#Aidan O'Brien

Blackbeard: will bid to resume winning ways in the Group 2 Prix Robert Papin on Sunday One of the many ways in which Aidan O'Brien has marked himself out as a generational training talent has been the way he doesn't just go round ticking big races off a career list and then discarding them. His record in the British and Irish Classics is that of a…

From Hurricane Fly's fourth consecutive Irish Champion Hurdle victory to The New One brushing aside the opposition in Cheltenham's International Hurdle, it has been an exciting year of racing. As 2014 nears its conclusion racing correspondent Marcus Townend reviews the past 12 months of racing, and picks his best race of each month. JANUARY Paul…

There was once a time when the Richard Hannon yard was famed for early season two-year-olds. When Richard Hannon snr was in charge at East Everleigh, the yard regularly bettered a 20 per cent strike-rate with juveniles before the month of July and did so ten times from 2000 to 2013, when Hannon snr passed on the licence to Richard Hannon jnr. The…

MOST of you will never have heard of Al Hakeem - but I'm hoping that will change in the next 48 hours. Al Hakeem is a French-trained colt and horses across the channel have been pants at home in Group 1 races this season. So, the Jean-Claude Rouget runner is a massive price to land tomorrow's Arc. The Longchamp thriller, screened live on ITV, has…

FORMER champion jockey and 15-times Group 1 winner Simon Marshall gives us his insights into all the runners in the 2018 Melbourne Cup. 1. BEST SOLUTION (Barrier 6) Approx win/place odds: $15 / $4. Gutsy Caulfield Cup winner who's drawn perfectly in gate six. It was a terrific win at Caulfield, and came after back-to-back of Group 1 wins in…

Five meetings take place in four countries on a busy day of horse racing across the British Isles on Tuesday. The action commences at Brighton (1.00-4.10pm), which is one of four Flat cards along with Hamilton in Scotland (2.15-5.20), Roscommon in Ireland (4.40-8.10) and Chepstow in Wales (5.50-8.50). The lone jumps card is at Stratford…

The Irish 1000 Guineas winner, ridden by Colm O'Donoghue, powered clear for a scintillating six-length victory over runner-up Threading, with Veracious third. Victory for the 11-4 favourite was another flat racing triumph for the Irish trainer whose successes over the jumps include last year's Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Sizing John. "I have a lot…

Knicks Go, seen winning the Grade I Pegasus World Cup in January, is favorite for Saturday's Grade I Whitney at Saratoga. Photo courtesy of Gulfstream Park Aug. 6 (UPI) -- Rich purses drew some top foreign talent for the Saratoga Derby and Oaks on Saturday and Sunday on the upstate New York turf to highlight a big weekend of Thoroughbred…

Tom Segal with tips for the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes Dave Orton, Nick Watts, Tom Segal and Paddy Power's Darren Hughes return for an ante-post look ahead to the big race at Ascot in July: the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes. On the show: - The ante-post team return for more racing tips, and this time they look at July's big…

Hannibal Barca (right): seen here finishing fourth to Luxembourg in the Vertem Futurity Trophy at Doncaster The presence of Hannibal Barca, having his first start for Joseph O'Brien, adds significant intrigue to this Group 3 which was won by Leading Light in 2013 prior to his St Leger success. Indeed, he went on to win the Ascot Gold Cup the…

A tour of Coolmore Stud in Fethard, County Tipperary is a wonderfully enriching experience for any Flat racing fan, the site being home to so many champions from years gone by. To drive the point home, simply check out the stud's roster for 2021 which counted 16 stallions and the winners of 44 Group/Grade 1 races between them. Of course, winning…

Our man Garry Owen has picked out his tips on a busy day of racing action. Don't forget to follow all of Saturday's action in our weekly LIVE horse racing blog. CLEVELAND (3.15) can take advantage of a smart piece of placing by Aidan O'Brien in the Chester Cup. The four-year-old was an eye-catching fifth to Layfayette on his return in a 1m 2f Group…

Essential Quality, shown winning the Grade I Travers, is among the favorites in a Breeders' Cup Classic field announced this week. Photo courtesy of New York Racing Association Oct. 29 (UPI) -- It's a week for looking forward as horse racing around the globe nears its annual champion-making events and youngsters get in final licks to make a case…

