Fergal O’Brien, head lad at Nigel-Twiston Davies’ yard for 16 years, has decided to leave and set up as a trainer in his own right.
O’Brien has already established himself in the local training ranks having been leading point to point trainer in the area for the last three years, and looking set to top the table again this season.
Recently,O’Brien has been sharing head lad duties at Naunton with Richard Bevis due to his point to point commitments.
A major player in the yard’s big successes in recent years, O’Brien’s skills are highly respected by many of the stable’s patrons and by his colleagues. It’s unkown at this stage if any of NTD’s owners will decide to send horses to O’Brien at his new yard, nor if any of the Naunton staff will join him.
This news will come as a blow to Twiston-Davies who recently parted company with stable-jockey Paddy Brennan. The trainer became aware this afternoon that Racing Post reporters were on to the O’Brien story, and the newspaper is expected to run a piece on this tomorrow.
O’Brien will be leaving behind assistant trainer Carl Llewllyn with whom he worked at Captain Tim Forster’s yard, alongside Richard Bevis – his co-head lad at Naunton.
With the John Smith’s Grand National looming for four of the yard’s horses, and the parting with Brennan still fresh in his mind, Nigel Twiston Davies might find this a trying week.
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