At the age of 38, the man who had trained Douro Valley and Master O’Reilly is building an extensive training complex at Barwon Heads. Danny O’Brien who has a law and economics degree behind him says that though this is a huge investment, it is the only way to go to reach his dream.

He states that without this investment, he can be compared to a painter with only two colors; one for training on the sand and the other for training on grass. With the investment he compares himself to having a palate of colors that can be used to create something special.

I have found out that his urgency for this dual training venture is because O’Brien knows that within ten years’ time, training will be difficult for those who are not near the top of the tree. And he has no idea of seeing Australian racing ending up like UK racing with the dominance of Godolphin and Coolmore.

He says that though everyone has a chance in Australia, in ten years’ time, it will be the large international stables of Coolmore and Darley who will own the greatest stallions and quality mares. The horses sent to the sale ring will be only the scraps.

And in such a situation, he says, and I also feel that no matter how good a trainer can be, they will never get a chance to win a major race as the best stock ends up in the hands of the elite and select trainers.