Joseph O'Brien Q and A: DRF runners, Cheltenham plans and more

O’Brien: It's one of the main focuses of the national hunt season in the UK and Ireland. It has huge appeal nationally and also internationally and it attracts top attendances.

Arguably it has the most stacked and deepest fields of top-level national races at any festival all year.

It's one that we really focus on as a destination and one that we really focus on having runners at and trying to have winners at for our ownership groups.

The races are so competitive. Every year you see horses who win there turning up and winning at the big festivals.

But also, horses that get beaten at the DRF turn up and win at the big Spring festivals. That shows the depth and the strength of the competition there.

The prize money is also very good, and it compares very well with a lot of the Spring festivals.

It would be great if some more UK trainers decided to come over, I believe some have and there are a few that are likely to come this year. But in a way, some of the races are even more stacked than in some of the later festivals.

It looks as though we'll have probably seven or eight runners over the weekend. We have one on Saturday and then a few more on Sunday. We'll be well enough represented with some live contenders. Some of those contenders are in some of the Grade Ones, which is obviously what it's all about. And then, we have some contenders on the undercards as well.

The plan is to run in the Novice Hurdle on the Sunday. He had a lovely run in Leopardstown at Christmas and he's had a good preparation since then.

We think he's a horse that is going to be capable of remaining competitive in Grade One races this year. 

Leopardstown is probably going to guide us where we go in the spring and whether that be one of the Cheltenham races or whether that be to wait and go to Aintree, that's an option as well. I think Leopardstown will guide us towards what the right step is next for him.

My gut feeling would be that he probably would be sticking to two miles for the season.

That would probably be my gut feeling at this stage, but that's obviously open to change and obviously open to having a discussion with the ownership as well.

He's entered for the Dublin Chase. He is a tough horse. All the talk is all about Marine Nationale all the time, but he keeps bumping into Solness!

All he can do is go out and do his thing and that's what he does.

He doesn't fuss too much about it or talk too much about it, but he's a very tough, solid Grade One horse.

He's particularly good in Leopardstown. Marine Nationale obviously is a great horse too, but I don't think it's unreasonable to think we have a realistic chance to beat him again.

I'd say the most likely scenario would be that he'd stick to two miles, you know, but his options will be kept open.

The plan is for him to run in that. He ran into a bit of traffic in-running last time. He’s won a good race on the Flat in the meantime. He's a horse that will continue to pop up in those good prize money handicap worlds.

They're all intended runners. Duke Silver is a course and distance winner from Christmas time. Carried with Love, Shoda and Galileo Dame are all going to run in the Mares’ race. I don't think any of them will be favourites, but I think they all are in there with a shot to try and get a share of what's very good prize money.

We absolutely did and he's been very well. All of these options remain on the table for the Spring. Some of the other ones you mentioned, a lot of them would have to run somewhere between now and Cheltenham again.

At the moment all their Cheltenham options are just entries - they are things that are on the table to be discussed closer to time.

The ground will probably dictate a lot and also he could wait for Aintree too because he's won at Aintree in the past and seems to like that track. All of those things will be discussed closer to the time with Ronnie Bartlett, his owner.

Potentially the Triumph Hurdle, but he has other options as well in the Fred Winter too. The plan would be that he would appear somewhere at Cheltenham. But all to be discussed closer to the time.

We always go to those festivals hopefully with two outcomes; one is that we all come home, man and beast come home in one piece and we can win a big race you know what I mean?

We're going there to compete to win and as you rightly say, the horses and jockeys come home safe. That’s what those big race meetings are all about.

Nicky Henderson has probably the best record of bringing horses back from what would you call a crossroads in their careers.

He obviously feels that that is what he needs at this stage and I certainly wouldn't be one to second guess him. I don't think there's anyone better in the world at bringing a horse back from a blip in their career. I'm sure some confidence will do the horse good.

Sure, and wouldn't it be fantastic for racing, for Michael Buckley, his owner and for Nicky and for all of the team and everyone that are involved in the horse and for racing in general if we did. You just never know what might happen.

Confidence for men and beasts is important, and I suppose for all athletes.

It's so different for horses.

Whoever Nicky has a relationship with I'm sure will be the person to get the job and I'm a bit far away from the hands on to be able to have an opinion on that.

For sure. Harry's obviously been riding at the top of his game for a few years and it's a huge opportunity for him. Obviously JP has got a lovely team of horses at the moment, so it's a huge job for anyone.

Sure, we're very lucky that we have the support of JP with some horses and the likes of Puturhandstogether going to Leopardstown next weekend.

He’s a top rider and he's a young man and it's a huge opportunity for him. We’ve been very lucky to have had plenty of big winners that Mark Walsh has rode for JP during his tenure.

And I'm sure he'll ride plenty more big winners for him through the rest of the season and who knows what happens from there. Two top men and two top riders you know.

No, as always, we just focus on our own horses and doing the best for our horses and for our owners. The rest of it looks after itself.

I suppose, Galopins Des Champs! Having gone back to Cheltenham and won a few Gold Cups, to have a horse like that I suppose, in the National Hunt game, that's the ultimate performance and that's the ultimate race.

He's a special horse for his owners and for obviously for Willie Mullins.

I suppose in so far as the up-and-coming horses, Talk The Talk looks like the obvious one of the novices this generation. Hopefully he's a horse that can have a good career if he can stay sound and have normal luck in training over the next few years.