#Donnacha O'Brien

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…

Antony Brittain might not be on a lot of trainer-to-follow shortlists, but, after a quiet start when taking over the reigns at Northgate Lodge, Brittain has really started to find his feet of late, notching up 28 winners in 2019. The way the yard started 2020 was nothing short of extraordinary, with Brittain having chalked up 17 winners before…

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…

Maximum Security, the colt disqualified from victory in the Kentucky Derby, returns to the winner's circle Saturday at Belmont Park. Photo courtesy of New York Racing Association Oct. 28 (UPI) -- It was a very good weekend of horse racing for Japan as Lys Gracieux landed the Group 1 Cox Plate in Australia and Almond Eye returned to her dominant…

TEMPLEGATE takes on day two of Royal Ascot confident of pulling off his top hat and tails - and banging in a few winners. Read on for our man's best tips and back the horses by clicking their odds. You will find his complete breakdown of every race and runner below. And at the very bottom are his tips for every race taking place today - plus don't…

When your father is Aidan O'Brien and arguably the greatest trainer of Flat racehorses in history, there is a certain pressure and interest that has accompanied the fledgling career of Donnacha O'Brien. Like elder sibling Joseph, retirement from race riding has been followed with a swift transition from the saddle to handling horses on the gallops.…

Lope Y Fernandez: impressive winner on debut at the Curragh this month Market trends favour hotpot Lope Y Fernandez with 18 favourites or joint-favourites landing the opening contest on the final day in the last 42 editions. The Aidan O'Brien-trained colt was a convincing winner at the Curragh this month, a race won by subsequent National Stakes…

Donnacha O'Brien: aiming at a Group 1 with his first runner in Britain Starting at the top leaves you with an awful long way to fall but Donnacha O'Brien has never looked afraid of heights. Having the favourite for a Group 1 race as your first British runner might faze many trainers, particularly if they were only months into their new career and…

The red-hot favourite for the William Hill St Leger has raced only four times and never competed as a two-year-old. In some ways that would make him a perfectly normal winner of the world's oldest Classic. Frankie Dettori and John Gosden have been mopping up Group 1 races all year but at the start of 2019 nobody outside of Clarehaven Stables and…

Stradivarius: chasing a fourth Gold Cup on Thursday For the third day of Royal Ascot, it's all about the stayers, and the Gold Cup (4.15) has witnessed some superb performances, including from Stradivarius, who is bidding to match the great Yeats with four consecutive victories.

The 2022 Flat season is in full swing after the first two Classics of the season, the 2000 Guineas and 1000 Guineas. Attention now turns towards Epsom with the Cazoo Derby and Oaks next month, and market movers come thick and fast as the key Classic trials continue to be run. Our Classic Clues series has you covered. Here's a recap of the recent…

Harry Allwood kept a close eye on the racing action at Leopardstown and the Curragh over the weekend and selects five horses who are worth adding to your Racing TV tracker. The 2020 Longines Irish Champions Weekend certainly did not disappoint, and we were treated to some stunning performances from some equine stars, as well as some potential…

Without Parole will need to buck a trend, for it is unprecedented in recent years for a St James's Palace winner to have arrived at Royal Ascot without having already been tested at the highest level. He is one of just three runners here who has not run in a Classic, which says much for the impression he has made while rising through the ranks, as…

Gustav Klimt (Ryan Moore, left) runs down Imaging to land the 2000 Guineas Trial Any juice in Gustav Klimt's Qipco 2000 Guineas price evaporated after he galloped through the rain-softened Leopardstown ground en route to winning Saturday's Ballylinch-sponsored trial from Imaging. It was a performance that resulted in the Aidan O'Brien-trained colt…

Star Of India: impressed in Chester's Dee Stakes After a week of trials for the Derby and Oaks, we asked our panel where the value now is for the Epsom Classics? Several Aidan O'Brien Derby contenders were sighted this week and although Changingoftheguard was visually impressive, he had things all his own way, and Star Of India in the Dee…

