Ballydoyle

Monday's Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden - over a trip 15 yards shy of six furlongs at Naas - has an honour roll featuring multiple Group 1 winners Fairyland (Kodiac) and Alpha Centauri (Mastercraftsman), who earned their Rising Star rosettes here. This year's renewal went the way of Aidan O'Brien trainee Victorious (Wootton Bassett), who became her sire's 19th TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard, when displaying an array of gears and posting an impressive 1 3/4-length tally for the Coolmore and Westerberg partnership. "She's a lovely filly, but...

Following the example of stablemate Charles Darwin in the preceding race at Navan on Saturday, Scandinavia (Justify) kept to the script when making a winning return in the Listed Vintage Crop Stakes. Sent off the 11-10 favourite for the 14-furlong contest used by Ballydoyle for many years for their star stayers such as Kyprios, Order Of St George and Yeats, last year's St Leger and Goodwood Cup hero waited behind the leading duo early. Sent forward by Ryan Moore to gain the edge approaching the furlong pole, the leading player...

Off the track since taking the Norfolk at Royal Ascot, Ballydoyle's Charles Darwin (No Nay Never) returned to continue the winning sequence in Saturday's Listed Irish Stallion Farms EBF Committed Stakes at Navan. Asked to head the field by Ryan Moore under a five-pound penalty, the 4-11 favourite was a sitting duck throughout the near-six-furlong contest but answered every call to register a 1 1/4-length verdict over the Curragh maiden winner Silk Braid (Invincible Army) from the Ger Lyons stable. "It was good to get him started. He's a bull...

All the rage for Sunday's six-furlong maiden at The Curragh, Ballydoyle's Great Barrier Reef (No Nay Never) proved the buzz was spot-on with a command performance to become the first two-year-old of the 2026 crop to become a TDN Rising Star, Presented by Hagyard. Always travelling easily tracking the pace under Ryan Moore, the 4-9 favourite loomed on the front end approaching the furlong pole and opened up for a six-length success from the 100-1 outsider Ischgl (Inns Of Court). He is the second colt to sport the title for Coolmore, with...

Making his 2026 debut on Wednesday, Ballydoyle's The Lion In Winter (Sea The Stars) enjoyed a long overdue confidence-boosting win in Leopardstown's Listed Irish Stallion Farms EBF Heritage Stakes. Allowed to stride forward from the break by Wayne Lordan, the 11-10 favourite took control two out and saw out the mile test strongly to prevail by half a length from stablemate Expanded (Wootton Bassett). "We're delighted with him and he was just ready to start," Aidan O'Brien said. "The plan was to come here and then go to the Lockinge....

All eyes were on the returning Pierre Bonnard in Sunday's G3 P.W. McGrath Memorial Ballysax Stakes, but it was another of Ballydoyle's sons of Camelot who stepped forward into the Derby picture in Christmas Day. While the former showed how short of a peak he was in a lethargic seventh, last year's G3 Eyrefield Stakes winner delivered under Wayne Lordan to cause an 11-1 upset at the chief expense of another stablemate in Endorsement (Wootton Bassett). Aidan O'Brien had warned before the established Derby trial that last year's Criterium de...

Defying a Group 1 penalty in Sunday's G3 Ballylinch Stud Priory Belle Stakes at Leopardstown, Ballydoyle's Cheveley Park Stakes heroine True Love (No Nay Never) proved that seven furlongs holds no fears entering her Classic campaign. Sent off the 3-1 joint-favourite for the established 1,000 Guineas trial, the imposing Coolmore homebred who had also taken the Queen Mary and the Railway at two raced towards the fore under Ryan Moore and came up the rail to dominate the closing stages. At the line, there was 1 1/4 lengths to spare...

Coolmore's hitherto unraced New Yorker (No Nay Never), who missed his intended debut at the Curragh last week, was let go as the odds-on favourite for Friday's Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden at Dundalk, a contest won in recent years by Ballydoyle's Caravaggio and Blackbeard, and did enough under a late drive to secure a 1 1/4-length success in the five-furlong heat. "It was really tough for them, but he handled the preliminaries well and he was good in the race," reflected Ballydoyle's Chris Armstrong. "Today is not ideal, with...

Leaving his debut education far behind him on Monday, Ballydoyle's $1million Keeneland September sensation Shaftesbury Avenue (Maxfield) imposed his considerable presence on his maiden at Navan. Fitted with cheekpieces following his third at The Curragh earlier this month, the 2-1 second favourite was sent forward by Wayne Lordan to put it up to his 14 rivals in the near-mile contest and had seen off all bar Tashakour (Night Of Thunder) approaching the final two furlongs. Briefly headed by that Aga Khan Studs representative, the imposing half-brother to Not This Time's triple Grade...

Trainer Aidan O'Brien is hopeful multiple Group 1 winner Precise (Starspangledbanner) will still make the starting gate for the G1 Betfred 1000 Guineas on May 3. A winner of four of her five starts, she is on the recovery trail after spiking a temperature a few weeks ago. "She's in good form, she had a temperature two or three weeks ago and we had to just back off her and slowly pick her back up," said O'Brien of his 2025 G1 Moyglare Stud Stakes and G1 Fillies Mile heroine, who...

The racing world will have only to wait until Saturday to catch sight of Ballydoyle's spring buzz horse after Aidan O'Brien declared the 2,000 Guineas favourite Albert Einstein (Wootton Bassett) for The Curragh's Listed Gladness Stakes. Originally slated to head straight to Newmarket, the colt who hogged the headlines after last week's Press Day at Rosegreen will be fine-tuned for the Classic in the seven-furlong contest against older horses. Taking on a field of nine including last year's G3 John Of Gaunt Stakes winner and Prix de la Foret third...

If history is anything to go by, Drop Dead Gorgeous (Dubawi) is going places having won a key Naas maiden for Ballydoyle on Sunday. She becomes Dubawi's 48th TDN Rising Star, Presented by Hagyard. Debuting in the mile contest which the stable's subsequent Classic heroines Empress Josephine and Tuesday won in 2021 and 2022, the even-money favourite was notably smooth for Ryan Moore and after taking command 1 1/2 furlongs out eased to a comfortable success. "We're delighted with her, she's a lovely big filly. She's still a baby and...