Aidan O'Brien

He's a rebel with a Causeway. But he is a rebel, all the same; or a maverick, at least; an outlier. Certainly we can't expect everyone to train horses like Kenny McPeek, nor indeed to buy them the same way. Apart from anything else, most people simply wouldn't be good enough. McPeek's 10 millionaires to date have been sired by the likes of Cuvee, Louis Quatorze, Daredevil, Hit It a Bomb and Tejano--and he signed for most of them himself. As one who marches to his own drum, his style...

Eight fillies will head postward for Saturday's G1 Juddmonte Irish Oaks following Thursday morning's confirmation of final declarations for the €500,000 Classic. The Co. Kildare venue will be denied the opportunity of a rematch between Epsom's G1 Oaks first and second, Tuesday (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Emily Upjohn (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), with the former being the highest-profile absentee from the select field. Aidan O'Brien will instead rely on Toy (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}, who is set to be partnered by Ryan Moore, Wayne Lordan's mount History (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}...

Delivering the potent acceleration that had seen her claim joint-champion status among the juvenile fillies in the G1 Cheveley Park S. at Newmarket in September, TDN Rising Star Tenebrism (Caravaggio) was firmly in command under optimum conditions in Deauville's seven-furlong G1 Haras d'Etreham Prix Jean Prat on Sunday. Able to draft in mid-pack early, Ballydoyle's 13-2 shot who sports the Westerberg silks was unleashed between Lusail (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) and Rozgar (Ire) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) and after gaining the lead 100 metres from the line stayed on strongly to...

Wielding great might in Europe, the Aidan O'Brien arsenal has also proven one to be respected in many of the nation's top turf contests. That influence will once again be in evidence this weekend with the appearance of Stone Age (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Concert Hall (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), who arrived in New York Wednesday and are slated to contest Saturday's 10-furlong first legs of NYRA's Caesars Turf Triple series. The former, bred and co-owned by Peter Brant with Coolmore partners Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith and Westerberg,...

Unlucky on debut when second at The Curragh at the start of last month, Ballydoyle's Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}--Rhododendron {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) put that experience behind him to earn TDN Rising Star status at Naas on Saturday. Sent off the 30-100 favourite for the seven-furlong Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden, the bay was swiftly into stride to race on the front end throughout the early stages. Shaken up by Seamus Heffernan to gain an outright advantage passing the two pole, he ran green in the clear but...

Stone Age (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) will sidestep Saturday's G1 Coral-Eclipse S. at Sandown in favour of a trip to America the following weekend. The Aidan O'Brien-trained colt is now being aimed at the GI Belmont Derby, where he is likely to clash with Charlie Appleby's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf and GI French 2000 Guineas winner Modern Games (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), who is set to be ridden by Frankie Dettori. O'Brien won last year's Belmont race with Bolshoi Ballet (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) confirmed that plans were in place for a...

Kept at home as Meditate (Ire) (No Nay Never) went to Royal Ascot, TDN Rising Star Statuette (Justify--Immortal Verse {Ire}, by Pivotal {GB}) was able to comfortably follow her stablemate's lead by taking Sunday's G2 Airlie Stud S. at The Curragh. Already the focus of attention on breeding, the chestnut put fuel on the fire with a fluent win on debut over an extended five furlongs at Navan May 28 and travelled easily throughout the early stages of this six-furlong contest formerly known as the Balanchine. Asked to take closer...

The Caesars Turf Triple, the New York Racing Association (NYRA)'s series for 3-year-olds on the grass, will kick off July 9 at Belmont Park and may include a major European contingent. NYRA released the invitees Saturday for both the GI Caesars Belmont Derby Invitational, worth $1 million, and the $700,000 GI Belmont Oaks Invitational. Both the male and female divisions begin at the distance of 1 1/4 miles. Of the six races in the series--three each for colts and fillies--four were won last year by European-based trainers. Aidan O'Brien, who...

Aidan O'Brien trainee Aikhal (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}--Diamond Fields {Ire}, by Fastnet Rock {Aus}), who ran fourth in last term's G3 Autumn S. and G1 Criterium International, came back off a 234-day sabbatical to finish last of 11 in this month's G1 St James's Palace S. at Royal Ascot and bounced back in style to register a career high in Saturday's G3 ARM Holding International S. on the G1 Irish Derby undercard. Stalking the pace in second until sent to the fore approaching the quarter-mile pole, the 20-1 chance quickened in...

Following a quiet few days in the aftermath of Ascot and Chantilly, things get moving again on Saturday with The Curragh staging one of the most interesting renewals of the G1 Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby for some time. A race that has from time to time in recent years been under the shadow of the European Pattern Committee's guillotine has pulled a trick out of the hat this year to ensure it keeps its exalted status for the immediate future at least. Aidan O'Brien has come to tick off...

After a brief hiatus during Royal Ascot, TDN Europe's weekly Q&A series is back with Real Madrid and Spanish football star Alvaro Odriozola telling Brian Sheerin all about his endeavours in racing so far, his friendship with Joseph O'Brien and his ambitions to own a "horse of a lifetime."  At just 25 years of age, Odriozola has already enjoyed a hugely successful career as a footballer and revealed how he adopts a similar mindset to racehorse ownership and breeding by saying "you have to dream big in order to get...

Overnight contenders for Saturday's G1 Dubai Duty Free Irish were reduced by half, leaving eight declared for the Curragh's €1,000,000 12-furlong Classic. Aidan O'Brien took the most drastic measures and reduced his team of six to just one with G1 Cazoo Oaks heroine Tuesday (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) set to depart from stall one in her bid to become the first filly to prevail since Balanchine (Storm Bird) in 1994. Her chief rival, Juddmonte's G1 Cazoo Derby third Westover (GB) (Frankel {GB}), has drawn stall five.