Aidan O'Brien

Ten horses remain in contention for Sunday's Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby, including six trained by Aidan O'Brien at Ballydoyle. Only one other Irish trainer, Ger Lyons, has a colt still engaged in the race, while the three potential travellers from Britain are led by the James Fanshawe-trained Ambiente Friendly (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}), who was runner-up to City Of Troy in the Derby and has been supplemented for the Irish Classic. "He took Epsom well," said Fanshawe of his charge who will aim to go one better at the Curragh...

Royal Ascot was tremendous in myriad ways. Sun up, crowd up, and a spread of results which drew in some of the world's biggest owners and trainers alongside syndicates and smaller yards. Then on Sunday morning came the news that QIPCO is to significantly reduce its sponsorship of British racing from next year. British Champions Day will still be run in its name, and the company owned by Sheikhs Hamad and Fahad Al Thani will remain as an official partner of Ascot racecourse, but Newmarket's Guineas meeting, Ascot's King George...

Six winners across the week saw Coolmore, Aidan O'Brien and Ryan Moore sweep the leading owner, trainer and jockey titles at Royal Ascot for a second successive year. O'Brien received a thirteenth leading trainer award at Royal Ascot and increased his lead as the most successful current trainer at the meeting, ending the week on 91 career victories. Moore, crowned leading jockey at the meeting for an eleventh time, surpassed Frankie Dettori as the most successful current jockey at Royal Ascot. His career haul of 85 places him second on...

Isle Of Jura (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) stormed to a memorable Hardwicke victory on Saturday to provide trainer George Scott and rider Callum Shepherd with a breakthrough Royal Ascot success. The win was a timely one for Shepherd, who endured a hammer blow when losing the ride aboard Ambiente Friendly (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}), who would go on to finish second in the Derby.  Naturally, Shepherd was overcome with emotion after crossing the winning line in front aboard Isle Of Jura, who is owned by Bahrain's Victorious Racing and racked up...

Turning the Listed Chesham Stakes into her own Royal Ascot procession on Saturday, Ballydoyle's TDN Rising Star Bedtime Story (Ire) (Frankel {GB}--Mecca's Angel {Ire}, by Dark Angel {Ire}) recorded the widest-margin win of the week by some way to enter the 2025 Classic conversation. Content to follow the leaders in the group racing up the centre, the 11-8 favourite who had won a Leopardstown maiden earlier this month was let loose by Ryan Moore two out and surged clear for an emphatic 9 1/2-length success. Pentle Bay (Ire) (New Bay...

You can keep your fashionistas, foodies, royal processions and Group 1 races. Give me the scenes that followed the success of Crystal Black (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) in the Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes any day of the week instead.  Win, lose or draw, the Wear A Pink Ribbon Syndicate who own Crystal Black came to Ascot for a party. Boy did their rapidly progressive gelding provide them with something to celebrate and the scenes that followed his success for the father and son team of Gerry and Colin Keane will go...

Coolmore's G3 Naas Fillies Sprint victrix Fairy Godmother (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}--Scintilating {GB}, by Siyouni {Fr}) looked booked for the also-ran slots in Friday's G3 Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot, but unleashed a spectacular burst inside the final furlong to double her pattern-race tally in impressive fashion. The 425,000gns October Book 1 yearling and well-backed 15-8 favourite raced off the pace, nestled in the pack, through halfway in this straight six-furlong dash. Bustled along passing the quarter-mile marker, she made an exaggerated manoeuvre to the stands' side approaching the...

When Aidan O'Brien resurrected City Of Troy (Justify) to win the Derby, he was rightly hailed as a genius. Sadly, it didn't take long for that piece of brilliance to be overshadowed by an expose-style documentary carried out by Ireland's national broadcaster [RTE] which concentrated on horses being sent to slaughter.  Admittedly, the documentary featured mostly non-thoroughbreds but the build-up and reaction to the programme has dominated the mainstream coverage of this sport in recent times. Not O'Brien's moment of magic that arguably should have been celebrated more than it...

ASCOT, UK -- It takes a good one to overcome adversity, and there can be no argument brooked when it comes to the talent of Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). It is writ large in form figures which predominantly feature the figure 1. But those bare statistics frame a year-long gap in which the horse was missing in action, with those around him fearing the worst as he battled to overcome an infection in a hind joint which nearly claimed his life.  "I saw him all the way through it and...

While copper has its origins in his moniker, Ballydoyle's star stayer Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}--Polished Gem {Ire}, by Danehill) was all gold after adding to his 2022 triumph in a thrilling renewal of Thursday's G1 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot, becoming the first to regain his crown in the 2 1/2-mile contest since Kayf Tara (GB) (Sadler's Wells) did so at the turn of the century. His one-length victory provided Aidan O'Brien with a record-extending ninth edition, while Ryan Moore, now on four, remains some way shy of Lester Piggott's...

Securing the outright record of Royal Ascot winners, Ryan Moore was at his determined best to win a war of attrition on Ballydoyle's Port Fairy (Ire) (Australia {GB}--Fabulae {Ire}, by Fastnet Rock {Aus}) in the G2 Ribblesdale Stakes. Not seen since finishing runner-up in the Listed Cheshire Oaks last month, the product of the Whisperview breeding operation was the pick of Moore of the stable pair and was prominently-placed from the outset. Temporarily swamped two out by the smooth-travelling Lava Stream (Ire) (Too Darn Hot {GB}), the 12-1 shot stayed...

Saturday's G1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot will see a field of 14 sprinters line up in an open-looking renewal which includes last year's surprise winner Khaadem (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}). Jamie Spencer, who partnered that Charles Hills-trained 80-1 shot 12 months ago, will instead be on Fitri Hay's other runner Mitbaahy (Ire) (Profitable {Ire}) from the same stable following his success in The Curragh's G2 Greenlands Stakes last month. Peter Harris's G2 1895 Duke of York Stakes winner Mill Stream (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}) represents the Jane...