Aidan O'Brien

Ballydoyle's form in the Classic trials maintained its formidable momentum on Saturday with a one-two in the Listed Lingfield Derby Trial. At the line, the 4-5 favourite and Ryan Moore's pick Puppet Master had a short head to spare over Stay True in the extended 11-furlong contest, with neither stablemate giving an inch. Camelot's Puppet Master, who had been fourth in the G2 Royal Lodge Stakes and in the G3 Ballysax Stakes on his return, had been forced to battle his way past Stay True, one of the last crop...

Coolmore and Westerberg's hitherto unraced Albert Einstein (Wootton Bassett) had received favourable reports in recent dispatches from Ballydoyle and justified his lofty reputation with a TDN Rising Star performance going just shy of six furlongs in Saturday's Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden at Naas. The January-foaled bay's potential was reflected in the betting market and he headed postward as a rock-solid 1-2 favourite for this Royal Ascot stepping stone. Shadowing the pace set by 9-4 market rival Evening Blues (Blue Point) after a professional exit, he quickened smartly to challenge...

With just two overmatched rivals in opposition, Aidan O'Brien trainee Giselle's superior form and class told as the daughter of Frankel overcame Lingfield's Epsom-style intricacies, delivering a facile nine-length success in the track's William Hill-sponsored Listed Oaks Trial on Saturday. Last term's G3 Staffordstown Stud Stakes third and 3-10 pick was a shade keen racing third in a first-time hood through the initial stages of this seasonal debut. Negotiating the downhill section and taking closer order in the home straight, she seized control approaching the quarter-mile marker and bounded clear...

Connections of the runners in Sunday's Poule d'Essai des Pouliches will be able to breathe a sigh of relief when they look around the ParisLongchamp paddock and discover that the Godolphin blue is nowhere to be seen. Their domination of the early-season Classics, on both sides of the Atlantic, had to end somewhere, though it may not be in the Poule d'Essai des Poulains which precedes the fillies' equivalent. The red-hot combination that is Charlie Appleby and William Buick will be represented there by last year's G2 Vintage Stakes winner...

There wasn't a great deal left for Aidan O'Brien to achieve at Chester's marquee May Festival, but Thursday saw him register another historic feat as he completed an unprecedented clean sweep of the opening two day's black-type events. Already responsible for the winners of the G3 Chester Vase, Listed Cheshire Oaks and Listed Dee Stakes, all ridden by Ryan Moore, he was able to fulfil the quota with Illinois in the G3 Ormonde Stakes. Sent off the 6-5 favourite having his first start of the season under a five-pound penalty,...

Aidan O'Brien trainee Mount Kilimanjaro (Siyouni) needed every yard of Thursday's Listed Boodles Raindance Dee Stakes and continued the Ballydoyle maestro's dominance of this year's Chester Cup meeting with a seventh win in eight renewals, and a record-breaking 12th overall, in the extended 10-furlong contest. Last year's Criterium d'Automne winner and G1 Criterium International runner-up broke well and settled in fifth passing the judge first time, but slipped to sixth at halfway. Coming under pressure with a quarter-mile remaining, the even-money favourite was under a full Ryan Moore pump thereafter...

Thursday, Chester, post time: 15:05, LADBROKES BIG-VALUE YOU CAN BET ON ORMONDE STAKES-G3, £140,000, 4yo/up, 13f 84yT Field: Illinois (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Al Qareem (Ire) (Awtaad {Ire}), Absurde (Fr) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), Mondo Man (GB) (Mondialiste {Ire}), Mount Atlas (GB) (Masar {Ire}), Roaring Legend (Fr) (Roaring Lion). TDN Verdict: Aidan O'Brien is gradually taking control of this May Festival as Barry Hills once did and he could have the outright record in this race if Illinois makes last year's form count. Responsible for six winners so far, the master of...

Chester's May Festival is all about Ballydoyle these days and they were at it again on Wednesday's opening fixture with Lambourn bringing up a feature-race double in the G3 Chester Vase. Like the yard's preceding Cheshire Oaks winner Minnie Hauk, the G3 Ballysax Stakes runner-up was well-supported and with Ryan Moore able to gain a prominent pitch behind the leading pair soon after the start the writing was already on the wall. In the end, it was the Charlie Johnston-trained G3 Prix de Conde winner Lazy Griff who had most to say about...

Entering Wednesday's Listed Cheshire Oaks with great expectations, Ballydoyle's €1.85 million 2023 Goffs Orby Book 1 topper Minnie Hauk duly delivered to enter the Oaks picture. Sent off the 13-8 favourite for the extended 11-furlong trial for that Epsom Classic, the daughter of Frankel tended to race a touch lazily behind the pace-setter Queen Of Thieves but was able to answer every call from Ryan Moore to take command inside the final three furlongs. Sticking to her task in the home straight, the relative of Kingman and Oasis Dream had a length to...

Returning to the scene of his G1 Irish Derby triumph, Ballydoyle's Los Angeles got his 4-year-old campaign off to a flyer in Monday's G2 Coolmore Stud City Of Troy Irish EBF Mooresbridge Stakes at The Curragh. Tracking the pace in second under Ryan Moore, the son of Camelot who was sent off the 10-11 favourite took over approaching the furlong pole and stayed on grimly to deny last year's winner White Birch by a neck. "He's a lovely big honest horse. When he gets there he doesn't do much, but...

In what is teed up to be a potentially stellar renewal of Newmarket's G1 Betfred 1,000 Guineas on Sunday, Godolphin's TDN Rising Star Desert Flower and Ballydoyle's TDN Rising Star Lake Victoria head a cast of ten. As in the 2,000 Guineas, Aidan O'Brien has just one contender in the unbeaten triple top-level-winning daughter of Frankel, having withdrawn his other three entries including Bedtime Story and Exactly, and her meeting with the Charlie Appleby-trained G1 Fillies' Mile-winning daughter of Night Of Thunder is one to relish. Other notables include another Frankel special in Juddmonte's...

Twain (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) is a doubtful runner in Saturday's Betfred 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket due to an unsatisfactory scope, Coolmore revealed on Tuesday. "Following his work this morning, Twain (Wootton Bassett) didn't scope 100% so is unlikely to run in the 2,000 Guineas @NewmarketRace and may now be aimed at the Irish 2,000 Guineas instead," read a statement posted to X by Coolmore (@coolmorestud). "Expanded (Wootton Bassett) is likely to be @Ballydoyle's only runner in the 2,000 Guineas on Saturday." Unbeaten in two starts as a juvenile, including...