Rising star of the weighing room
EIGHTEEN-YEAR-OLD amateur jockey Fern O'Brien is proving an exceptional talent in the saddle, despite only finishing her A-levels this year. She is based this season with Irish training legend Willie Mullins, although there are frequent return trips, such as when making her debut over the Cheltenham fences last week on Herewegohoney for her trainer father Fergal O'Brien.
“I'm learning so much and it's so different here - the whole system and the way everything is run,” says Fern, who has ridden winners on the Flat, as well as over obstacles. “My Dad rings me every two days, pretending to see how I am but I think it's more to hear about any new ideas