Aidan O'Brien

Things may not have gone to plan in all of the English Classics for Ballydoyle so far in 2021, but the stable continued their charmed existence in France on Sunday as Joan of Arc (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) provided Classic number three for the season and a first renewal of Chantilly's G1 Prix de Diane Longines for Aidan O'Brien. Combining again with Ioritz Mendizabal, who had steered St Mark's Basilica (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) to glory in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains and G1 Prix du Jockey Club, the master of...

'TDN Rising Star' Point Lonsdale (Ire) (Australia {GB}) entered Saturday's Listed Chesham S. with a substantial reputation from Ballydoyle and while it was hard work in Ascot's slow ground he duly delivered as the 10-11 favourite. Held on to this time unlike when successful by 5 1/2 lengths over this seven-furlong trip on yielding ground at The Curragh June 2, the full-brother to Broome (Ire) edged ahead with 1 1/2 furlongs remaining and despite veering left denied The Queen's Reach For the Moon (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) by half...

Long absent and much-missed, Love (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) returned to the big time at Royal Ascot on Wednesday and had to be as tenacious as she is classy to see off Audarya (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) under a perfectly-judged front-running ride in the G1 Prince of Wales's S., a "Win and You're In" for the GI Breeders' Cup Turf this fall. Last year's G1 1000 Guineas, G1 Epsom Oaks and G1 Yorkshire Oaks heroine had been denied what had looked to be a match with Lord North (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire})...

G1 Irish 1000 Guineas winner Empress Josephine (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) has been supplemented to Friday's G1 Coronation S. at Royal Ascot. The Coolmore partners' full-sister to seven-time Group 1 winner Minding (Ire) is among 15 fillies remaining in the mile event; those also include her favoured stablemate, the G1 1000 Guineas winner Mother Earth (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}), and last year's champion 2-year-old filly Pretty Gorgeous (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}). Empress Josephine is a daughter of Lillie Langtry (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), who won the Coronation herself for the Coolmore partners in...

Last year's G1 Derby winner Serpentine (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) has been supplemented at a cost of £30,000 to next week's G1 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot. Serpentine has been beaten in three starts since his 25-1 upset in the blue riband last July, including a last-out seventh in the G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup at The Curragh on May 23, and he goes a full mile further in the Gold Cup than he has gone in his seven-race career to date. Serpentine's trainer Aidan O'Brien also has last year's Derby third...

To an extent, when Coolmore wins two of the weekend's premier Classics in Europe and Godolphin wins another, it feels like we are harking back to the glory days around the turn of the century, when the battle of the superpowers was epitomised by those back-to-back duels between Galileo (Ire) and Fantastic Light in the 'King George' and Irish Champion Stakes. Honours even. And it was honours even at Epsom, with the dazzling victory of Ballydoyle's Snowfall (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in the Cazoo Oaks, followed by the satisfying success...

Coolmore partners' Bolshoi Ballet (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who sustained a cut to his hind leg in the G1 Cazoo Derby before finishing seventh, is reported to be 'very sore', but that the injury will not take significant time to heal. The dual Group 3 winner was favoured at Epsom on Saturday. "He was very sore this morning," said trainer Aidan O'Brien. "We played back the videos of the race. At the top of the hill he had it, so he obviously got it in the first 150 yards. Usually with...

As far as passages around Chantilly's circuit go in the 10 1/2-furlong G1 Qatar Prix du Jockey Club, St Mark's Basilica (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) enjoyed one as perfect as is possible on Sunday as he toyed with his rivals in the 181st edition of the Classic. Hardly breaking sweat to become the fourth colt to complete the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains-Prix du Jockey Club double since 2005, Ballydoyle's 14-5 favourite was slotted behind the pace-setting Normandy Bridge (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) from his ideal draw by Ioritz Mendizabal and...

It has become custom for some to yearn for the glory days of the Epsom Derby, when the blue riband of the English turf sat proud on its Wednesday slot dominating the consciousness of the London area. While it has fallen some way short of its past standard as a national treasure, one of the factors in its relative demise has been lack of competition but this year's Cazoo-sponsored renewal stands up on that score at least. In fact, with all its converging plots there has not been as exciting...

Aidan O'Brien saddled five in Friday's G1 Cazoo Oaks at Epsom, but ultimately there was only one that mattered as Snowfall (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) ran away with the prize by a record-setting margin of 16 lengths under Frankie Dettori. Serving notice that she had turned around her fortunes from a largely disappointing juvenile campaign when making all in the G3 Musidora S. at York May 12, the 11-2 shot arrived from rear under a tight hold to brush aside Mystery Angel (Ire) (Kodi Bear {Ire}) passing two out. Sprinting...

Aidan O'Brien has booked Frankie Dettori for the G3 Musidora S. winner Snowfall (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in Friday's G1 Cazoo Oaks at Epsom, for which 14 fillies were confirmed on Wednesday. Registering a career-best when winning by 3 3/4 lengths in that extended 10-furlong trial at York May 12, she joins 'TDN Rising Star' and likely favourite Santa Barbara (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) and three others from Rosegreen in the mile-and-a-half Classic. As expected, Ryan Moore sticks with the May 2 G1 1000 Guineas fourth Santa Barbara, while Seamie Heffernan...

Aidan O'Brien has announced that last year's G2 Beresford S. winner High Definition (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) will miss Saturday's G1 Cazoo Derby at Epsom for which he was the winter ante-post favourite and wait for the G1 Irish Derby at The Curragh June 26. Confirming that TDN Rising Star Bolshoi Ballet (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) will be the stable's sole representative in the blue riband, the Ballydoyle handler said during racing at The Curragh, "Nothing is written in stone until ten o'clock in the morning, but it looks like the two...