Aidan O'Brien

A total of 25 colts remain in the June 7 £1.5-million G1 Betfred Derby (In Honour of His Highness Aga Khan IV) at the latest scratching stage. Part of a seven-strong Irish-trained contingent is The Lion In Winter (Sea The Stars), who is still the narrow 5-2 favourite, for Aidan O'Brien and the Coolmore partners, despite running sixth in the G2 Dante Stakes behind 4-1 chance Pride Of Arras (New Bay), who is trained by Ralph Beckett. Other colts carrying the Coolmore partners' colours include G3 Leopardstown's G3 Derby Trial...

Aidan O'Brien has issued an upbeat bulletin on star stayer Kyprios following his Saval Beg Stakes victory at Leopardstown on Friday evening. The seven-year-old claimed a third success in the Group 3 contest, with the dual Gold Cup winner seemingly well on course for another trip to Royal Ascot. However, O'Brien expressed some concern about the horse's movement leaving the winner's enclosure, saying Kyprios was "moving a little bit gingerly in front". He has subsequently been checked over and was reported to be sound on Saturday morning. O'Brien, quoted on...

Aidan O'Brien trainee Gstaad (Starspangledbanner), a 450,000gns Tattersalls December foal and half-brother to G1 Prix Morny and G1 Middle Park Stakes hero Vandeek (Havana Grey), made a winning debut in Saturday's Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden at Navan. The 7-1 chance produced a determined effort to deny stablemate True Love (No Nay Never) by 3/4-of-a-length nearing the line in the six-furlong contest.   NOT the finishing order the market expected 450,000gns Starspangledbanner colt , a half-brother to Vandeek, makes a winning start to his career by getting up late on...

As he likes to do in his Royal Ascot warm-ups, Ballydoyle's undisputed champion Kyprios gave the long odds-on backers enough of a scare to shorten their lifespan prior to just doing what he does and winning. Taking part in Friday's G3 Saval Beg Levmoss Stakes to keep his eye in more than anything, the 7-year-old sauntered around Leopardstown under Ryan Moore, made it look hard work for a few strides heading to the last furlong before extending sufficiently to wrap up a third renewal. At the line, the 1-14 shot...

Leopardstown's opener on Friday is always a maiden marked out by the big yards and there was again the hint of the beginning of something as Ballydoyle's Italy gained TDN Rising Star status. All the rage at 4-9 for the extended seven-furlong contest, Wootton Bassett's half-brother to the deeply promising Bowmark who had won at York minutes earlier was settled behind the leading duo by Wayne Lordan throughout the initial stages. Sent after Thesecretadversary passing two out, the relative of the Derby hero Serpentine collared that son of St Mark's...

Relishing the step up to an extended 10 furlongs on Wednesday, Ballydoyle's Whirl dominated York's G3 Tattersalls Musidora Stakes to continue Aidan O'Brien's remarkable run in the Classic Trials. Sixth on her seasonal bow in what could prove her final run at a mile in The Curragh's G3 Park Express Stakes, the daughter of Wootton Bassett from the family of Galileo's Hydrangea, Hermosa and The United States raced prominently from the outset off the strong tempo before being committed with three furlongs to race. Giving generously for Ryan Moore, last...

It was tight at the end of Killarney's opener on Tuesday, but Ballydoyle's $1.25million Keeneland September graduate Gun Carriage held on to break his maiden. Third on debut behind stablemate Stay True over 10 furlongs at Leopardstown last month, the son of Gun Runner whose triple Graded-Stakes-placed dam Special Event is a half to the GII Swaps Stakes winner Chief Havoc was always on the front end. Battling against the rail to ward off Standard Deviation, the 11-10 favourite had a nose to spare over that son of Invincible Spirit...

Wednesday, York, post time: 15:13, 1895 DUKE OF YORK CLIPPER STAKES-G2, £150,000, 3yo/up, 6fT Field: Elite Status (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), Inisherin (GB) (Shamardal), Kerdos (Ire) (Profitable {Ire}), Marshman (GB) (Harry Angel {Ire}), Night Raider (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), Royal Zabeel (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}), Flora Of Bermuda (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), Rage Of Bamby (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}). TDN Verdict: There is still plenty of time for Night Raider to justify his early TDN Rising Star tag, particularly having dominated Newcastle's Listed Golden Rose Stakes on only his third start...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-bred horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Tuesday's Observations features a Ballydoyle runner having his second career start. 5.20 Killarney, Mdn, €14,500, 3yo, c/g, 8f 31yT GUN CARRIAGE (Gun Runner) is a key runner for Ballydoyle as he bids to build on his solid debut effort over 10 furlongs when third to stablemate Stay True at...

Just minutes after stablemate Henri Matisse (Wootton Bassett) secured G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains glory in France, Aidan O'Brien nominee and TDN Rising Star Delacroix (Dubawi) laid his Classic credentials on the line in Leopardstown's G3 Cashel Palace Hotel Derby Trial Stakes and passed with flying colours, registering a 2 3/4-length triumph in the 10-furlong test. Last seen annexing March's G3 Ballysax Stakes over the Foxrock venue's same mile-and-a-quarter strip, the 1-3 favourite accepted a tow from stablemate Rock Of Cashel (Wootton Bassett) and raced second after breaking on the...

Representatives of Wootton Bassett's first Coolmore crop continued their plunder of elite-level contests with last term's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf hero Henri Matisse doubling his tally at the top table and registering a narrow victory, in track-record time, from Juddmonte's TDN Rising Star Jonquil (Lope De Vega) in Sunday's G1 Emirates Poule d'Essai des Poulains at ParisLongchamp. The 12-5 favourite was positioned many lengths off the tempo as a group of five stole a march on the remainder of the field through halfway. Bustled along to reduce arrears upon...

Continuing Ballydoyle's clean sweep of the week's Derby and Oaks trials, Saxon Warrior's Garden Of Eden stepped up to the mark in Saturday's Listed Darley Irish EBF Naas Oaks Trial Stakes. Up from a mile for the first time, last year's Listed Ingabelle Stakes runner-up relished the extra two furlongs and 84 yards as she swooped inside the final furlong under Ben Coen to score by a length from Mehmas's Jaliyah. "Obviously I was running her over the wrong trip, she wanted to go further," Aidan O'Brien said. "Saxon Warrior...