Big Gossey, the nine-year-old grey gelding trained by Charles O'Brien, has become a financial lifeline for assistant trainer and part-owner Gary O'Brien, helping him meet monthly mortgage payments. The horse, a fan favourite at the Curragh, recorded his tenth victory at the track on Irish Derby Day in the Listed Dash Stakes, pushing his career earnings past £500,000.
Emotional Victory
Following the win, Big Gossey was named the World Pool Moment of the Day, earning his stable a €4,500 prize. Gary O'Brien collected the cheque and gave an emotional interview to RacingTV. “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.”
O'Brien, who has worked with horses since age 15 and with legends like Vincent O'Brien, Wayne Lukas, and Michael Dickinson, expressed deep gratitude. “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.”
Financial Relief
O'Brien revealed the horse's impact on his family's finances. “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 added, “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.”
Fan Favourite
Big Gossey has also captured the hearts of racegoers. “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,” O'Brien noted.
The victory qualifies Big Gossey for the World Pool Moment Of The Year competition, with the team in line to win a VIP trip for four to Hong Kong next year if his win is voted the best moment of the 2026 season.
