Aidan O'Brien

Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum's G1 2,000 Guineas runner-up Rosallion (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}), trained by Richard Hannon, will face seven rivals, including a trio from Ballydoyle, in Saturday's G1 Tattersalls Irish 2,000 Guineas at the Curragh. Bidding to become only the fifth English-trained runner to win since 2010, the year of the stable's Canford Cliffs (Ire) (Tagula {Ire}), last year's G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere hero is likely to start favourite over the Aidan O'Brien-trained top-level performers River Tiber (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) and Unquestionable (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}). Hannon...

Group 1-winning filly Opera Singer (Justify) could be on course to make her eagerly anticipated return in the Irish 1,000 Guineas at the Curragh. Last year's leading juvenile filly ended her campaign with a five-length win in the Prix Marcel Boussac, a performance that placed her at the head of the ante-post market for the 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket. However, Opera Singer met with a setback which delayed her return but she is now all set to lead Aidan O'Brien's team at the Curragh. "At the moment for the 1,000...

Aidan O'Brien trainee Fairy Godmother (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}--Scintilating {GB}, by Siyouni {Fr}) was usurped by Sparkling Sea (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) on debut at Naas last month and returned over the same six-furlong strip to exact revenge on that reopposing rival in Sunday's G3 Coolmore Stud Irish EBF Fillies Sprint. Ryan Moore was keen to settle the 6-5 favourite into a smooth rhythm and anchored his mount at the tail of the six-runner field through the initial exchanges of this straight dash. Easing closer onto the heels of the...

Following the latest scratching stage, 25 fillies remain in the G1 Betfred Oaks set for Epsom Downs on Friday, May 31. The 1 1/2-mile race features 15 fillies trained in Britain, nine from Ireland one from France, with the Coolmore partners' Ylang Ylang (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in pole position and 5-2 in the wagering markets on Betfred. The G1 Fillies' Mile heroine ran fifth in the G1 1000 Guineas earlier this month. She is one of seven Aidan O'Brien trainees, with the listed-placed Rubies Are Red (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and...

If Ballydoyle's Tower Of London (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) was disappointing at York earlier on Friday, the stable was able to rely on Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) to make amends in the G3 Saval Beg Levmoss S. at Leopardstown. While the win was far from flashy, it at least confirmed the 2022 Gold Cup hero to be on track for a tilt at the Royal Ascot crown he was forced to give up through injury 12 months ago. Tracking the leading pair throughout the early stages, the 1-12 favourite was sent...

Arabian Crown (Fr) (Dubawi {Ire}), who had been as short as 7-2 for Derby glory, will miss his intended engagement at Epsom after suffering a setback. The news was announced on Friday morning by the official Godolphin account on X. A statement read, "Unfortunately Arabian Crown will miss the @EpsomRacecourse Derby due to a setback. He will now be aimed at a late summer campaign." Trained by Charlie Appleby, Arabian Crown has won four of his five starts, including a taking reappearance in the Bet365 Classic Trial at Sandown.  He...

Aidan O'Brien's Gold Cup picture will be a lot clearer by Friday night, with the 2022 hero of that Royal meeting's feature Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and the G3 Red Sea Turf H. and G2 Dubai Gold Cup winner Tower Of London (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in action across the Irish Sea. The latter, who is beginning to fulfil his TDN Rising Star tag over staying trips, takes aim at the York Dante festival's G2 Boodles Yorkshire Cup before Ryan Moore flies to Leopardstown to steer Kyprios to an almost inevitable...

Frances Crowley has ruled out a full scale return to the training ranks and described sending out her first runner in 16 years at Leopardstown on Friday as "just a bit of fun" with the ultimate goal being to provide her daughter Hannah with a breakthrough victory in the saddle.  Wife of the late Pat Smullen, a nine-time champion jockey in Ireland, Crowley created history in 2005 when she became the first woman to win a Classic race in Ireland with Saoire storming to a memorable triumph in the 1,000...

Unbeaten G1 Qipco 2000 Guineas victor Notable Speech (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) has progressed well since that effort, and is on course for a try at the G1 St James's Palace S. at Royal Ascot, trainer Charlie Appleby reported on the official Godolphin X feed on Monday. The contest is scheduled to go Tuesday, June 18 and has notably been reported as a target for the Aidan O'Brien-trained Group 1-winner Henry Longfellow (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}). "[Notable Speech] pulled up well, he's had an easy canter, he's done all the right vitals...

It was just five years ago when Guillaume Vitse left his longtime job at Haras de Colleville where he had helped build the farm from a start-up to a well-established French stallion station to forge his own path. "At one stage, you just feel like it's time to go out on your own and buy your own place," says Vitse, sitting by one of his pastures at his Normandie Breeding in Hotot-en-Auge, France, where a dozen yearlings are grazing behind him. "My wife and I were pretty motivated to do...

TIPPERARY, Ireland -- Aidan O'Brien walks into the semi-covered ride, shakes hands with each member of the assembled press pack and apologises for the rain. Within his private fiefdom of Ballydoyle there is plenty that he can control, particularly via the earpieces on each of his 50 riders currently warming up in front of him, but the weather isn't one of them. The rain fell on his parade at Newmarket just over a week ago when the longed-for procession of City Of Troy (Justify) in the 2,000 Guineas failed to...

Putting another piece in the Derby puzzle on Sunday, Ballydoyle's unbeaten Los Angeles (Ire) (Camelot {GB}--Frequential {GB}, by Dansili {GB}) marked his return with a workmanlike but promising win in Leopardstown's G3 Cashel Palace Hotel Derby Trial S. Last seen winning the G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud, the 4-5 favourite sat off the tempo set by stablemate Euphoric (GB) (Frankel {GB}) under Wayne Lordan and after getting to the front a furlong out stayed on to beat that rival by a length, with the Dermot Weld trainee Taraj (Ire) (Churchill {Ire})...