Paul O’Brien grew up in Ireland surrounded by horses and ponies, taking part in his local Pony Club, hunting and pony racing. Inspired by riders such as Jason Maguire, AP McCoy and Ruby Walsh, he developed his ambitions in the saddle from an early age. 

After progressing to point-to-points and riding out for Rebecca Curtis during the summers, O’Brien moved to England to join Donald McCain as a conditional jockey. After a year and a half, he returned to Curtis for a spell as conditional jockey before moving on to Colin Tizzard’s Dorset operation. 

O’Brien later joined Charlie Longsdon, for whom he still regularly rides out, before establishing himself as stable jockey to rising trainer Harry Derham. Their partnership has flourished, producing several notable successes, including multiple Grade 2 victories, most notably the Dovecote Novices’ Hurdle at Kempton.