Powell Joins Joseph O’Brien’s Team

[Wandering Eyes]

Recently-retired trainer Brendan Powell is looking forward to a new chapter after revealing he is to join Joseph O’Brien’s powerful team. The rider of 1988 Grand National hero Rhyme ‘N’ Reason (GB) (Kemal {Fr}), Powell announced on Tuesday he was handing in his training licence. However, it has not taken the 59-year-old long to find himself a new job–confirming on Sky Sports Racing’s Racing Debate programme on Sunday that he is set to return to Ireland for what he described as a “fantastic opportunity”.

Powell said, “I’ve been to Ireland a couple of times in the last month or six weeks and I popped into Joseph O’Brien’s a few times. I went over there again on Friday and I’m going to go and join him. Joseph has a big yard and he’s going places. I’ve had a few mornings there and it’s fantastically run with great staff. Joseph, I think, wants to spend more time in the yard, so I’m going do a lot of the racing and hopefully look after some owners and syndicates.

“I’ll be in the yard on a morning–hopefully when the horses are schooling. There’ll be a lot of travelling and a lot of racing especially, which I do enjoy. It looks a fantastic opportunity. I never thought I’d go back to Ireland to live, as much as I love it there, because I’ve been here since 1977. I’ve got to an age now when I need to do something where the pressure is off. I’m really looking forward to it.”

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