | 2 | 8.3% |
| Wolverhampton | 22 | 6 | 27.3% |
| Kempton Park | 21 | 2 | 9.5% |
| Bangor-on-Dee | 21 | 0 | 0% |
| Chepstow | 19 | 3 | 15.8% |
| hereford | 19 | 0 | 0% |
| Exeter | 17 | 2 | 11.8% |
| Newbury | 16 | 1 | 6.2% |
| Stratford-on-Avon | 14 | 5 | 35.7% |
| Doncaster | 12 | 0 | 0% |
| Lingfield Park | 11 | 2 | 18.2% |
| Sandown Park | 11 | 1 | 9.1% |
| Newton Abbot | 10 | 1 | 10% |
| Leicester | 10 | 1 | 10% |
| Ascot | 10 | 0 | 0% |
| Ffos Las | 9 | 1 | 11.1% |
| Aintree | 8 | 2 | 25% |
| Haydock Park | 8 | 2 | 25% |
| Wincanton | 8 | 2 | 25% |
| Plumpton | 8 | 1 | 12.5% |
| Fontwell Park | 7 | 2 | 28.6% |
| Windsor | 7 | 2 | 28.6% |
| Carlisle | 7 | 0 | 0% |
| Wetherby | 6 | 0 | 0% |
| Sedgefield | 5 | 2 | 40% |
| Catterick Bridge | 5 | 1 | 20% |
| Fakenham | 5 | 1 | 20% |
| Perth | 5 | 0 | 0% |
| Newcastle | 4 | 1 | 25% |
| Ayr | 3 | 3 | 100% |
| Kelso | 3 | 0 | 0% |
| Nottingham | 3 | 0 | 0% |
| Pontefract | 2 | 1 | 50% |
| Cartmel | 2 | 0 | 0% |
| Musselburgh | 2 | 0 | 0% |
| Punchestown | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Salisbury | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Leopardstown | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Galway | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| York | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| chelmsford | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Hexham | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Brighton | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Chester | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Bath | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Great Yarmouth | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Newmarket | 1 | 0 | 0% |