Aidan O'Brien

Continuing our series, Adam Houghton reveals his love affair with the Juddmonte International and where the latest name on the roll of honour ranks among his York greats. Horse of the year: City Of Troy 'Boring!' I can almost hear the cries of derision from the desk here in my box room, the accusation that I'm simply following the crowd with another accolade for the mantelpiece of City Of Troy's altogether more roomy box at Coolmore Stud. True, I'm unlikely to win any prizes for originality with this selection, but...

2024 marked another successful year for the TDN Writers' Room, which is presented by Keeneland and hosted by the team of Bill Finley, Zoe Cadman and Randy Moss. This week we look back on a few of our favorite guests throughout the year. First, we checked in with Richard Migliore ahead of a historic Belmont Stakes weekend. 'Richie' reminisced on Belmonts past and shared what he was looking forward to most for the first-ever 'Belatoga.' "I can already feel the energy that's been in town," Migliore said as he called...

2024 marked another successful year for the TDN Writers' Room, hosted by the team of Bill Finley, Zoe Cadman and Randy Moss. Take a look and a listen to this week's episode, where we look back on a few of our favorite guests throughout the year.

The G1 Derby win of City Of Troy (Justify) at Epsom in the spring was voted the World Pool Moment of the Year by the public. A total of 48% votes were received for the moment. The £4,000 prize goes to City Of Troy's groom, David Hickey, who has received--along with three friends--a VIP trip to Hong Kong in 2025. Hickey said, "Winning the £4,000 World Pool Moment of the Day was a huge reward, so to be named Moment of the Year is even more special and I'm now...

One of the more remarkable characteristics of Hong Kong racing is that for a jurisdiction that is home to roughly 1,200 Thoroughbreds, invariably the torch gets passed and the town is never wanting for world-class athletes. Going back to the turn of the century, gallopers to have captured the imagination of not only those in and around Hong Kong, but also of an increasingly sophisticated worldwide audience have included the likes of Fairy King Prawn (Aus), the legendary Silent Witness (Aus), Good Ba Ba, Vengeance of Rain (NZ), Ambitious Dragon...

His Highness the Aga Khan has been acknowledged for his significant involvement in racing and breeding in being given the Contribution to the Industry Award at the annual Horse Racing Ireland Awards on Monday evening. "With these awards, we celebrate something more profound than achievements and investments," said HRI Chairman Nicky Hartery. "His Highness the Aga Khan is not just a valued partner of the Irish racing community; he is one of us. We feel that he is part of the very fabric of our industry, and we have claimed...

Aesop's Fables (Ire) (No Nay Never) will stand at Starfield Stud next season, Compass Stallions announced on Monday. The G2 Futurity Stakes winner will command a fee of €6,500, with limited breeding rights available. Trained by Aidan O'Brien, Aesop's Fables retires as the winner of three of his 17 career starts. He also won this year's Listed Sole Power Sprint Stakes at Naas in May, having produced two of his best efforts at the end of last season when finishing third in both the G1 Prix de l'Abbaye at Longchamp...

You can say this much for John Stewart, he doesn't think small. Looking to build a stable that can compete at the highest level not only in the U.S. but all over the world, the owner will compete in Sunday's G1 Japan Cup with his newest acquisition, the gelding Goliath (Ger) (Adlerflug {(Ger)}. Stewart purchased a majority interest in Goliath after he won the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes at odds of 25-1. Since, he has won the G2 Prix du Conseil de Paris Stakes at...

Three of Europe's top 2400-metre gallopers face an 11-strong local challenge in Sunday's G1 Japan Cup, looking to snap an 18-year run of success for Japanese-based horses. While it has become next to impossible for the raiders to walk away with the Tokyo spoils, that was not always the case. In the first 17 renewals, horses from overseas prevailed on no fewer than a dozen occasions, including theretofore unprecedented consecutive winners for Sir Michael Stoute with Singspiel (Ire) and Pilsudski (Ire) in 1996 and 1997, respectively. But since that time,...

Classic winner Jan Brueghel (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) will not participate in the Longines Hong Kong International Races and will instead be prepared for a start in Saudi Arabia next year. Coolmore posted the news on X on Thursday. The Coolmore partners' 2024 G1 St Leger hero was forced to miss an intended start in the G1 Melbourne Cup due to a failed vet check. However, his preparation for Hong Kong was deemed insufficient by connections and he will likely resurface in the Middle East early in the new year. "He...

Four-Time Group 1 winner Luxembourg (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), whose finest hour came when landing the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown in 2022, has been retired and will join Coolmore's National Hunt roster at Castlehyde Stud. Trained by Aidan O'Brien, Luxembourg won seven times and amassed career earnings in excess of £2.7 million. He retires having earned a career-high rating of 123. "We're delighted to have Luxembourg join our team here in Castlehyde," said Cathal Murphy. "He has a very similar profile to the much-missed Fame And Glory, in that he...

Storm Boy (Aus), a Group 2 winner and Group 1-placed when trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, is set to join Aidan O'Brien at Ballydoyle ahead of a European campaign in 2025, Coolmore Australia announced on Tuesday. The son of Justify is the winner of five of his 10 career starts and was bought by Coolmore and a group of their friends and clients for an undisclosed sum after he made it three from three with his victory in the Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic back in January. On...