Aidan O'Brien

TOWER OF LONDON (IRE) (c, 4, Galileo {Ire}-Dialafara {Fr}, by Anabaa) gave the Coolmore partners a dramatic, last stride victory under a quality Ryan Moore ride in the 3000-metre $2.5-million G3 Longines Red Sea Turf H. at King Abdulaziz Racecourse on Saturday. It was Moore's 18th ride and first win at the fledgling meeting, and trainer Aidan O'Brien's third runner and first winner, as well. Enemy (GB) (Muhaarar {GB}), who finished second in the 2023 edition, filled that spot again, a head off of the winner. The listed winner blew...

Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has long been a racehorse owner but he has also become immersed in the breeding world since his retirement from football. On Saturday, his homebred Spirit Dancer (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who Ferguson races in partnership with Ged Mason and Peter Done, lines up in the $2-million G2 Howden Neom Turf Cup on the Saudi Cup undercard. The seven-year-old, trained by Richard Fahey, has been wintering in the Middle East, where he won the G2 Bahrain International Trophy in November before finishing fourth in...

Multiple Group 1 winner Luxembourg (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), who was slated to make his dirt debut in the $20-million G1 Saudi Cup later this month, will not run in the 1800-metre main track affair, according to the latest list of probables released by the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia. With Luxembourg's absence, multiple group winner Isolate (Mark Valeski) draws into the main body of the field for trainer Doug Watson and owner RRR Racing. The Coolmore partners' runner, a winner of the 2023 G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup, the 2022 G1...

Unbelievable (Justify), a full-brother to the undefeated Cartier champion 2-year-old colt City of Troy and a veteran of five European starts when racing as Bertinelli for Coolmore and Aidan O'Brien, will become his boom sire's first starter in Hong Kong in the Class 3 Red Packet H. (1600m) at Monday's Chinese New Year meeting at Sha Tin Racecourse. A son of G1 Fillies' Mile winner Together Forever (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), also the dam of Group 3 winner Military Style (War Front) as well as the latter's full-brothers--the Group 2-placed Absolute...

Deep Impact (Jpn), who died in 2019, has to some degree gone out in a blaze of glory with the dual Derby, Irish Champion S. and Breeders' Cup winner Auguste Rodin (Ire) among his final truncated crop of just 14 foals. What then of his old friend, the 12-time champion sire Galileo (Ire), with whom he has blended so well, and members of whose own last crop enter their juvenile season in 2024? There are just 13 Galileo two-year-olds and, according to the Weatherbys' sire report, only one of the...

Kelly Thomas enjoyed a banner year with Vandeek (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), who she bred at her Maywood Stud, going unbeaten in a spellbinding two-year-old campaign that featured Group 1 wins in the Prix Morny and Middle Park S.  In this week's Q&A, Thomas revealed how some people in the industry have shared with her that she has become an inspiration for smaller breeders. She also lifted the lid on her own hopes and dreams for Vandeek this season and explained her philosophy to breeding.  You have had lots to...

Named for the owner, an immigrant from Scotland who realized a Carnegie-kind of American Dream, it began as a 12-furlong turf race. Five years later in 1964 it was cut back to nine and moved to the dirt. The roll call of Donn H. winners through 2016 at Gulfstream Park reflects a roster of unique equine and human personalities, which is peppered with some magnificent performances that shouldn't be forgotten. Hall of Fame jockey Braulio Baeza won his first of three victories in 1969 aboard Funny Fellow and took home...

Aidan O'Brien hailed City Of Troy as the most exciting two-year-old he's trained as the son of Justify was named Europe's champion juvenile for 2023 when the classification was released on Tuesday. He becomes the 13th European champion two-year-old to have been trained by O'Brien, with only Johannesburg (126) achieving a higher rating among the previous 12. A Coolmore homebred out of the G1 Fillies' Mile winner Together Forever (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), City Of Troy went unbeaten in three starts as a two-year-old, culminating with a dominant display when winning...

In Europe, the TDN Rising Stars are awarded by Sean Cronin and Tom Frary, and no amount of begging, bleating or bribery from other members of the editorial team or external forces can persuade this duo to award one if they are not in agreement. Their decisions are based on performance, pedigree and, as the award title suggests, the likelihood of that individual becoming a stakes winner. Today and tomorrow, we bring you 10 TDN Rising Stars of 2023 to follow this year, with the first five having been selected...

Continuing the profiles of the favourite horses of TDN Europe's editorial team in 2023, Tom Frary selects the horse he believes is the best of Aidan O'Brien's nine Derby winners. Sectional timing wasn't around when Dancing Brave tanked down the outer to get within just under a length of Shahrastani in 1986. If it had been, we'd have been able to gauge just how unlucky he was (he was). Maybe if it had been there could also have been a proper assessment of whether El Gran Senor should have prevailed...

City Of Troy (Justify), a winner of the G1 Dewhurst S. and the Cartier Champion 2-Year-Old Colt, will likely not have to contend with stablemate and fellow 'TDN Rising Star' Henry Longfellow (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas, Aidan O'Brien confirmed. The former, all being well, would then head to the G1 Derby at Epsom, while the latter, a winner of the G1 National S., is possible for the G1 Irish 2000 Guineas before a crack at the G1 St James's Palace S. at Royal Ascot in...

Officials at the Hong Kong Jockey Club could offer their devoted fans only limited access to the Longines Hong Kong International Races meeting from 2020 to 2022, a necessity attributable to the Coronavirus outbreak in March 2020, and while the attendance restrictions were gradually eased over the next few years, there were certain parameters and restrictions in place to ensure the show would go on. With things more or less back to normal in the SAR, the patrons--a reported 65,252 of them--poured through the Sha Tin turnstiles Sunday afternoon to...