Tributes paid to Jacqueline O’Brien (89)

Tributes have been paid to Jacqueline O’Brien, widow of the legendary trainer, Vincent O’Brien, who died in Dublin on Tuesday, aged 89.

Brian Kavanagh, chief executive of Horse Racing Ireland, was among those to pay tributes and said: "It is very poignant on the opening day of Cheltenham, a place that Jacqueline and Vincent were so closely associated with for many years.

“It is a really sad day. She was much more than just the wife of Vincent O’Brien: in her own right she was a fantastic lady - a very talented photographer, very talented fundraiser, philanthropist and a key member of the Ballydoyle team through the golden years.”

Mrs O’Brien married her husband in 1951 after travelling to Ireland from her native Australia.

They had five children, including their youngest son Charles, also a trainer, who is due to run Henry Higgins in Friday's Vincent O'Brien County Hurdle at Cheltenham, a race that commemorates his father who died in 2009, aged 92.