Aidan O'Brien

Aidan O'Brien's 3-year-olds were described as a "strong" group by the trainer on Monday and there was further proof of that at Navan 48 hours later as the yard took the two maidens including the closer with Drumroll (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), a full-brother to the G1 2000 Guineas and G1 Racing Post Trophy hero Saxon Warrior (Jpn). Slowly away and forced to play catch-up for much of the Vintage Crop Raceday April 22nd Maiden over a mile, the 13-2 shot stuck to his guns late on as the leaders...

Aidan O'Brien opened the gates of Ballydoyle to the Irish press on Monday morning. It was at this event 12 months ago where the trainer nominated Little Big Bear as being his two-year-old to follow for the year ahead. Without major prompting, O'Brien selected another No Nay Never colt, a brother to Sioux Nation who goes by the name of Alabama, as being the one to keep the right side of this season. He also went into detail about his main Classic contenders and older horses, all of which can...

Aidan O'Brien has nominated Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), the ante-post favourite for the 2000 Guineas and the Derby, as being the horse who is most capable of emulating Nijinsky by winning the Triple Crown this season.  If successful, Auguste Rodin would bridge a 53-year gap, and complete a long-held ambition for the master of Ballydoyle, who came agonisingly close to achieving the feat with Camelot (GB) in 2013. Auguste Rodin is understood to have come out of an exercise gallop at the Curragh racecourse on Saturday in good...

After the Mar. 7 scratching stage, 83 horses remain signed on for the 2023 G1 Derby at Epsom Downs on Saturday, June 3. Worth £1.5 million, the 1 1/2-mile contest is the richest race in Britain. Of the 83, 45 are trained in Ireland and of that number, 29 are trained by Ballydoyle supremo Aidan O'Brien for various Coolmore partnerships. Top of the heap are Deep Impact (Jpn)'s G1 Vertem Futurity Trophy hero Auguste Rodin (Jpn) and the late Shadai kingpin's son's Victoria Road (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}). The last-named...

Coolmore and Westerberg's 3-year-old colt Cairo (Ire) (Quality Road--Cuff {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}), a multiple Classic entry, justified long odds-on favouritism with a comfortable success in Friday's one-mile Listed Patton S. at Dundalk. The homebred bay followed up an August maiden win at the Curragh with a second in the Co. Louth venue's Sept. 30 Listed Star Appeal S. and closed his juvenile campaign with a 2 3/4-length triumph in October's G3 Killavullan S. at Leopardstown. The eventual winner, Aidan O'Brien's first domestic runner of the year, was sharply into...

Alberto Sanna had twice previously won Qatar's biggest and richest race, the HH The Amir Trophy, but he could not contain his emotions after putting a perfect steer on former Ballydoyle inmate and now Hong Kong-based Russian Emperor (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) to take Saturday's US$2.5-million event in Doha. Sanna was himself part of the ultra-competitive collection of riders in Hong Kong for two seasons, but managed a strike rate of just 4.6%. To make matters worse, he was handed a 10-meeting suspension in late 2019 and his Hong Kong license...

Group winner Stone Age (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) has been leased to Jassim Mohamed J D Al-Darwish for his run in Saturday's His Highness The Amir Trophy in Qatar. A winner of the G3 Derby Trial at Leopardstown at three for a Coolmore partnership and Aidan O'Brien, the 4-year-old has placed three times at the highest level, including the G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud at two, and the GI Belmont Derby Invitational S. and GI Breeders' Cup Turf last year. He enters the 2400-metre event on the back of a fifth-place effort...

It's early-February and already the Flat enthusiasts are getting excited about what stallion will end the season as champion first-season sire. A futile exercise, one would have thought? Not a bit of it. Even the greatest handlers of young stock, Malcolm Bastard, Alan McCabe, Joseph O'Brien, Conor Hoban and Dick Brabazon, men who know better than most the folly that comes with predicting 2-year-old talent, are keen to have their say on which up-and-coming stallion can make the biggest splash this season.  O'Brien is sticking loyal to Ten Sovereigns (Ire)...

Defending G1 Dubai World Cup hero Country Grammer (Tonalist) is one of over 1,600 entries, including 892 individual horses from 21 countries, entered in the $30.5-million Dubai World Cup night card. The featured event, sponsored by Emirates Airline, attracted 171 entries. Of the 24 Group or Grade 1 winners besides the Zedan Racing-owned and Bob Baffert-trained Country Grammer, is the duo's three-time Grade I winner Taiba (Gun Runner). Joining them could be a pair of longshot headliners from last year; namely, GI Kentucky Derby champ Rich Strike (Keen Ice) and...

First job in the Thoroughbred industry? Pupil Assistant to Ian Williams. Biggest influence on your career? I've been lucky to get guidance and advice from many great people, Ian gave me a great chance at the start. More recently Joe Osborne and David Redvers have been great influences in different ways and I have to mention my colleague Nick Craven at Weatherbys. My family has also been very supportive of me working in racing. Favourite racehorse of all time, and why? Sea The Stars really was a huge favourite of...

A large part of the fun that comes with following racing and the bloodstock game is predicting the future. Who will win the Derby? Who might top the Orby Sale? What freshman sires are here to stay and which ones will drift into the abyss? Well, we've looked deep into the TDN Europe crystal ball for 2023 to see if we can come up with the answers to the burning questions for the year ahead. Enjoy! January If you think he had a good Christmas, wait until you see how...

First job in the Thoroughbred industry? I started riding for Stephane Cerulis during the summer holidays back in Belgium when I was aged 14. Biggest influence on your career? Criquette Head. She is like a second mum, the best advisor and most importantly she made me fall in love with training. Favourite racehorse of all time, and why? Treve. I was lucky enough to ride her while she was in training which was a fantastic experience. Who will be champion first-season sire in 2023? Blue Point. Greatest race in the...