Joseph O'Brien

Now I do realise that I am in a minority of one here. But while everyone else seems to perceive some unique alchemy between Galileo (Ire) and Danehill, to me the number of good horses obtained by that cross is pretty much as you should expect when one breed-shaping stallion is mated with the daughters of another. After all, their dams will in turn have been well-bred and/or accomplished runners, simply to have gained access to an elite sire. If we call this "selective breeding", we are surely flattering ourselves....

The Lexus Melbourne Cup went to Joseph O'Brien for the second time in four years as the Jim Bolger-bred Twilight Payment (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) gave owner Lloyd Williams his seventh victory in Australia's storied race under a bold front-running ride from Jye McNeil. It was a clean sweep of the top three places for European raiders and, in an echo of 2017 when Rekindling (GB) (High Chaparral {Ire}) held off Johannes Vermeer (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), O'Brien's father Aidan had to settle for second best when Irish Derby runner-up Tiger Moth...

Following Friday's G1 Fillies' Mile victory of Pretty Gorgeous (Fr) (Lawman {Fr}), Joseph O'Brien could be celebrating a notable Newmarket double on Saturday if fellow TDN Rising Star Thunder Moon (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) can provide the stable with further glory in the G1 Darley Dewhurst S. Showing an impressive surge of acceleration to upstage the re-opposing Ballydoyle pair Wembley (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and St Mark's Basilica (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) in The Curragh's G1 Goffs Vincent O'Brien National S. over this seven-furlong trip Sept. 13, Chantal Regalado-Gonzalez's bay appears the main...

Friday's G1 bet365 Fillies' Mile at Newmarket was fought out by two elite TDN Rising Stars, with Pretty Gorgeous (Fr) (Lawman {Fr}) prevailing by half a length over Indigo Girl (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) to claim the bragging rights. Runner-up in the Sept. 13 G1 Moyglare Stud S. at The Curragh, John Oxley's Pretty Gorgeous had been forced to miss Sunday's G1 Prix Marcel Boussac due to the well-documented feed contamination but confidence remained intact as she traded as the 5-2 favourite. Racing well off the honest tempo as Shane Crosse...

After a weekend of intensive testing of GAIN's equine feed ranges, batches and individual ingredients, progress has been made in the investigation into the presence of Zilpaterol in the contaminated feeds, the company announced late on Monday evening. The synthetic beta-agonist Zilpaterol, approved for use as a performance-enhancer in some beef production systems outside the EU, was found in some positive tests on horses that had consumed GAIN products in France last week. GAIN stressed that Zilpaterol has never formed part of any formulation in any GAIN animal nutrition ranges....

Australian runners trained by Aidan and his son Joseph O'Brien have undergone tests by Racing Victoria to see if they came back positive for the synthetic substance Zilpaterol, which had been found in contaminated GAIN feed. Both O'Briens and Aidan's other son Donnacha were forced to scratch all of their runners on Arc Sunday after they tested positive for the substance. The O'Briens' 10 horses arrived in Melbourne on Friday night and are under quarantine for two weeks at the International Horse Centre in Werribee. A statement by Racing Victoria...

Dual G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe heroine Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) will attempt to win her third Arc in the last four years, as she is one of 22 in the French showpiece after the latest forfeit stage announced on Monday. The Juddmonte mare is one of three in the race at this stage for John Gosden, with Bjorn Nielsen's star stayer Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) and fellow Juddmonte runner and undefeated 2019 G1 St Leger hero Logician (GB) (Frankel {GB}) is also entered. Irish maestro...

Group 1 winner Thunder Moon (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}), who won the G1 Goffs Vincent O'Brien National S. at The Curragh on Sunday for Chantal Regalado-Gonzalez, is under consideration for the G1 Dewhurst S. on Oct. 10, trainer Joseph O'Brien revealed on Monday. The bay graduated at first asking for breeder Anne Marie O'Brien at The Curragh on Aug. 9, before being purchased privately. "We were very happy with him," said O'Brien of the 'TDN Rising Star'. "It was a bit of a messy race, but he showed a great turn...

Irish apprentice jockey Shane Crosse, who was set to travel to Doncaster on Saturday to ride the Joseph O'Brien-trained Galileo Chrome (Ire) (Australia {GB}) in the G1 St Leger and State Of Rest (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) in the G2 Champagne S., has tested positive for COVID-19 and has begun a 14-day isolation. Crosse has been asymptomatic and was tested as part of the protocol for traveling overseas to ride. Dr. Jennifer Pugh, the Irish Horse Racing Board's senior medical officer, said, "Shane was completely asymptomatic and was very surprised to...

Proving her stamina for 14 furlongs when winning Leopardstown's Listed Vinnie Roe S. Aug. 13, Scott Heider's Pista (American Pharoah) overcame inexperience to follow up in a competitive renewal of Doncaster's G2 bet365 Park Hill Fillies' S. on Thursday. Anchored in last early by William Buick, the 6-1 shot was delivered towards the stand's side to gain the lead in the final 100 yards and despite running away from the whip scored by 1 1/2 lengths from Vivionn (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), with the 11-8 favourite Believe In Love (Ire) (Make...

Saturday's G2 A.R.M. Holding Debutante S. resulted in the trifecta of Joseph-Donnacha-Aidan O'Brien in that order as the oldest son of the Ballydoyle master held sway with TDN Rising Star Pretty Gorgeous (Fr) (Lawman {Fr}). Runner-up to Donnacha's Shale (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G3 Silver Flash S. over this seven-furlong trip on fast ground at Leopardstown Aug. 6, John Oxley's 3-1 shot was always travelling easily in a share of fourth and when sent on by Shane Crosse brushed aside that rival to gain the lead with a furlong...

Sunday's seven-furlong Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden at The Curragh looked as if it could be storing something exciting beforehand and so it proved as Anne Marie O'Brien's Thunder Moon (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) exploded onto the scene to earn TDN Rising Star status. Keen early tracking the leading trio, the 10-1 shot who had won a Dundalk barrier trial July 29 travelled with supreme ease once Declan McDonogh had got a grip on him. Given the command approaching the final furlong, the homebred split rivals and surged to the front...