Former jockey Tom O'Brien dies aged 39 after cancer diagnosis
Irish jockey Tom O'Brien, who rode more than 1,000 winners during his National Hunt career, has died at the age of 39 following a cancer diagnosis.
FTMQ News, written by our newsroom0 views

Irish jockey Tom O'Brien has died at the age of 39 after being diagnosed with cancer. BBC News, GB News, and The Sun all report his death at 39, with BBC News and The Sun specifying that he died following a battle with cancer. [1][2][5][6]
BBC News reports that O'Brien rode more than 1,000 winners in Britain and Ireland during his career. His achievements include winning two races at the Cheltenham Festival and securing victory in the Welsh Grand National twice. [1][4][6]
O'Brien was the nephew of trainer Aidan O'Brien. BBC News reports that he joined the Minehead operation run by Philip Hobbs as a teenager and remained a mainstay of the stable until he retired from riding in 2023. British Horseracing Authority chief executive Brant Dunshea stated that O'Brien touched countless lives on both sides of the Irish Sea. [1][3]
O'Brien was a British-based Irish jockey who competed in National Hunt racing. [8]
In short
- Jockey Tom O'Brien has died at the age of 39 following a cancer diagnosis.
- O'Brien rode more than 1,000 winners in Britain and Ireland.
- He won the Welsh Grand National twice and earned two victories at the Cheltenham Festival.
- He retired from racing in 2023 after working for trainer Philip Hobbs.
Sources
Every paragraph above points to the numbered items it rests on. Read the originals here.
- [1]Welsh Grand National-winning jockey O'Brien dies aged 39BBC News, 3h ago (the report this story comes from)
- [2]Tom O'Brien: Jockey dies aged 39 after cancer diagnosisBBC, 5h ago
- [3]Johnson and Hobbs Lead Tributes Following Death of Tom O'Brien at 39Thoroughbred Daily News, 4h ago
- [4]Cheltenham Festival-winning jockey Tom O'Brien dies aged 39 as tributes pour inGloucestershire Live, 4h ago
- [5]Cheltenham Festival-winning jockey and dad-of-two Tom O'Brien dies aged 39 after battle with cancerThe Sun, 6h ago
- [6]Tom O'Brien: Welsh Grand National winning jockey dies aged 39GB News, 3h ago
Background
- [7]Michael Sheen on Wikipedia
- [8]Tom O'Brien (jockey) on Wikipedia
- [9]Australian jockey Izzy Neale dies aged 22 after race fall FTMQ News, 3h ago
- [10]Dirty Sanchez star Mike Locke dies aged 47 FTMQ News, 5d ago
Our newsroom writes these reports with the help of software, from the 10 sources listed and nothing else, and checks them against those sources. Facts can still be wrong or move on; the originals are the record. Spotted a mistake? Write to daniel@monsterkong.com.
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