Aidan O'Brien

St Mark's Basilica (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) had sidestepped the G1 2000 Guineas in favour of ParisLongchamp's G1 Emirates Poule d'Essai des Poulains and the decision paid off handsomely on Sunday as the Ballydoyle colt made his mark in the testing conditions. Whether the ground put paid to the chance of the Newmarket Classic hero Poetic Flare (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}) is uncertain, but he appeared to be struggling some way out as Ioritz Mendizabal swooped to conquer on the G1 Dewhurst S. winner. Despite one moment when he was squeezed...

   Jim Bolger has some unfinished business to take care of on Sunday, having gone agonisingly close to an unprecedented English-French-Irish Guineas treble in 2007 with Finsceal Beo (Ire) (Mr. Greeley). Denied by a head by Darjina (Fr) (Zamindar) in the second leg at ParisLongchamp, the "living legend" went on to add the Irish equivalent and it is a unique Guineas treble that is on the mind of the Coolcullen maestro once again in 2021. With an extra seven days than his brilliant filly had between the G1 2000 Guineas...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Today's Observations features a half to a Classic-placed filly. 2.00 Leopardstown, Mdn, €16,500, 2yo, 7fT HOWTH (IRE) (Churchill {Ire}), who hails from a Ballydoyle stable with a potent strike-rate in the juvenile department with six individual winners so far in 2021, is a stand-out on pedigree as a half-brother...

York wraps up its three-day Dante meeting on Friday, with the G2 Matchbook Yorkshire Cup the dominant prize as the older stayers have their moment. Mark Johnston has made no secret of his passion for this category and 2021 promises to be his best year for some time with a trio of star names in the division hailing from Kingsley House Stables. While perhaps the chief member Subjectivist (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}) is not on the Knavesmire, the other two are and his half-brother Sir Ron Priestley (GB) (Australia {GB}) has...

Champion 3-year-old filly Love (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) could make her anticipated 4-year-old debut in the G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup at The Curragh on May 23, according to trainer Aidan O'Brien. Love enjoyed a perfect--albeit abbreviated--campaign last year, winning the G1 1000 Guineas, G1 Oaks and G1 Yorkshire Oaks. She was removed from consideration for the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in October on account of deteriorating ground just prior to O'Brien's entire fleet being scratched due to a feed contamination. "We're looking at the Tattersalls Gold Cup with Love,"...

One of the past week's most talked-about horses is available for public scrutiny on Thursday as 'TDN Rising Star' High Definition (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) reappears in Thursday's G2 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Dante S. at York. Originally scheduled to tackle Lingfield's undulations on Saturday, the unbeaten G2 Beresford S. winner instead races over this contrastingly flat terrain with an abnormal blood count amounting to a minor fork in the road. Hot favourite for the Derby prior to his setback, he now faces a race to restore his position at the...

Some TDN Rising Stars get the tag for runaway victories and some for winning performances much slimmer but full of promise of what is to come and Ballydoyle's newcomer Yet (War Front) fit into the latter category on Wednesday. On paper, the sizeable first foal out of a strong-staying half-sister to Giant's Causeway had no right to be contesting a five-furlong carve-up on Dundalk's Polytrack but she was quick out of the gates for the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden and up on the lead from the outset to...

One of the prestige races missing from Aidan O'Brien's resume before Wednesday, York's G3 Tattersalls Musidora S. is now in the bag for the Ballydoyle master after Snowfall (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) proved a rare outsider to win for the stable as she made all in the extended 10-furlong Oaks trial. Last seen finishing eighth when the subject of the notorious mix-up with stablemate Mother Earth (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) in Newmarket's G1 Fillies' Mile in October, the relative of Found (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) was soon in front under Ryan Moore...

One-time G1 Cazoo Derby favourite High Definition (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who returned poor bloodwork prior to missing an intended start in the Listed Lingfield Derby Trial on Saturday, has been declared a starter in the G2 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Dante S. at York on Thursday. The unbeaten G2 Beresford S. hero, who races for a Coolmore partnership with Westerberg and trainer Aidan O'Brien, was one of 11 colts declared two days out from the Knavesmire's Blue Riband prep. O'Brien also saddles Roman Empire (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), and trainer Jim...

What had looked a match-up between Ballydoyle's TDN Rising Star Bolshoi Ballet (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Coolcullen's returning G1 Futurity Trophy hero Mac Swiney (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) in Sunday's G3 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial at Leopardstown proved anything but as the former produced a performance up with the best of his stable's previous 13 winners. Leading the main group as Ryan Moore kept it simple, the even-money favourite who had taken the G3 Ballysax S. over this 10-furlong trip here Apr. 11 was sent past the Bolger pacemaker Wexford...

Making all in Sunday's G3 Irish 1,000 Guineas Trial over a mile at Leopardstown, Ballydoyle's Joan of Arc (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) was in the process becoming a sixth pattern-race winner from seven foals for Coolmore's remarkable You'resothrilling (Storm Cat). Last seen finishing sixth in the seven-furlong G3 Ballylinch Stud 1,000 Guineas Trial at this track Apr. 11, the full-sister to Gleneagles (Ire) set an honest tempo under Ryan Moore and stayed on strongly to deny Flirting Bridge (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) by 1 3/4 lengths on a day when racing prominently...

   Leopardstown's G3 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial has a considerable reputation as one of the leading preps for Epsom's blue riband, so it is a surprise that no horse since 2002 has won both this 10-furlong contest and the English Classic. That could change this year, with the current Derby looking a wide-open affair at present and Jim Bolger holding the aces in the 3-year-old colt department. Fresh from winning the G1 2000 Guineas with Poetic Flare (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}) last Saturday, the master of Coolcullen saddles Mac Swiney...