Aidan O'Brien

Respect. It really is that simple. If we want to be involved with horses in sport we must treat those animals who give us either our pleasure or livelihood - or both - with decency and dignity. There are rogue elements, of course, but it is how the majority of people involved in horseracing feel and act, be they breeders, owners, trainers, jockeys or fans. Perhaps the most touching embodiment of this was witnessed during a recent visit to Sapporo racecourse in Japan, where there is a shrine alongside the...

City Of Troy (Justify), who bested older horses in the G1 International Stakes at York last out, now holds a rating of 130p by Timeform, three pounds clear of his closest rivals pointing to the GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar in November. The Aidan O'Brien colt, who races for the Coolmore partners, participated in a racecourse gallop at Southwell on Friday. Next on ratings is GI Travers Stakes/GI Florida Derby winner Fierceness (City Of Light) at 127, five pounds better than GI Kentucky Derby third and second Forever...

SOUTHWELL, UK -- It is not often that the eyes of the racing world are on Southwell. The country track had been closed to the public for nine months until early August following extensive flooding, but on Friday it was the place to be as the top-rated horse in Europe, City Of Troy, descended on Nottinghamshire with an entourage akin to a Taylor Swift tour. He even brought his own American starting stalls. And swift is how he looked as he eased clear of the five-strong working party from Ballydoyle,...

Aidan O'Brien is always on edge when Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}--Polished Gem {Ire}, by Danehill) is at the races, but the mighty stayer proved yet again that there is no real cause for concern with a typically straightforward success in Sunday's G1 Irish St Leger at The Curragh. Back in peak form as he had been when first capturing this in 2022, the Moyglare homebred and colour-bearer was the 2-5 favourite to erase the memory of his runner-up placing 12 months ago when not fully recharged following his major injury....

Most were expecting that Aidan O'Brien would be welcoming back a 10th winner of The Curragh's G1 Moyglare Stud Stakes on Sunday and that it would be an unbeaten daughter of Frankel (GB), but few would have predicted that it would be Lake Victoria (Ire) and not Bedtime Story (Ire). Like her deservedly much-vaunted stablemate, Lake Victoria held TDN Rising Star status heading into this seven-furlong test having beaten the re-opposing Red Letter (GB) (Frankel {GB}) on debut over this course and distance in June and gone to Newmarket to...

In an outstanding renewal of Doncaster's G1 St Leger on Saturday, it was the much-missed colossus Galileo (Ire) who had his inimitable stamp on proceedings with his sons Jan Brueghel (Ire) and Illinois (Ire) waging war in a clear demonstration of one of the most common characteristics of his breed. While the eventual winner Jan Brueghel had yet to go into the red zone in a career that only commenced in May, the son of Devoted To You (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) who had already provided a Classic winner in...

Following near-misses in the first three black-type events of this "Super Saturday", Team Ballydoyle restored normal order with TDN Rising Star Diego Velazquez (Ire) (Frankel {GB}--Sweepstake {Ire}, by Acclamation {GB}) in the G2 Solonaway Stakes at Leopardstown. Not seen since beating the subsequent G3 Snow Fairy Fillies Stakes winner Tarawa (Ire) (Shamardal) by seven lengths in the nine-furlong G3 Meld Stakes here due to his intended target at Saratoga being abandoned, the 10-11 favourite was quickly into his stride shadowing the leader. Sent to the front by Ryan Moore approaching...

Ballydoyle's G1 Irish Champion Stakes hero Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) will face seven rivals as he breaks from stall four bidding for back-to-back renewals of the Royal Bahrain-sponsored Leopardstown feature on Saturday. Aidan O'Brien has last year's runner-up Luxembourg (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) engaged with first-time cheekpieces in stall seven, along with the G1 Irish Derby hero Los Angeles (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) in five and pacemaker Hans Andersen (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in six to make up half the field. Ryan Moore sides with Auguste Rodin, while Dylan Browne McMonagle...

Aidan O'Brien has whittled his G1 St Leger team down to three sons of Galileo (Ire) after the final confirmations were made for the Doncaster Classic on Thursday morning. Wayne Lordan will partner the G2 Queen's Vase winner and G1 Grand Prix de Paris runner-up Illinois (Ire), who will be joined as expected by the unbeaten G3 Gordon Stakes-winning TDN Rising Star Jan Brueghel (Ire) and the emphatic G3 Irish St Leger Trial Stakes winner Grosvenor Square (Ire). Jockeys for the latter pair have yet to be announced. Sean Levey...

Aidan O'Brien has never won the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. But it hasn't been from a lack of effort. He's had 13 starters in the race and has run some very good horses, including Galileo (Ire) (Sadler's Wells) and Giant's Causeway (Storm Cat). But his luck could very well change this year as he will take aim at the Classic with one of the best horses of this generation. The O'Brien trained City of Troy (Justify) has had an outstanding campaign in Europe, winning six of seven starts, including four...

Legendary trainer Aidan O'Brien joined this week's TDN Writers' Room to discuss City of Troy and other Breeders' Cup-bound trainees. Plus, we learn he moonlights as a dog sitter.

Fitted with blinkers after two defeats, Ballydoyle's Trinity College (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}--Hermosa {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) took a mighty leap forward at Galway on Tuesday to bring the stable's tally of TDN Rising Stars among its juveniles in 2024 to a dozen. Fourth last time behind fellow TDN Rising Star Hill Road (Quality Road) at Leopardstown, the 10-11 favourite tanked his way to the front soon after the start of the card's opening extended-mile maiden with Wayne Lordan unable to contain him in the first-time headgear. Producing a sustained surge...