Aidan O'Brien

Achieving the formidable feat of winning the G2 Queen Mary Stakes, G1 Cheveley Park Stakes and G1 1,000 Guineas, Ballydoyle's True Love (No Nay Never) entered hallowed territory at Newmarket on Sunday. Sent off at 5-1, the second-string for Aidan O'Brien was always travelling like the winner stalking the strongest pace among the stand's-side group and when sent by Wayne Lordan swamped Evolutionist (Night Of Thunder) to beat that rival by 1 3/4 lengths. Venetian Lace (Masar) made it a one-two-three for the Group 1 fillies in the line-up, another...

Ballydoyle's Precise (Starspangledbanner) will face 18 peers in Sunday's G1 Betfred 1000 Guineas at Newmarket, with Ryan Moore set to partner the Moyglare Stud Stakes and Fillies' Mile winner for the first time. She is drawn two for the mile Classic, with one of her chief rivals Venetian Sun (Starman) next door in stall one furthest away from the stands' rail. Tony Bloom and Ian McAleavy's Prix Morny winner is one of two in the race for Karl Burke, with her regular rider Clifford Lee maintaining the partnership. Burke's other runner...

Bow Echo (Night Of Thunder) will face 14 rivals as he carries the silks of the late Sheikh Mohammed Obaid in Saturday's G1 Betfred 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket. Unbeaten at two, the George Boughey-trained G2 Royal Lodge Stakes winner is the current favourite under Billy Loughnane who is looking for a first Classic victory, with that position at the head of the market not guaranteed now that Ballydoyle and Godolphin's plans are confirmed. Bow Echo was drawn on the wing in 15 nearest the stand's rail, the position of last...

Monday's Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden - over a trip 15 yards shy of six furlongs at Naas - has an honour roll featuring multiple Group 1 winners Fairyland (Kodiac) and Alpha Centauri (Mastercraftsman), who earned their Rising Star rosettes here. This year's renewal went the way of Aidan O'Brien trainee Victorious (Wootton Bassett), who became her sire's 19th TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard, when displaying an array of gears and posting an impressive 1 3/4-length tally for the Coolmore and Westerberg partnership. "She's a lovely filly, but...

The Aidan O'Brien-trained Gstaad has been supplemented back into the Betfred 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket at a cost of £30,000. Along with Albert Einstein, he had been incorrectly scratched from the race earlier this month due to an administration error.  While Albert Einstein remains an absentee, Gstaad is one of four Ballydoyle contenders in contention at Monday's confirmation stage, with dual Group 1 winner Puerto Rico, Causeway and Flushing Meadows also on the list of 20 colts still in the mix. On his Guineas squad, O'Brien said, "The current thinking...

Following the example of stablemate Charles Darwin in the preceding race at Navan on Saturday, Scandinavia (Justify) kept to the script when making a winning return in the Listed Vintage Crop Stakes. Sent off the 11-10 favourite for the 14-furlong contest used by Ballydoyle for many years for their star stayers such as Kyprios, Order Of St George and Yeats, last year's St Leger and Goodwood Cup hero waited behind the leading duo early. Sent forward by Ryan Moore to gain the edge approaching the furlong pole, the leading player...

Off the track since taking the Norfolk at Royal Ascot, Ballydoyle's Charles Darwin (No Nay Never) returned to continue the winning sequence in Saturday's Listed Irish Stallion Farms EBF Committed Stakes at Navan. Asked to head the field by Ryan Moore under a five-pound penalty, the 4-11 favourite was a sitting duck throughout the near-six-furlong contest but answered every call to register a 1 1/4-length verdict over the Curragh maiden winner Silk Braid (Invincible Army) from the Ger Lyons stable. "It was good to get him started. He's a bull...

Derby favourite Benvenuto Cellini (Frankel) is set to follow the same path to Epsom as last year's Classic hero, Lambourn (Australia), by contesting next month's G3 Chester Vase on the Roodee. Aidan O'Brien had been eyeing the Blue Riband Trial at Epsom as a stepping stone to the Derby for Benvenuto Cellini, who is a general 6/1 shot for the premier Classic after winning two of his four starts as a two-year-old, notably landing the G2 Champions Juvenile Stakes at Leopardstown, before finishing third in the G1 Futurity Trophy at...

Puerto Rico (Wootton Bassett) is likely for the G1 2000 Guineas with Gstaad (Starspangledbanner) eyeing the French equivalent, according to trainer Aidan O'Brien. A start for Saturday's G3 Greenham Stakes third Albert Einstein (Wootton Bassett) is still undecided. Puerto Rico has won his last three starts, with tallies in the G2 Champagne Stakes, the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere and the G1 Criterium International. A winner of the G2 Coventry Stakes and the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, Gstaad was also second in a trio of Group 1s: the Prix Morny,...

All the rage for Sunday's six-furlong maiden at The Curragh, Ballydoyle's Great Barrier Reef (No Nay Never) proved the buzz was spot-on with a command performance to become the first two-year-old of the 2026 crop to become a TDN Rising Star, Presented by Hagyard. Always travelling easily tracking the pace under Ryan Moore, the 4-9 favourite loomed on the front end approaching the furlong pole and opened up for a six-length success from the 100-1 outsider Ischgl (Inns Of Court). He is the second colt to sport the title for Coolmore, with...

He may look like a sprinter and act like a sprinter, but there is obviously something about the way Albert Einstein (Wootton Bassett) operates at Ballydoyle that makes it hard for those who know him to leave a 2,000 Guineas attempt alone. Luckily for us purists, that reticence to rule out the mile sees him steered to Newbury to add much spice to Saturday's G3 Watership Down Stud Too Darn Hot Greenham Stakes. Defeat here will almost certainly extinguish all hope of going to Newmarket in a fortnight, but unfortunately...

Making his 2026 debut on Wednesday, Ballydoyle's The Lion In Winter (Sea The Stars) enjoyed a long overdue confidence-boosting win in Leopardstown's Listed Irish Stallion Farms EBF Heritage Stakes. Allowed to stride forward from the break by Wayne Lordan, the 11-10 favourite took control two out and saw out the mile test strongly to prevail by half a length from stablemate Expanded (Wootton Bassett). "We're delighted with him and he was just ready to start," Aidan O'Brien said. "The plan was to come here and then go to the Lockinge....