Ballydoyle

Following on from Ballydoyle's earlier winner Accredited (Siyouni), Causeway (Wootton Bassett) made it a double for the yard on Naas's Sunday card as he emulated Paddington in winning the Madrid Handicap under top weight. Whether he goes on to hit the heights of his predecessor remains to be seen, but the Curragh maiden winner who hails from the family of Magical and Rhododendron showed grit to deny former stablemate Controlled (No Nay Never) in a photo for the seven-furlong contest. "Seven furlongs is on the tight side for him and...

Aidan O'Brien was getting serious for the first time at Naas on Sunday and the early tempo was set by the €1million Arqana May Breeze-Up buy Accredited (Siyouni). Fourth at Dundalk in October, the full-brother to last year's Greenham Stakes third Saracen stayed on to deny the well-backed Sindagan (Mehmas) in the seven-furlong maiden for colts and geldings. From the family of Mohaather (Showcasing), the 2 1/2-length winner is the stable's first turf winner of the current campaign. "He'd done very well throughout the winter and is very straightforward and...

Aidan O'Brien heaped praise on Albert Einstein at a Ballydoyle press morning on Monday and described the unbeaten Wootton Bassett colt as his number one hope heading into the new season. Albert Einstein is a general 7-1 favourite for the 2,000 Guineas. He also holds a Derby entry, for which he is a best-priced 20-1 shot.  However, O'Brien acknowledged that Albert Einstein, who has recorded both of his wins over six furlongs, is not certain to stay a mile.  O'Brien said, "The number one at the moment is Albert -...

Right arms and legs were made to be given for the Tattersalls December Foal Sale-topping Frankel colt who, at 1.15 million gns to Coolmore Stud, became the most expensive foal sold anywhere in Europe this year.  Like two old gunslingers facing off at dawn, MV Magnier took his position at the back of the cage while his opposition and eventual underbidder, Juddmonte's Simon Mockridge, sat almost directly opposite the Coolmore posse in the seats close to the exit of the ring.  Flanked by Barry Mahon, Mockridge did not go down...

This particular October weekend is so important when it comes to next year's Classics and Aidan O'Brien has simply dominated it in 2025 with Pierre Bonnard (Camelot) bringing up a Sunday Group 1 double at Saint-Cloud and a third overall following the previous day's action at Doncaster. Sent off the 7-10 favourite for the 10-furlong Criterium de Saint-Cloud, the impressive Zetland winner travelled easily for Christophe Soumillon tracking the early pace and when sent on inside the two opened up to score with authority by two lengths from the Donnacha...

Aidan O'Brien had a stranglehold on Saturday's G1 William Hill Futurity Trophy and was able to wrap up the British trainer's title with a one-two-three in the Doncaster feature led home by Hawk Mountain (Wootton Bassett). Sent off the outsider of the trio at 18-5 under Ronan Whelan, the Beresford winner scrapped it out with Action (Frankel) as the 7-4 favourite Benvenuto Cellini (Frankel) floundered in the deep ground. At the line, he had half a length to spare over Lambourn's half-brother, with Benvenuto Cellini 2 3/4 lengths away. "He's a...

Aidan O'Brien will have some of his big guns in action at the weekend, with both Benvenuto Cellini (Frankel) and Hawk Mountain (Wootton Bassett) headlining the cast for Doncaster's G1 William Hill Futurity Trophy and Puerto Rico (Wootton Bassett) supplemented for Sunday's G1 Criterium International at Saint-Cloud. While the impressive G2 Champions Juvenile winner Benvenuto Cellini was initially thought the main hope for Doncaster, O'Brien has added spice by confirming the Beresford winner Hawk Mountain as well as Lambourn's half-brother Action (Frankel). Completing the six-strong line-up for the two-year-old Group...

Westerberg and Coolmore's Sugar Island (Dubawi) was a well-beaten ninth of 10 in this month's G1 Fillies' Mile and bounced back in style to make all for an impressive success in Tuesday's one-mile G3 Staffordstown Stud Stakes, formerly known as the Silken Glider Stakes, at the Curragh. The win extended Aidan O'Brien's record haul in the contest to 13. "She's a big, galloping filly who stays very well and Wayne [Lordan] gave her a lovely ride," commented Ballydoyle's Chris Armstrong. "She had a very good run at Doncaster in a...

The Curragh's opening six-furlong maiden featured the Group 2-placed Go Just Do It (Kingman), but there was a surprise in store as Ballydoyle's newcomer Trojan Warrior (Wootton Bassett) emerged best. Always travelling strongly for Wayne Lordan, the 13-2 shot looked booked for second as that 6-4 favourite took off in the lead approaching the final furlong but found a surge to overwhelm the Futurity Stakes third late on and win by 1 1/2 lengths. "He's a fine big horse physically, looking at him walking around the ring. The penny has...

While Team Ballydoyle missed out on the Group 1s at Ascot, Saturday's two-year-old card at Leopardstown well and truly belonged to it with Dorset (Wootton Bassett) making all in the G3 Killavullan Stakes to make it five wins from the first five races. Last seen winning the Goffs Million, the TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard was also completing a treble on the day for Jack Cleary as he registered a half-length success from stablemate Daytona (Wootton Bassett) as the 13-8 second favourite. O'Brien failed to complete the clean sweep...

Leopardstown's Saturday card belonged to Aidan O'Brien and Jack Cleary and their winning sequence included a bright prospect for the 2025 Classics in Christmas Day (Camelot) in the nine-furlong G3 Mongey Communications Eyrefield Stakes. Coming off a maiden win at Gowran Park last month, the 13-2 shot was delivered from the pack to deny A Boy Named Susie (Starspangledbanner) on the line and prevail by a short head. "He's progressed from run to run and he took great confidence from the win the last day," Ballydoyle's representative Chris Armstrong explained....

Saturday's G1 Qipco Champion Stakes will feature all the big guns, with Ombudsman (Night Of Thunder), Delacroix (Dubawi), Calandagan (Gleneagles) and Economics (Night Of Thunder) set for a memorable showdown. There will be 11 in the line-up for the feature, where the draw has not been kind to Ombudsman and Economics in nine and 10 respectively but has been to the race's most intriguing runner Almaqam (Lope De Vega) in stall one. There will be 16 lining up for the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, with Juddmonte and the Gosdens'...