Michael Vincent O'Brien (9 April 1917 – 1 June 2009) was an Irish race horse trainer from Churchtown, County Cork, Ireland.
[2] Soon after his third Grand National triumph, he turned his attention to flat racing, and set up his stables at Ballydoyle, near Cashel, County Tipperary.
For another American, Alice du Pont Mills, he trained the filly Glad Rags who in 1966 gave him his only win in the 1,000 Guineas Stakes.
[3] He was ridden to victory at Epsom by Lester Piggott, who was associated with the Ballydoyle stable during the most successful years of the late sixties and seventies.
Other outstanding flat racehorses trained by Vincent O'Brien include: El Gran Senor, Gladness, Valoris, Pieces of Eight, Long Look, Boucher, Thatch, Lisadell, Abergwaun, Home Guard, Apalachee, Artaius, Try My Best, Cloonlara, Godswalk, Be My Guest, Marinsky, Lady Capulet, Solinus, Jaazeiro, Thatching, Monterverdi, Solford, Bluebird, Lomond, Godetia, Storm Bird, Kings Lake, Caerleon, Law Society, El Prado, Woodstream, Capriciossa, Prince of Birds, Dark Lomond and College Chapel.
Vincent O'Brien retired from training in 1994, four years after winning the 1990 Breeders' Cup Mile at Belmont Park in New York with Royal Academy.
This narrow focus has allowed Aidan to produce a great number of winners from Vincent's first rate bloodline of horses, maintaining Coolmore's status as the leading bloodstock company in the world.
In spring 1960, Vincent O'Brien was banned by the Irish Turf Club until November 1961 when after winning a minor race at the Curragh, the colt Chamour was found to have a minute amount of a substance resembling an amphetamine in his system.
[2] Vincent O'Brien married Jacqueline Wittenoom, from Perth, Australia, in 1951 and had five children, daughters Elizabeth (widow of Kevin McClory), Susan (wife of John Magnier) and Jane (wife of Philip Myerscough); and sons Charles and David who followed in their father's footsteps as trainers, as did Vincent's grandson David Myerscough.
O'Brien's older son, David won The Derby in 1984 with Secreto, beating his father's horse, El Gran Senor, by a short head.