Tom O'Brien

Tom O'Brien (born 1986) is a retired British-based Irish jockey who competed in National Hunt racing.

Wexford-born O'Brien began his career in racing by riding out for his uncle Shay Slevin before starting to ride out for another uncle, Aidan O'Brien, where he rode champion horses such as High Chaparral and Rock of Gibraltar. After riding in point-to-points, O'Brien moved to England in 2004 to work at the stable of Philip Hobbs in Minehead, Somerset.

In the 2005/06 season, O'Brien was crowned champion amateur rider with 32 winners, including Captain Corelli in the Tommy Whittle Chase at Haydock Park. He turned professional in June of that year, winning two races at his first professional race meeting. In the 2006/07 season he was champion conditional jockey with 123 wins, a tally that remained his career-best.

In 2007 O'Brien rode McKelvey, trained by Peter Bowen, into second place behind Silver Birch in the Grand National. In the 2008 Grand National, McKelvey unseated O'Brien at the twentieth fence, went on to jump the next fence riderless, fell and was euthanized.

O'Brien achieved his first Cheltenham Festival win in 2009 when he rode Silk Affair to victory in the Fred Winter Juvenile Novices' Handicap Hurdle. He won the Welsh Grand National on Dream Alliance, trained by Hobbs, in 2009 and Elegant Escape, trained by Colin Tizzard, in 2018. He achieved his second Cheltenham Festival win in 2022 on Third Wind in the Pertemps Final.

Cheltenham Festival winners (2) Fred Winter Juvenile Novices' Handicap Hurdle - (1) - Silk Affair (2009) Pertemps Final - (1) - Third Wind (2022)

Major wins Great Britain Challow Novices' Hurdle - (1) - Souffleur (2009) Tolworth Hurdle - (2) - Finian's Oscar (2017), Elixir Du Nutz (2019) Liverpool Hurdle - (1) Thyme Hill (2021) Kauto Star Novices' Chase - (1) - Thyme Hill (2022)