The big days matter too. O'Brien has won 14 top-level races across his career, landing them at some of the most demanding venues in the sport — Cheltenham, Kempton Park, and Aintree among them. A Class 1 win at Cheltenham in March 2025, followed by a winner at Kempton on Boxing Day 2024, shows a trainer who turns up when the spotlight is brightest. Those 14 top-level wins in just four seasons is a remarkable return for someone still relatively new to the job.
Look a little closer and a few interesting patterns emerge. On wet or muddy ground, O'Brien's runners win 29 times from 115 races — that is 25%, or roughly 1 in every 4. When conditions get tough, his horses tend to thrive rather than struggle, which points to a yard that prepares its horses thoroughly for whatever the weather throws at them. At Ballinrobe specifically, he has sent out 5 winners from just 16 runners, making it one of his most productive hunting grounds relative to how often he pitches up there.
The partnership with jockey Dylan Browne McMonagle is worth highlighting. Across 341 rides together, they have combined for 64 wins — a win rate of 19%, or nearly 1 in every 5. That is the kind of number that tells you two people have developed a real understanding of how to get the best out of a horse together. When McMonagle climbs aboard an O'Brien-trained runner, there is good reason to pay attention.
The Al Haarith partnership has not clicked yet — three races together, no wins — but in the context of a career already built on 691 winners and 14 top-level victories, that is a minor footnote rather than a concern. O'Brien is four years in, and already operating at a level most trainers never reach.
| Course | Races | Wins | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Curragh | 174 | 20 | 11.5% |
| Dundalk | 145 | 21 | 14.5% |
| Gowran Park | 88 | 15 | 17.0% |
| Leopardstown | 84 | 13 | 15.5% |
| Naas | 64 | 8 | 12.5% |
| Galway | 55 | 4 | 7.3% |
| Cork | 50 | 6 | 12% |
| Killarney | 42 | 9 | 21.4% |
| Navan | 39 | 5 | 12.8% |
| Roscommon | 31 | 7 | 22.6% |
| Listowel | 31 | 5 | 16.1% |
| Tipperary | 27 | 2 | 7.4% |
| Fairyhouse | 24 | 5 | 20.8% |
| Down Royal | 23 | 6 | 26.1% |
| Bellewstown | 23 | 5 | 21.7% |
| Thurles | 21 | 2 | 9.5% |
| Limerick | 19 | 4 | 21.1% |
| Punchestown | 19 | 2 | 10.5% |
| Cheltenham | 17 | 1 | 5.9% |
| Ballinrobe | 16 | 5 | 31.2% |
| Sligo | 12 | 1 | 8.3% |
| Aintree | 7 | 2 | 28.6% |
| Chester | 6 | 1 | 16.7% |
| Goodwood | 5 | 1 | 20% |
| Clonmel | 4 | 1 | 25% |
| Wexford | 3 | 1 | 33.3% |
| Tramore | 3 | 1 | 33.3% |
| Newmarket | 3 | 0 | 0% |
| Lingfield Park | 2 | 1 | 50% |
| Laytown | 2 | 0 | 0% |
| meydan | 2 | 0 | 0% |
| sha_tin | 2 | 0 | 0% |
| Sandown Park | 2 | 0 | 0% |
| Ascot | 2 | 0 | 0% |
| Uttoxeter | 1 | 1 | 100% |
| Nottingham | 1 | 1 | 100% |
| Southwell | 1 | 1 | 100% |
| Cartmel | 1 | 1 | 100% |
| Newton Abbot | 1 | 1 | 100% |
| Hamilton Park | 1 | 1 | 100% |
| Pontefract | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Chepstow | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Kilbeggan | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Wolverhampton | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Haydock Park | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Newcastle | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Redcar | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| York | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Ayr | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Kempton Park | 1 | 0 | 0% |