It was high-wire stuff, Siskin and Colin Keane on the inside, buried, a rail to their right and horses all around them. Nowhere to go and the two-furlong pole flashing past. Now get out of that one. You have to pause and rewind a few times to figure out all that happened then. Lope Y Fernandez quickened up on the outside in what looked like a…

THE Irish Derby betting markets have been rocked after Aidan O'Brien decided to supplement Oaks winner Tuesday. Bookies had reported'one-way traffic' for favourite Westover. But there now looks like market turmoil for ante-post backers with the news Ryan Moore is to ride the superstar filly, who saw off Emily Upjohn in a thriller at…

Peaceful and Cayenne Pepper are vying for favouritism in the Juddmonte Irish Oaks at the Curragh on Saturday. Fancy Blue, who gave Donnacha O'Brien his first Classic success in the Prix de Diane at Chantilly last month, is among the 12 confirmations but could wait instead for the Nassau Stakes, with her trainer saying last week the Goodwood race…

Siskin: won the 2020 Irish 2000 Guineas, but who will score at the Curragh on Saturday? Your guide to Saturday's Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas at the Curragh, the first Classic of the season in Ireland.

Irish 1000 Guineas (G1) winner Empress Josephine is the best of the trio of Europeans set for Saturday's Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1) at Keeneland. We'll give a quick update on her before examining the stateside debutantes - fellow Irish invader Nicest and progressive British shipper Cloudy Dawn. As discussed in her scouting report for the…

Irish Derby and Grand Prix de Paris winner Hurricane Lane faces nine rivals in the Cazoo St Leger (3.35) at Doncaster on Saturday. The Charlie Appleby-trained colt, whose sole defeat came when third in the Derby, seeks a hat-trick of Group 1 wins and is an odds-on favourite to land British racing's oldest Classic. Hurricane Lane is ridden by…

The 9-4 favourite, a son of the legendary Frankel, saw off Gustav Klimt, with Wootton in third. Dettori also triumphed with Calyx and Monarchs Glen. Blue Point upset leading fancies Lady Aurelia and Battaash to claim the King's Stand Stakes for Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin team. The Italian-born Dettori was forced to dismiss speculation he might be…

The first of six challengers from the powerful Aidan O'Brien stable with the master of Ballydoyle looking to secure a 14th victory in the Irish Derby. ARTHUR'S KINGDOM is hoping to follow in the footsteps of his sire, Camelot who won this Classic for the trainer in 2012. He has never finished outside the top two places and has a leading chance for…

The Holy Roman Emperor colt did fledgling trainer John O'Donoghue proud at last month's showpiece meeting in Berkshire - belying odds of 80/1 to finish second to Holloway Boy in the Chesham Stakes. David Egan travels across the Irish Sea to keep the ride in Thursday evening's Group Three feature and O'Donoghue is looking forward to seeing how he…

Derby favourite Luxembourg has suffered an injury scare in training, leaving a question mark over the colt's participation at Epsom next month. Trainer Aidan O'Brien said the horse, who finished third in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket last Saturday, was lame in his off hind leg after exercise on Friday. O'Brien expects to give a further update in…

Steve Cauthen: will bring his unrivalled expertise of riding Epsom to ITV audiences on Derby day Dual Derby-winning jockey Steve Cauthen will join ITV Racing's presentation team for the Epsom Classic next month as part of the special coverage to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee. The Kentucky-born Cauthen, who won the Derby for the late Henry Cecil…

The 15:45 at Cork on Tuesday is available as a free Race Pass, which means logged-in customers can view all our premium comments and ratings. The highlight on Cork's card is the listed Navigation Stakes (15:45) over a mile with a competitive field of twelve. Heading the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings is Georgeville (115) for Ger Lyons. He won…

Chris Hayes celebrates after winning the Moyglare Stud Stakes on Tahiyra during day two of the Longines Irish Champions Weekend at The Curragh Racecourse in Kildare. PIC: Sportsfile THERE was success for Limerick jockeys across the Longines Irish Champions weekend. DAY ONE LEOPARDSTOWN Paddy Twomey's remarkable season hit another high as 16/1 shot…