Aidan O'Brien

G1 Cazoo Oaks winner Snowfall (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) makes her much-anticipated first start since that record 16-length romp in Saturday's G1 Juddmonte Irish Oaks at The Curragh, where she will face seven rivals. Also the winner of the G3 Musidora S. in May, Snowfall will be reunited with Ryan Moore after being piloted by Frankie Dettori at Epsom, and they will break from the inside stall. Snowfall will be joined by three Ballydoyle stablemates in Listed Naas Oaks Trial scorer Willow (Ire) (American Pharoah), who exits the outside gate...

By now you've read some of the many excellent remembrances and obituaries of Galileo (Ire), who was euthanized at Coolmore on Saturday at age 23. Any way you look at it, the son of Sadler's Wells was one of the greatest stallions of all time, as were his sire and and grandsire Northern Dancer. This dynastic sequence is now in its fourth generation with Galileo's outstanding son Frankel (GB), who is well on his way to matching the iconic status he achieved on the racetrack as a stallion, and history...

'TDN Rising Star' Bolshoi Ballet (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), the beaten G1 Cazoo Epsom Derby favorite, paid fitting tribute to his late superstar sire with a 1 1/4-length success over Tokyo Gold (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}) in Saturday's GI Belmont Derby Invitational. The Coolmore connections and trainer Aidan O'Brien also delivered with Santa Barbara (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) in the GI Belmont Oaks Invitational on the undercard. The even-money favorite, drawn on the inside in post two, raced in seventh around the clubhouse turn and began to creep closer while racing in between...

Santa Barbara (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) worked through traffic late to break through in her fourth straight attempt at the highest level and complete the first half of the GI Belmont Oaks/GI Belmont Derby double for the Coolmore contingent Saturday. Deemed a 'TDN Rising Star' off a 2 1/2-length debut success at The Curragh last September, the buzzed-about bay could only manage fourth in the G1 QIPCO 1000 Guineas at Newmarket May 2 and again in the G1 Cazoo Oaks at Epsom June 4--both as the favorite. She was most recently...

Aidan O'Brien will saddle the likely favorite in the GI Belmont Oaks in Coolmore's Santa Barbara (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) and also sends out the overwhelming morning-line favorite 'TDN Rising Star' Bolshoi Ballet (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the GI Belmont Derby a few races later for the same owner. Kicking off this term with a victory in the G3 Ballysax S. Apr. 11, the bay romped by six lengths in the G3 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial May 9, but failed to fire when seventh as the favorite in the G1 Cazoo...

Every year the GI Belmont Oaks and Derby attract an intriguing mix of European invaders and America's best sophomore turf horses and this year is no exception. The Coolmore contingent, Aidan O'Brien and Ryan Moore have a strong shot at taking their second renewal of this race with 'TDN Rising Star' Santa Barbara (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), who enters this race of a narrow runner-up in Group 1 company. A debut winner at the Curragh in September, the bay was fourth in the G1 QIPCO One Thousand Guineas May 2 at...

Coming closest in five attempts at group 1 success on his latest in the May 23 G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup, Ballydoyle's Broome (Ire) (Australia {GB}) finally made it count on Sunday leading with every step under Colin Keane in the G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud. Sporting the silks of Masaaki Matsushima, the 5-year-old who had been second to Wonderful Tonight (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) in the June 19 G2 Hardwicke S. at Royal Ascot since that narrow Curragh reversal was unperturbed by being asked to take up front-running duties. Stretching...

There were only four runners, but what Saturday's G1 Coral-Eclipse lacked in numbers it more than made up for in sheer buzz as the 3-year-old St Mark's Basilica (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) was in scintillating form in Sandown's prestige contest. Heavily-backed into even-money favouritism beforehand, Ballydoyle's G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains and G1 Prix du Jockey Club hero tracked Addeybb (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) and Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) throughout and when launched by Ryan Moore passing the two-furlong pole quickly subdued his elders en route to an emphatic 3 1/2-length...

How High Definition (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) would have fared at Epsom will forever be the stuff of conjecture, but Saturday sees Ballydoyle's TDN Rising Star return to his safe hunting ground of The Curragh to prove his worth in the G1 Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby. Renowned for his trademark late flourish at two, he swooped from rear to collar Wordsworth (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) on debut over a mile here in August before repeating the trick in the G2 Beresford S. the following month. If his comeback effort when third...

16.30 Curragh, Mdn, €16,500, 2yo, 6fT Coolmore and Westerberg's THE LUTE PLAYER (IRE) (Caravaggio) is a son of G3 Ballyogan S. third Sparrow (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}) and thus a half-brother to G1 Cox Plate and G1 Tancred S. hero Sir Dragonet (Ire) (Camelot {GB}). The Aidan O'Brien-conditioned newcomer faces a cast of 10, which includes Johnny Murtagh trainee War Effort (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), who is a half-brother and stablemate to last term's G1 Matron S. victrix Champers Elysees (Ire) (Elzaam {Aus}). 17.00 Curragh, Mdn, €16,500, 2yo, f, 7fT Aidan...

Dual French Classic winner St Mark's Basilica (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) looks unlikely to have a rematch this summer with Poetic Flare (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}), with St Mark's Basilica set to target 10-furlong features like the July 3 G1 Eclipse S., Aug. 18 G1 Juddmonte International and Sept. 11 G1 Irish Champion S. The Coolmore partners' St Mark's Basilica has gone unbeaten in three runs since taking last year's G1 Dewhurst S., adding the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains over a mile on May 16 and stepping up to 10.5...

Likely favourite High Definition (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) is among 17 remaining in Saturday's G1 Irish Derby following Tuesday's entry stage. Last year's G2 Beresford S. winner High Definition looks to hand his trainer Aidan O'Brien his 15th Irish Derby score, a task that could also be assigned to his stablemates Van Gogh (American Pharoah), Wordsworth (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Sir Lamorak (Ire) (Camelot {GB}). Also among the 17 remaining entries are G1 Irish 2000 Guineas winner Mac Swiney (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) and the G1 Cazoo Derby second and third...