Aidan O'Brien

Gold Cup Hero Kyprios Set for Goodwood as O'Brien Readies Strong Squad

Aidan O'Brien is readying a strong squad for Goodwood, which will be spearheaded by Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Order Of Australia (Ire) (Australia {GB}). Kyprios is a warm order to build on his G1 Gold Cup triumph at Royal Ascot when he lines out in the G1 Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup while Order Of Australia is on course to run in the G1 Qatar Sussex S. O'Brien said, "We are happy with Kyprios and the Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup has always been the plan since Ascot. "The plan is...

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Galileo's Tower Of London A New Rising Star

Hotfooting it from Sandown where he had partnered the exciting Stoute colt Nostrum (GB) (Kingman {GB}), Ryan Moore was in the unusual position of steering two TDN Rising Stars at two different tracks in the same day on Thursday as Ballydoyle's Tower Of London (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) planted the seeds of another Derby dream for Rosegreen at Leopardstown. Sent off the 7-4 favourite for the Frank Conroy Irish EBF Maiden over a mile, the full-brother to the Irish Derby and St Leger hero Capri (Ire) was quickly away before being...

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Dubawi's Never Ending Story Takes The Silver Flash

Using Leopardstown's G3 Silver Flash S. as a marker as to the regard with which Aidan O'Brien holds his star juvenile fillies has proven wise in the past and it was no different on Thursday as Never Ending Story (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) made it a dozen renewals of the seven-furlong test for her peerless handler. Third on debut over six furlongs at The Curragh May 22 before opening her account back there over this seven-furlong trip June 24, the daughter of Athena (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) was keen early restrained by...

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Tyros And Silver Flash The Thursday Focus

Buried on a Thursday evening fixture, Leopardstown's double-act of Group 3 races, the Japan Racing Association Tyros S. and Silver Flash S., could easily be downplayed in a month where so many seismic shifts are taking place. A glance at the races' honour roll suggests the opposite should be the case, with the Tyros in particular boasting three subsequent Classic winners in the last eight years. They were the Galileo (Ire) trio of Gleneagles (Ire), Churchill (Ire) and Anthony Van Dyck (Ire) and all hailed from Aidan O'Brien's Ballydoyle stable...

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Galileo's Lily Pond Takes The Kilboy Estate

There was a competitive line-up for The Curragh's G2 Kilboy Estate S. on Sunday and it was Ballydoyle's Lily Pond (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) who proved toughest as the 3-year-olds filled out the first three places in the nine-furlong feature. Building a smart portfolio since her winning debut at Dundalk Apr. 12, the bay was runner-up in the G3 Blue Wind S. at a mile and a quarter at Naas May 7 and third in the 12-furlong G3 Munster Oaks at Cork June 8 before finding the 14-furlong test of Leopardstown's...

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Breeders' Cup Mile Hero On Top At The Curragh

Winless in five starts since annexing last year's edition of the Curragh's G2 Romanised Minstrel S., 2020's GI Breeders' Cup Mile hero Order Of Australia (Ire) (Australia {GB}--Senta's Dream {GB}, by Danehill) repeated the dose with a 3 1/2-length triumph in Sunday's latest renewal of the seven-furlong contest at the Co. Kildare venue. The 5-year-old entire, who also hit the board in last term's G1 Prix Jacques Le Marois and G1 Prix du Moulin, arrived for this defence coming back off a third in last month's G1 Queen Anne S....

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No Nay Never's Blackbeard Powers To Robert Papin Triumph

Nailed in the dying strides of last month's G2 Railway S. at The Curragh, Aidan O'Brien trainee Blackbeard (Ire) (No Nay Never--Muirin {Ire}, by Born To Sea {Ire}) bounced back in style to lead home a Ballydoyle exacta in Sunday's G2 Darley Prix Robert Papin at Chantilly. In so doing, he provided trainer O'Brien with a first winner of the six-furlong contest this century and, adding to Rossini's win in 1999, a second overall. The February-foaled bay had earlier backed up an Apr. 28 debut triumph at Dundalk with wins...

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The Tough Get Going At Chantilly

It's getting hotter by the hour in Europe and Sunday's pattern-race tests at Chantilly and The Curragh will call for that extra element from the protagonists who brave the heat. One who has shown abundant courage despite being just a greenhorn is Ballydoyle's Blackbeard (Ire) (No Nay Never), who tackles the six-furlong G2 Darley Prix Robert Papin which will be his sixth juvenile start and third since his impressive success in The Curragh's G3 Marble Hill S. over this trip May 21. Aidan O'Brien is not known for taking in...

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No Nay Never's Little Big Bear Too Good In The Anglesey

He had already looked one of Ballydoyle's brightest prospects prior to Saturday's G3 Jebel Ali Racecourse And Stables Anglesey S., but TDN Rising Star Little Big Bear (Ire) (No Nay Never) now looks the real deal after running away with The Curragh's juvenile staging post. Withdrawn from the G2 July S. when the ground got too quick at Newmarket, the June 15 Listed Windsor Castle S. winner led all bar the rail-running Kodi Noir (Ire) (Kessaar {Ire}) throughout the early stages with that outsider on borrowed time. Asked to pick...

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Frankel's Hans Andersen Powers To Rising Stardom In Ireland

Westerberg and Coolmore's 450,000gns Tattersalls October Book 1 yearling Hans Andersen (GB) (Frankel {GB}--Shadow Hunter {Ire}, by Arcano {Ire}) gained much benefit for his debut run, tackling an extended seven furlongs at Tipperary last month, and earned a 'TDN Rising Star' badge with a dominant display down to seven furlongs for Saturday's Juddmonte Farms Expert Eye Irish EBF (C&G) Maiden at the Curragh. The 10-11 favourite was sharply into stride to gain immediate control. Nudged along when the pack threatened approaching the quarter-mile marker, he held a comfortable buffer entering...

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Irish Oaks Conundrum

Emily Upjohn (GB) (Frankel {GB}) couldn't make the flight, so it's time to move on and focus on those left to fight out Saturday's G1 Juddmonte Irish Oaks at the Curragh, which unusually features none of the fillies who participated in the Oaks. That means that it is even more of a puzzle, with Zhang Yuesheng's June 16 G2 Ribblesdale S. winner Magical Lagoon (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) left as short-priced favourite even though she is yet to tackle Group 1 company. What her half-length defeat of Sea Silk Road (Ire)...

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'We Know we are Succeeding Because John [O'Connor] is Laughing at us Less'

They have reached dizzy heights as breeders and now Gillian and Vimal Khosla are concentrating on achieving big-race success as owners with Fennela (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), a daughter of their outstanding broodmare Green Room (Theatrical {Ire}), in Saturday's G1 Juddmonte Irish Oaks. The Khoslas know a thing or two about breeding top-notchers. Green Room is the dam of three Group 1 or Classic winners and the owner-breeders behind the 20-year-old blue hen are hoping there is still more to come.  Lord Shanakill (Speightstown) was the first horse to...

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