Aidan O'Brien

Aidan O'Brien's 2024 Flat Turf campaign got off to a perfect beginning at The Curragh on Monday as the 3-year-old filly Brilliant (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}--Plying, by Hard Spun) flew the flag in the G3 Lodge Park Stud Irish EBF Park Express S. Runner-up in the G3 Newtownanner Stud Irish EBF S. over this mile trip and track and third in the seven-furlong G3 Weld Park S. also here last term, the 7-2 second favourite was steadied towards the rear early by Declan McDonogh and crept into contention once straightened for...

Opera Singer (Justify), winner of the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac and winter favourite for the Qipco 1,000 Guineas, may miss the first Classic of the season after meeting with a setback in training. Her trainer Aidan O'Brien confirmed the news in an interview on Racing TV. He said, "Opera Singer is a bit behind. She had a little setback, she had two weeks easy and might not make the English Guineas. She is likely to start in the Irish Guineas and we don't want to force her." Bred by the...

For the first time since 1996, Seamie Heffernan will not be based at Ballydoyle--but Aidan O'Brien's long and trusted ally has revealed that he still hopes to be riding big-race winners in the Coolmore colours in the future.  It has been one of the worst kept secrets in Irish racing for some time that Heffernan, one of the constants at Ballydoyle for almost three decades now, would not be returning to the fold.  And on the eve of the opening day of the Flat season in Ireland, Heffernan lifted the...

Helios Express (Aus) (Toronado {Ire}), winner of the Hong Kong Classic Mile and Hong Kong Classic Cup in his two most recent appearances, leads a field of 14 selected runners for the HK$26 million (£2.6 million/US$3.3 million) BMW Hong Kong Derby to be held at Sha Tin Racecourse Sunday, Mar. 24. The John Size trainee will look to join the likes of the late Rapper Dragon (Aus) (Street Boss) and Golden Sixty (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro) as horses to sweep the series. Helios Express (rated 102) has been supplanted at the...

The entries for the first two Classics of the season have been released, with 49 horses entered in each of the Qipco 2,000 Guineas and Qipco 1,000 Guineas. The colts will line up at Newmarket on Saturday, May 4 when it is likely that much of the attention will focus on the unbeaten City Of Troy (Justify), who at this stage is the ante-post favourite for the 2,000 Guineas. Trained by Aidan O'Brien, he has left Ireland for two of his three starts to win the G2 Superlative S. at...

Wayne Lordan described his return to race-riding at Dundalk on Friday following an eight-month spell on the sidelines through injury as "a great feeling" and admitted to not realising how much he missed competitive action until he got the leg up aboard Navy Seal (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the Patton Race. Alas, the Aidan O'Brien-trained colt could not provide Lordan with a dream return, as he trailed home last of the three runners, but Lordan's spirits could not have been dented after completing the comeback.  The multiple Group 1 and...

 The winners of the His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Racing Excellence Awards, with Japanese superstar Equinox (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) named the Best Horse Award winner, were announced during the Super Saturday card at Meydan Racecourse on Saturday. The award winners are selected on criteria designated by the Dubai Racing Club (DRC), overseen by the Trustee's Committee. The public selects the People's Choice Award. The full list of winners are as follows: Best Horse: Equinox (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) Best Jockey: Ryan Moore Best Trainer: Aidan O'Brien...

A total of 72 horses have been entered for the 2024 G1 Derby at Epsom Downs on Saturday, June 1, the richest race in Britain with total prize-money of £1.5 million. Of the 72, 23 are trained in Ireland, including the outstanding juvenile of 2023, City Of Troy (Justify), last seen winning the G1 Dewhurst S. at Newmarket by three and a half lengths in impressive fashion. He is one of 17 entries for Aidan O'Brien, the most successful trainer in the history of the Classic having saddled nine winners since...

TOWER OF LONDON (IRE) (c, 4, Galileo {Ire}-Dialafara {Fr}, by Anabaa) gave the Coolmore partners a dramatic, last stride victory under a quality Ryan Moore ride in the 3000-metre $2.5-million G3 Longines Red Sea Turf H. at King Abdulaziz Racecourse on Saturday. It was Moore's 18th ride and first win at the fledgling meeting, and trainer Aidan O'Brien's third runner and first winner, as well. Enemy (GB) (Muhaarar {GB}), who finished second in the 2023 edition, filled that spot again, a head off of the winner. The listed winner blew...

Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has long been a racehorse owner but he has also become immersed in the breeding world since his retirement from football. On Saturday, his homebred Spirit Dancer (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who Ferguson races in partnership with Ged Mason and Peter Done, lines up in the $2-million G2 Howden Neom Turf Cup on the Saudi Cup undercard. The seven-year-old, trained by Richard Fahey, has been wintering in the Middle East, where he won the G2 Bahrain International Trophy in November before finishing fourth in...

Multiple Group 1 winner Luxembourg (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), who was slated to make his dirt debut in the $20-million G1 Saudi Cup later this month, will not run in the 1800-metre main track affair, according to the latest list of probables released by the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia. With Luxembourg's absence, multiple group winner Isolate (Mark Valeski) draws into the main body of the field for trainer Doug Watson and owner RRR Racing. The Coolmore partners' runner, a winner of the 2023 G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup, the 2022 G1...

Unbelievable (Justify), a full-brother to the undefeated Cartier champion 2-year-old colt City of Troy and a veteran of five European starts when racing as Bertinelli for Coolmore and Aidan O'Brien, will become his boom sire's first starter in Hong Kong in the Class 3 Red Packet H. (1600m) at Monday's Chinese New Year meeting at Sha Tin Racecourse. A son of G1 Fillies' Mile winner Together Forever (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), also the dam of Group 3 winner Military Style (War Front) as well as the latter's full-brothers--the Group 2-placed Absolute...