3.00) at Royal Ascot on Saturday, as he bids to bounce back from his disappointing third in the 2000 Guineas. The Charlie Appleby-trained son of Shamardal was defeated for the first time in the Newmarket Classic and will once again take on Wichita, who finished second. Appleby said: "Naturally, you are always disappointed when you lose that…

MOTHER EARTH is fancied to win the Group 1 Coronation Stakes (4.20) at Royal Ascot on Friday The Aidan O'Brien-trained filly took the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket in May and can ass this race to her CV. Second in the French equivalent, she sets the standard for her 12 rivals to aim at. Newsboy's top tips for day four.. Newsboy's 1-2-3 1 HELLO YOU 2…

Tommy Lyons ranks the country's greatest horsemen from the past 50 years. A star from the outset, Walsh served notice of what was to come by winning the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham aboard Alexander Banquet, and winning the Aintree Grand National at the first attempt. He showed his outstanding natural ability and adaptability by being able to ride…

Hopes of a fairytale ending to the Royal Ascot career of Stradivarius, with a record-equalling fourth Ascot Gold Cup win under Frankie Dettori, turned into a horror story on Thursday. For the second year running, the pair were beaten without having a decent shot at the prestigious prize. One of the great stayers of the modern era frustratingly…

The Qatar Prix de L'Arc de Triomphe clock is ticking for Enable and Frankie Dettori. Sunday will be a fourth and final shot at Europe's biggest all-age race for the six-year-old mare whose biological clock is telling her that it is time to become a mother rather a champion racehorse. And her jockey, with his 50th birthday circled on the calendar in…

A busy weekend of racing in Ireland is highlighted by a quintet of Breeders' Cup Challenge Series races. Among the prospective starters are Mishriff, Saffron Beach, and Highfield Princess, a trio of Group 1 winners whose connections have mentioned the Breeders' Cup among their possible year-end targets. Let's dive in and explore the upcoming…

When Sandown Park opened in 1875 as Britain's first purpose-built racecourse with enclosures it was said by a diarist of the time to be "a place where a man could take his ladies without any fear of their hearing coarse language or witnessing uncouth behaviour". That might not always be the case, but one thing visitors to the Queen Mother's…

Don't be a plonker - go with Jubiloso to land the Coronation Stakes (4.20, ITV) on Friday. Sir Michael Stoute's filly, whose uncle is the great unbeaten champ Frankel, faces a big step up in class but could hardly have made a more promising start to her career. An easy winner at Chelmsford at the end of April, Jubiloso went on to blitz her rivals…

Biometric (pink cap) denies a five-timer for Frankie Dettori on Turgenev (green) Frankie Dettori was famously denied his five-timer at Royal Ascot by Biometric in the Britannia Stakes, and Khalid Abdullah's colt is back for more here. Harry Bentley is again on board Biometric, whose form is not just all about Royal Ascot. He has been beaten only…

Headlined by classic winners Authentic, Swiss Skydiver and Tiz The Law, 184 horses were drawn Monday afternoon into 14 fields for the $28 million Breeders' Cup championships Friday and Saturday at Keeneland. The morning lines were determined by handicapper Mike Battaglia. [] Below are the fields and odds for the 14 Breeders' Cup races in reverse…

It is the great story of the understudy getting that one shot to step in for the star. One shot to step into the spotlight. And maybe even stay there. When Drew Bledsoe got hurt, in came Tom Brady. Wally Pipp was replaced by Lou Gehrig. Phil Fulmer less elegantly for Johnny Majors. On the other hand, sports are full of one-hit wonders like Jeremy…

Japan (Ryan Moore, left) just gets the better of Trueshan (Hollie Doyle) Class and a 5lb penalty made the difference as the oddest of couples fought out the finish of the Group 3 Ormonde Stakes. In the summer of 2019, Japan won the Grand Prix de Paris and the Juddmonte International for Aidan O'Brien, while the Alan King-trained Trueshan won Class…

