Big Gossey’s remarkable Curragh career was taken to another level when he landed a 10th course success in Sunday’s Listed Dash Stakes, which also saw him named as winner of the World Pool Moment of the Day on Irish Derby Day.
The Charles O’Brien team won a cool €4,500 prize for their charge’s inspired win, and assistant trainer and part-owner of the evergreen nine-year-old, Gary O’Brien, was on hand to accept the winner’s cheque on behalf of the yard.
O’Brien praises ‘emotional’ win
In what became an emotional interview, O’Brien, who also rides the horse every day and has done so since the horse was a juvenile, told Racing TV’s Kevin O’Ryan what Big Gossey’s win meant to him.
“It’s brilliant. I am absolutely over the moon,” O’Brien said.
“I’m pinching myself every time I come here because you’re half expecting him not to perform as well as he did today because he’s getting older, but he’s just an incredible horse.
“I’ve been working with horses all my life since I was 15 years of age. I’ve worked with some brilliant people, the likes of Vincent O’Brien, Wayne Lukas, Michael Dickinson – three geniuses.
“I’ve ridden champions for those guys, but for me, to come back to Ireland and to end up with a horse like Big Gossey, coming here to this hallowed turf at the Curragh and doing what he’s doing, it’s so emotional.”
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Helping with the bills
O’Brien added: “Big Gossey has done so much for our family. We didn’t have to be looking over our shoulders to see where the mortgage money was coming from since he’s been around.
“We’d have struggled month-to-month to pay our mortgage in the beginning with the three kids, but not since we got him winning. He’s taken so much weight off our shoulders.
“He’s given us so many good days. There aren’t words that would describe how much we love this horse. I could talk about him all day. I just love him.
“It’s unreal how the people have taken to this horse too. They love him. I’m sure they love him because a lot of people are punters and they put their money on this horse and they seldom don’t collect.
“To win the World Pool Moment of the Day is great. It’s fantastic that all the team behind this horse will get a few quid – Big Gossey is just one who keeps on giving.”
Big Gossey now has a place in the World Pool Moment of the Year competition, with the O’Brien team in the running to win a VIP trip for four to Hong Kong next year should Big Gossey’s victory be chosen as the best moment of the 2026 season.
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Michael Davey 
Simon Wilkes