Aidan O'Brien

ParisLongchamp's Arc card got underway in style as Ballydoyle's Diamond Necklace swooped to provide St Mark's Basilica with his first Group 1 winner in the Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac. Sent off the favourite for the first of the fixture's six Breeders' Cup "Win And You're In" races, the Listed Ingabelle Stakes winner who is a TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard, was always comfortable and when asked to mow down the Wertheimers' unbeaten Green Spirit (Kingman) did so without any need for the whip. "She's amazing," commented a smitten Christophe...

Thursday saw the all-important draw made for the G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, with the key take-out being the disastrous post position of 17 for the leading Japanese hope Croix Du Nord (Kitasan Black) among the 18 final confirmations. Things didn't get much better for the nation seeking its elusive first Arc, with the Tokyo Yushun winner's wide post compounded by the draw of 15 for the impressive Prix Foy winner Byzantine Dream (Epiphaneia). Some good news finally arrived during the live draw at 11am French time, with...

Nine years since Aidan O'Brien gained the most recent of his two victories in the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, the Ballydoyle trainer has emphasised the importance of Europe's richest race and its standing in the sport as he prepares a two-pronged assault on the 2025 edition at ParisLongchamp on Sunday. Coincidentally, O'Brien endured a nine-year wait to double his Arc tally after Dylan Thomas overcame Youmzain and a prelonged stewards' enquiry to deliver the breakthrough on that nerve-jangling afternoon back in 2007. By contrast, in 2016, when the...

G2 Queen Mary-placed Lennilu (Leinster) has emerged from her Leinster Hollywood Beach Stakes victory in good order and is now on target for a tilt at the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. With her lone career loss coming at the Royal Ascot meeting when she ran third in the aforementioned Group 3, the grey has already defeated the boys--in the Hollywood Beach--and will take them on again at the World Championships as confirmed by trainer Patrick Biancone Sunday morning. "She's doing great. Perfect," said Biancone from Palm Meadows, confirming...

In the week that Wootton Bassett was lost, one of his many TDN Rising Stars Dorset demonstrated the void that he will leave for the industry in Saturday's Goffs Million. Fourth in the Vincent O'Brien National Stakes earlier this month, the 17-2 shot had some of the best form in the line-up and was sent to the front by apprentice Jack Cleary before halfway. Staying on stoutly in the closing stages, the grey relative of Winter secured the prize by 1 1/4 lengths from the Ivan Furtado-trained 28-1 outsider August...

Things may not have worked out for her in the Phoenix Stakes, but Ballydoyle's True Love (No Nay Never) came good at the second attempt at the highest level in Saturday's G1 Tattersalls Sceptre Sessions Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket. Too strong for compatriot Havana Anna (Havana Grey) from 1 1/2 furlongs down, the 2-1 favourite stayed on strongly for Wayne Lordan to prevail by 3/4 of a length, with a length back to Royal Fixation (Palace Pier) in third. "She's a big filly, very fast and like a big...

Classic winner Scandinavia will not travel Down Under for a G1 Melbourne Cup engagement in November, trainer Aidan O'Brien revealed. The son of Justify, fresh off consecutive victories in the G1 Goodwood Cup and the G1 St Leger, will head to winter quarters instead with an eye to Royal Ascot's G1 Gold Cup in June. O'Brien told the PA news agency of the Coolmore partners' runner, "He's not going [to Australia], he's finished for the year and will be trained for the Gold Cup next year." Placed twice from three...

Following the news earlier in the day of his sire's untimely passing, Aidan O'Brien trainee Straight Up (Wootton Bassett) delivered a poignant win for Flaxman Stables and the Coolmore partners in Tuesday's WTW Willis Irish EBF Maiden at Listowel. Stalking the pace in second for most of the seven-furlong contest, the 9-4 favourite inched ahead approaching the final furlong and drew off late to assert by three lengths from King Of Sparta (Dubawi). "To do that without a prior run was a very good performance and Wayne [Lordan] was delighted...

There was much consternation when only three new Flat stallions retired to stand in Britain for the 2025 season. It remains to be seen whether this was a blip, but if it becomes a trend then obviously it is cause for concern. It is easy to understand why, in an increasingly commercial sphere, breeders would either flock to the proven elite (for those with mares good enough and pockets deep enough) or to the next first-season sire on the block who may be forgiven for a year or two until...

As it had 12 months ago, The Curragh's G1 Moyglare Stud Stakes went to Ballydoyle but not to their first string as Precise (Starspangledbanner) emulated Lake Victoria to emerge best of the stable trio under Ronan Whelan. Like Bedtime Story last year, the even-money favourite Composing (Wootton Bassett) cut out the running but faded late, leaving it to Precise and Beautify (Wootton Bassett) to fight out the finish with the former the stronger by 3/4 of a length. "I didn't jump as cleanly as I would have liked, but she...

Capping another red-letter day for Coolmore and Team Ballydoyle and a memorable one for Christophe Soumillon, Delacroix (Dubawi) justified favouritism in style in Leopardstown's G1 Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes. He also punched his ticket to the GI Breeders' Cup Turf at Del Mar on November 1. Sent off the well-supported 2-1 market-leader, the Eclipse hero sat a way off the strong pace before delivering a jaw-dropping killer kick between the three and the two as if he had just jumped in. In command before his chief rival Anmaat (Awtaad)...

There was a moment in the closing stages of Doncaster's G1 St Leger on Saturday that summed up the state of affairs at Coolmore in this pivotal era. As Galileo's final Classic runner Stay True loomed to Justify's Scandinavia, the Classic briefly looked in the balance but it was ultimately the son of the operation's heir apparent and not of the departed giant who earned the statement win. At the line, Tom Marquand had secured a neck success for Aidan O'Brien's third in succession and ninth overall in this prize...