Noon Star: leading Oaks contender has been declared for the Musidora Stakes at York Teona and Noon Star will clash in Wednesday's Tattersalls Musidora Stakes (3.10) after the two exciting fillies were declared for a race that promises to have major implications for the Cazoo Oaks market. Santa Barbara, fourth in the 1000 Guineas after being highly…

LATEST RESULTS, TIPS AND UPDATES: Find out every winner of every race on Ladies Day, plus the best pictures and videos Royal Ascot 2018: behind the scenes of a top stables where the Queen's racehorses are trained Stradivarius claimed victory in a thrilling renewal of the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot. Trained by John Gosden and ridden by Frankie Dettori,…

The European Road to the 2023 Kentucky Derby has a trio of one-mile races remaining that, following a four-month hiatus, is set to return in March - with big points at stake on the synthetic tracks. The Road to the Kentucky Derby Conditions Stakes at Kempton Park in Surrey will kick off the month. The Patton Stakes at County Louth in Ireland is…

On what has already been a turbulent week for all things Arc related, the pressure surrounding Europe's richest horserace is cranked up another notch with Sunday's Qatar Arc Trials at ParisLongchamp - a huge 10-race card worth over €1.2 million in prizemoney. The Group One Prix Vermeille is the feature on the card and boasts ante-post Arc favourite…

The LONGINES Hong Kong International 2022 racing came to a dramatic close at Sha Tin on Sunday with two hot favorites being defeated in the Group 1 races, but the events of the day did little to diminish the world class racing we got to enjoy over the entirety of the past week. The first upset came in the LONGINES Hong Kong Vase when the heavily…

Sceptical and Joey Sheridan prove a class apart in the Listed Woodland Stakes at Naas Sceptical confirmed his position as Ireland's top sprinter after a devastating performance in the Listed Anglesey Lodge Equine Hospital Woodlands Stakes at Naas, with a tilt at the King's Stand Stakes next week now on the cards for Denis Hogan's bargain buy. Paddy…

One stride. That was the difference a wide draw made in the last running of the Dubai Sheema Classic in 2019, when Rey De Oro made it across to lead Magic Wand. He took 40 strides to the first bend, she took 39. In isolation this does not prove anything. Horses stride at different lengths and frequencies, but you would expect the much taller horse…

Ghaiyyath, shown, held off Enable to win the Coral Eclipse on Sunday at Sandown. Photo by Kassandro / Wikimedia Commons July 6 (UPI) -- Ghaiyyath held off Enable to win the Coral Eclipse on Sunday at Sandown -- a race that put the cap on a compressed weekend of Group 1 events that comprised the Investec Derby and Oaks at Epsom and the Prix du…

Graham Dench runs the rule over the three-year-olds currently taking high rank in calculations for the Cazoo-sponsored Derby, Europe's most prestigious Classic at Epsom on Saturday June 3, 2023. GB: Like it or not, there is an ever increasing trend for winners of the Derby to come from just a handful of what might be termed'super stables', and if…

More of the same? Andrea Atzeni and Defoe conquered Epsom in the 2019 Coronation Cup and the Italian-born jockey will be hoping for a repeat aboard Third Realm in Saturday's Cazoo Derby Andrea Atzeni admits his Cazoo Derby mount Third Realm continues to surprise him and is hoping that is again the case at Epsom on Saturday, when he will be among…

Aidan O'Brien has revealed a major shift in plans for Saturday's Cazoo Derby on the eve of the Classic's declaration stage, with Bolshoi Ballet likely to be his only runner among six possible candidates he had left in the race. Dante third High Definition, who had been the long-range Derby favourite over the winter before his stablemate surged to…

FRANKIE DETTORI was'horrific' winding up rivals after winning the 1000 Guineas - and said he is going to keep racing until he is 65! Fellow jockey Jamie Spencer has revealed what went on in the weighing room after Dettori rode 10-1 Mother Earth in the Newmarket contest earlier this month. And it shows the charismatic face of racing is showing…

Tenebrism: showed speed and professionalism when landing Saturday's Cheveley Park On a day full of clues for the future, Juddmonte Cheveley Park heroine Tenebrism made the biggest impression of all. That is not to detract from the professional way Perfect Power overcame a couple of stumbles to pick up his rivals in the Middle Park, nor to…

