Nick Luck Daily Ep 1656 – Former top rider Tom O’Brien dies aged 39

The programme begins with the very sad news that former jockey Tom O’Brien, a multiple Grade 1 winner and Cheltenham Festival winner, has died aged just 39. Johnson White, who worked alongside Tom for around two decades at Philip Hobbs and Johnson White’s yard, pays tribute to “the life and soul of any get-together”, and Oli Bell, who joins Nick for today’s show, remembers a loyal stalwart of the weighing room. Baroness Minette Batters, chair of the Horse Welfare Board, tells Nick about last night’s reception at the Houses of Parliament to launch the board’s new five-year welfare plan, with traceability and wearable technology at its heart. Tom Bellamy explains what happened at Huntingdon yesterday, when the final race was void after Blues Singer was withdrawn at the start, and gives an update on White Noise. From Bahrain, Henry de Bromhead talks about his first runner in the kingdom and his strong team for Cheltenham this weekend, and Mr Araci’s racing manager discusses Glacius’s chances in Friday’s Bahrain International Trophy and Libertango’s 1,000 Guineas plans. Mini Mac’s three wins for James Owen secure a share of ARC’s first all-weather bonus, Jim McGrath reports on Saffie Osborne’s promising start in Hong Kong, and Goffs chief executive Henry Beeby previews the new Chicquita Session.