Joseph O'Brien

Joseph O'Brien trainee Basil Martini (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}--Under Offer {Ire}, by Bated Breath {GB}) was a four-start maiden heading into Sunday's G3 Weld Park S. at the Curragh and returned home with black-type and a first win of any kind after making all under Declan McDonogh in the seven-furlong juvenile fillies' heat. The 12-1 chance had collected prizemoney in all outings to date and went postward for this stakes debut coming back off a short-head second at Punchestown earlier in the month. Basil Martini, the sharpest of 10 into stride,...

Connections of Al Riffa (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), the brilliant G1 National S. winner, are confident that they have a Guineas horse on their hands and are predicting Joseph O'Brien's exciting colt to be even better next year. Khalifa Bin Ahmed Alattiyah, a familiar face on Irish racecourses and on the sales circuit, was at the Curragh on Sunday to see Al Riffa, owned by his cousin Jassim Bin Ali Al Attiyah, tower over his rivals. Not only did Al Riffa provide crack youngster Dylan Browne McMonagle with his first...

Second to the reopposing Hans Andersen (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in his July 16 debut over seven furlongs at the Curragh, Jassim Bin Ali Al Attiyah's Al Riffa (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}--Love On My Mind {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) graduated over the same course and distance last month and stepped forward to provide apprentice jockey Dylan Browne McMonagle with a career high in Sunday's G1 Goffs Vincent O'Brien National S., his third seven-furlong outing at the Co. Kildare venue. The 9-1 chance settled into a rhythm behind all five rivals through...

Joseph O'Brien has revealed that State Of Rest has been retired to stud after Racing Victoria found an issue in an MRI scan that would prevent him travelling to Australia to defend his Cox Plate crown.  The four-time Group/Grade 1 hero was last seen finishing down the field in the Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville and the O'Brien team feel that the issue that presented itself in the MRI scan was to blame for that poor performance.  State Of Rest (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}--Repose {Quiet American}) shot to prominence when...

Big Invasion (Declaration of War)'s enormous kick carried him home to a sixth victory in a row in Saratoga's Mahony S. by three effortless lengths. Coming into the race with four straight stakes victories, the GIII Quick Call July 17 at this venue among them, he was hammered down to 1-5 favoritism in his quest to continue the streak and he made it look a gift. He was equally dominant in the May 29 Paradise Creek at Belmont, William Walker at Churchill Downs May 4, and in the Texas Glitter...

Four-time Group 1 winner State Of Rest (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) will head to Sunday's G1 Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville instead of next week's G1 Juddmonte International, according to trainer Joseph O'Brien. The 4-year-old's international tour kicked off with a win in the GI Saratoga Derby Invitational S. last August, and he shipped Down Under and captured the iconic G1 Cox Plate at Moonee Valley on Oct. 23. Next was a 3/4-length win in the G1 Prix Ganay at ParisLongchamp on May Day prior to a solid third in...

Racing fans who have always had a bit of trouble believing in the magic that goes on behind the gates at Ballydoyle or at Owning Hill need not look any further than the result of last week's Ballyhane S. at Naas. There are some people, so hell-bent in their views that the sole reason why Aidan and Joseph O'Brien have conquered some of the greatest prizes in racing, is because they have all the best horses at their disposal. It sounds somewhat plausible, doesn't it? Aidan and Joseph have been...

One thousand winners and counting. Joseph O'Brien passed yet another important milestone in his training career on Saturday when Al Riffa (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) became his 1,000th winner in the opening seven-furlong maiden at the Curragh. And what style it was achieved in. Al Riffa, who emerged as a major eye-catcher when staying on for second in a Curragh maiden last month, showed the benefit of that initial outing to confirm himself a potential top-notcher in the making. It was just over six years ago when O'Brien enjoyed a...

Eric Long has struck it lucky with Zoinnocent (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}), the first horse he has had in training in Europe and, speaking ahead of the filly's run in Thursday's G3 Silver Flash S. at Leopardstown, the American businessman has outlined plans to grow his string with Joseph O'Brien. Zoinnocent ran out an impressive winner of a seven-furlong maiden at Gowran Park last month and is expected to play a leading role in one of the feature races at Leopardstown on Thursday.  Long, who has 10 horses in training in...

Trainers Joseph O'Brien, Henry de Bromhead and Ralph Beckett are each set to be represented in the next auction on the ThoroughBid platform set for 22 July. O'Brien has consigned four lots to the sale, including Zofast (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}), an unraced half-sister to a pair of multiple winners, as well as Flash Bulb (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), a latest third over 9 1/2 furlongs at Gowran Park June 12. Also in the Carriganog consignment is Cork maiden winner Ghasham (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}). The Roger Brookhouse-owned and Henry de Bromhead-trained nine-year-old...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY - D. Wayne Lukas is back and so is the Wilson Chute, after a much, much longer absence, for the 154th summer of Thoroughbred racing in Saratoga. The 40-day season at historic Saratoga Race Course launches Thursday and runs through Labor Day, Sept. 5. It will be the 77th consecutive year of competition at Saratoga--since the closing for three years during World War II--which coincidentally makes it the second half of the very long run since the first meet was held in 1863. During the eight-plus weeks...

Wielding great might in Europe, the Aidan O'Brien arsenal has also proven one to be respected in many of the nation's top turf contests. That influence will once again be in evidence this weekend with the appearance of Stone Age (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Concert Hall (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), who arrived in New York Wednesday and are slated to contest Saturday's 10-furlong first legs of NYRA's Caesars Turf Triple series. The former, bred and co-owned by Peter Brant with Coolmore partners Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith and Westerberg,...