The Naas Novice Hurdle (14:20) on Sunday is available as a free Race Pass, which means logged-in customers can view all our premium comments and ratings. There are several promising types among the nine runners declared for the Grade 1 Lawlor's of Naas Novice Hurdle (14:20) which has been won by Gordon Elliott in four of the last six years. The…

Sir Michael Stoute: trainer of Desert Crown The Derby trials at Chester and Lingfield have thrown up plenty of Classic clues for Epsom next month, but one horse has shortened significantly in the betting without needing to advertise his credentials. Before the Guineas, Desert Crown was around a 33-1 chance to win the Cazoo Derby, but he has been…

May 3 (UPI) -- Just hours before Medina Spirit wired the Kentucky Derby, Poetic Flair won a nip-and-tuck victory in the first of the British Classics, highlighting a big weekend of international horse racing action. That Qipco 2000 Guineas showdown keyed a meeting at Newmarket that also included an upset in the Qipco 1000 Guineas, an impressive…

Plenty of great Coral Eclipse winners over the years since the race was first run in 1886. So, as we build up to the 2022 Coral Eclipse Stakes at Sandown Park this Saturday (2nd July), we've picked out our favourite Coral Eclipse scorers from the last 30 years - let's take a look. We've also got the latest betting from 888Sport ahead of the 2022…

Trainers work their whole lives hoping to get a horse that can win them a single Grade 1 or Group 1 race. Charlie Appleby has a horse that won him two Group 1s in five days. Already a repeat winner Tuesday in the King's Stand, Blue Point (1-1 in the U.S., 3-2 in the U.K.) did it again Saturday. He held on to win by a head in the $764520 Diamond…

The 1000 and 2000 Guineas are set for the off at the end of April in a massive highlight of flat racing. The winner of each race will take home over £250k and already there's a couple of big favourites with a decent chance of storming home in front of the crowd at Newmarket Racecourse. The difference between the 1000 Guineas to the 2000 Guineas is…

The Royal Ascot Carnival for 2019 concludes this Saturday night, headlined by the Diamond Jubilee Stakes (1200m) and the Hardwicke Stakes (2400m). WATCH LIVE RACING AT tab * Above offers may only be available to select customers.Back Me 9 Lope Y Fernandez (Bet Now: $2.50) is a son of Lope De Vega for Aidan O'Brien that was well supported when…

LONDON - Royal Ascot goes ahead on Tuesday despite being behind closed doors due to the coronavirus pandemic. Here AFP Sport picks out three races which could light up the five day meeting: TUESDAY King's Stand Stakes Punters believe this is the year that top sprinter Battaash will add the one race missing from his trophy cabinet after filling the…

Watch how the Royal Ascot winner held on by a head to provide Aidan O'Brien with his fourteenth victory in the Curragh Classic plus reaction from the Ballydoyle maestro and winning-jockey Seamie Heffernan. Santiago was a 14th winner of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby for Aidan O'Brien - who trained the first four home in this year's Classic at the…

Aidan O'Brien has won the Coventry Stakes on no less than nine occasions and I will be surprised if we have seen a better two year old than ADMIRAL NELSON who looked something special at the Curragh on Friday evening. A son of Kingman out of Shamandar, who was a useful sprinter for William Haggas, he was acquired for 440000gns and couldn't have…

Titleholder wins Sunday's Takarazuka Kinen, now targeting the Arc d'Triomphe. Photo courtesy of Japan Racing Association June 27 (UPI) -- Tawny Port's victory in Saturday's Ohio Derby serves notice the scramble among U.S. 3-year-olds is far from over while Westover's dominance of the Irish Derby indicates he's not out of the frame, either, despite…

Battleground makes light work of his Vintage Stakes rivals at Goodwood There is nothing flashy about Battleground but he is effective and has Aidan O'Brien already thinking of next year's Qipco 2000 Guineas. As short as 7-1 for the Classic, Battleground had the look of his mother and Arc winner, Found, in claiming a third Vintage Stakes for…