O'Brien looks set to challenge Mullins?

[BillyHills]

Joseph O'Brien has made a great start to his training career and news broke today that he looks set to have a big impact over jumps this season and could well eventually be a threat to the Mullins domination.

From the Racing Post:

JOSEPH O'BRIEN has been made a 5-2 shot with Paddy Power to train the winner of the JCB Triumph Hurdle in March after reports he has received an influx of well-bred three-year-olds off the Flat from father Aidan.

Leading the team of gelded code-switchers is Ladbrokes St Leger third Housesofparliament, who has been installed the firm's 16-1 favourite for the juvenile showpiece at the Cheltenham Festival.

In a major overhaul at the top of the Triumph market, Sword Fighter, Bhutan, Landofhopeandglory and The Major General have been inserted at 20-1 with Tree Of Knowledge and Triplicate 25-1, Big Ben, Cook Islands and Unicorn 33-1 and Immortal Bridge 50-1.

O'Brien, who started training in June with a team split "almost 50-50" between Flat and National Hunt, is embarking on his first jumps season but gained all the plaudits for masterminding last term's Triumph success for Ivanovich Gorbatov, who won under his father's name.

Paddy Power spokesman Paul Binfield: "This huge injection of well-bred three-year-olds from his father into Joseph's yard bodes extremely well for a second successive Triumph Hurdle win and if just three or four of them take to obstacles, he could even become a threat to Willie Mullins or Gordon Elliott for champion Irish jumps trainer in the very near future."

Very interesting ......