Aidan O'Brien

It's a Grade I bonanza Saturday afternoon at Saratoga Race Course, as the track plays host to a trio of elite-level races--short and long, turf and dirt. The richest of the three events is the $1-million Whitney Stakes, offering the winner a fees-paid berth into the GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar on the first Saturday of November. National Treasure (Quality Road) is the 9-5 favorite on David Aragona's morning line and can further tighten his grip on the handicap division with a victory. The $500,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling...

Introduced in the same seven-furlong Goodwood maiden on Thursday that Ballydoyle won with Rhododendron (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in 2016, Dreamy (Ire) (American Pharoah--Tapestry {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) became the latest to fly the flag for the Rosegreen stable in a largely fruitful week. Bred by Flaxman Stables and Coolmore and carrying the famed colours of the Niarchos Family, the daughter of the G1 Yorkshire Oaks heroine qas quickly away from her high draw before being settled in fourth by Ryan Moore. Taking her time to build in the closing stages,...

The once-beaten Cinderella's Dream (GB) (Shamardal) will look to give Godolphin a third winner in the five-year history of the GII Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Oaks Invitational Stakes as she bids to add to her latest success in the GI Belmont Oaks Invitational over the same mile-and-three-sixteenths journey July 6. The homebred ran the table in the first four starts of her career, a pair of victories at two followed by two more this season at Meydan, including a jaw-dropping score in the Listed Jumeirah 1000 Guineas Mar. 2 that defies any...

Aidan O'Brien knew he still had a top-class filly on his hands despite Opera Singer (Justify--Liscanna {re}, by Sadler's Wells) missing out on all the early-season mile monuments and the late Evie Stockwell's homebred who had wowed in the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac duly delivered up in trip in Thursday's G1 Qatar Nassau Stakes at Goodwood. Able to control the 10-furlong contest from the front throughout, the 9-4 second favourite really turned it on passing the three-furlong pole and had to be brave late as the 16-1 shot See The...

Coolmore and Westerberg's 'TDN Rising Star' Jan Brueghel (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}--Devoted To You {Ire}, by Danehill Dancer {Ire}) followed up an eighth-length debut tally at the Curragh with a black-type breakthrough back there in June's G3 International Stakes and, penalised three pounds for his narrow success in the latter, dipped into deep reserves to maintain his perfect record with a battling performance in Thursday's G3 John Pearce Racing Gordon Stakes at Goodwood. The 4-5 favourite allowed this track's Listed Cocked Hat Stakes victor Meydaan (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) establish a clear...

Like stablemate Henry Longfellow (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), there is a sense that Ballydoyle's Opera Singer (Justify) is only just beginning to get her season underway as she steps up to a mile and a quarter for the first time in Thursday's G1 Qatar Nassau Stakes at Goodwood. Reportedly ring-rusty when third in the G1 Irish 1,000 Guineas at The Curragh and looking in need of further than a mile when runner-up in Royal Ascot's G1 Coronation Stakes, last year's impressive G1 Prix Marcel Boussac heroine has the opportunity to truly...

After the withdrawal of leading 3-year-old miler Rosallion (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}), Wednesday's G1 Qatar Sussex Stakes at Goodwood has suddenly and drastically changed shape with the race's two main protagonists now fairly equally-rated sons of Dubawi (Ire). If the 3-year-olds hold sway over their three older rivals as the betting suggests in this GI Breeders' Cup Mile qualifier, this will come down to a good old-fashioned Coolmore-Godolphin face-off between Aidan O'Brien's Henry Longfellow (Ire) and Charlie Appleby's Notable Speech (GB). Both TDN Rising Stars with contrasting profiles, they have...

The Galway Festival's seven-furlong fillies' maiden on the Tuesday card has proved a rich font of budding luminaries and Ballydoyle's Bubbling (Ire) (No Nay Never--Lumiere Noire {Fr}, by Dashing Blade {GB}) looked no exception as she became the stable's latest TDN Rising Star. Fourth behind the stable's subsequent G3 Silver Flash Stakes runner-up Exactly (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) on debut at Leopardstown earlier this month, the full-sister to the G1 2,000 Guineas runner-up Wichita (Ire) travelled with ease under Wayne Lordan stalking the early pace. Sent forward to take control a...

All the drama involving Ballydoyle's Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}--Polished Gem {Ire}, by Danehill) hopefully seems to be firmly in the past as the monster stayer returned to the Sussex Downs for a second G1 Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup, setting a new track record to put the cherry on top. Sent up by Ryan Moore to keep tabs on the cat-and-mouse leading duo from the outset, the 8-13 favourite needed niggling at various stages to close the gap but quickly responded each time and by the time he found himself in...

Coolmore and Westerberg's G1 Irish 1000 Guineas and G1 Coronation Stakes placegetter Opera Singer (Justify) and supplementary entry Emily Upjohn (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) are the leading lights left after 10 of 12 overnight nominees stood their ground for Thursday's G1 Qatar Nassau Stakes. Opera Singer, last term's impressive G1 Prix Marcel Boussac winner, is on course to make her first start beyond the one-mile distance while it will be dual Group 1 winner Emily Upjohn's first visit to the Sussex Downs venue. The latter's Team Gosden stablemate Inspiral...

Ballydoyle's miracle horse Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) is back at the scene of one of his finest hours on Tuesday as he descends on the Sussex Downs for another tilt at the G1 Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup. Denied a follow-up to his memorable 2022 success over Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) due to last year's potentially catastrophic injury, the Moyglare homebred announced his return from the brink and how with another dynamic display to win a second G1 Gold Cup at the Royal meeting last month. It could be...

Putting an indifferent debut effort at The Curragh firmly behind him, Ballydoyle's Rock Of Cashel (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}--Best In The World {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) made all to take the often-informative seven-furlong maiden on the opening card of the Galway festival and become the stable's latest TDN Rising Star. Only eighth as the 7-4 favourite in the Barronstown Stud Maiden on Irish Derby day, the half-brother to the brilliant Snowfall (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) was quickly away under Wayne Lordan and placed straight on the front end. Harrassed throughout,...