O'Brien has had unprecedented success

But the outcome led to another record-breaking weekend for a man who has yet to celebrate a decade in the sport.

A successful riding career, capped by his status as Ireland's amateur champion for the 1993/4 season, was cut short at the age of 23 when he opted to apply for a licence.

It was in jump racing that he first made his mark as a trainer, breaking prize money records in his first season and breaking the record number of wins for a year in only his second campaign.

National Hunt racing did not sufficiently whet his appetite and in 1995 he stepped into the very successful shoes of namesake Vincent O'Brien (the pair are not related).

Invited to take over his yard, his major successes started to come in the 1997 season when he trained the winners of the Irish 1,000 Guineas, the 2,000 Guineas and the Irish Derby.

Next came the challenge of beating the best across the Irish Sea and last year he achieved just that, becoming the first overseas-based trainer since O'Brien Sr to became Britain's leading trainer.

At the start of 2002 the pressure was greater than ever for a man driven by success.

In the previous 12 months he had enjoyed unprecedented success, winning 23 Group One races and moulding some of the world's most imprevious horses in Galileo and two-year-old Johannesburg, which won the Breeder's Cup juvenile.

His thirst for the big wins was not quenched and, prior to this year's Derby, he had already trained winners in the English, French and Irish 2,000 Guineas.