Aidan O’Brien’s hopes of breaking his own world record for Group/Grade One victories look to hinge on next weekend’s top-flight prizes.
After drawing a blank in the top contests at Saturday’s British Champions Day the Irish trainer remains on 22 Group One successes for the 2025 season. That’s six shy of his record tally of 28 in 2017.
Saxon Warrior’s Futurity win at Doncaster in 2017 saw O’Brien break Bobby Frankel’s old benchmark of 25. He has landed Britain’s final Group One prize of the year 11 times in all and has the current ante-post favourite Benvenuto Cellini for next Saturday’s cross-channel highlight.
Auguste Rodin was his last Futurity winner three years ago but success this time looks a prerequisite to O’Brien’s chances of threatening the record.
RM Block
Victory there could generate momentum towards Paris 24 hours later and a triple Group One programme at Saint-Cloud. A pair of €250,000 Group One races for two-year-olds are accompanied by the €350,000 Royal Oak.
O’Brien has only once before landed France’s version of the St Leger, which was won by the Ballydoyle stalwart Yeats in 2008.
However, Ireland’s champion trainer holds a record six wins in the Criterium International over a mile, including a year ago with Twain. He has also won the 10-furlong Criterium de Saint-Cloud on five occasions.
With another massively strong juvenile team to pick from, potentially including the recent impressive Zetland Stakes winner Pierre Bonnard, O’Brien shapes once again as being the one to beat in those races.
A year ago Twain landed the Saint-Cloud contest just eight days after making a winning debut at Leopardstown and the power of the Ballydoyle battalions was underlined at the Foxrock course on Saturday.
On an all two-year-old programme, O’Brien came tantalisingly close to going through the card, winning six of the seven races.
It included a Group Three double through Christmas Day in the Eyrefield Stakes and Dorset in the Killavullan Stakes. Both were ridden by apprentice Jack Cleary, who celebrated a four-timer in all on his 22nd birthday.
The only one to disrupt the Ballydoyle benefit was another Aidan – in this case Melia – who saddled the maiden winner Unauthorized.
Before that, Saturday’s Ascot winner Mission Central earned himself a slot in O’Brien’s Breeders’ Cup squad at Del Mar where the trainer is likely to become the most successful trainer of all at US racing’s showpiece meeting.
O’Brien has 20 Breeders’ Cup winners in all, level with the late D Wayne Lukas. The Arc runner-up Minnie Hauk looks like she could lead the Ballydoyle team into the Del Mar action in the $5 million Turf.
In 2022 O’Brien enjoyed his most successful single Breeders’ Cup with three winners – Mediate, Victoria Road and Tuesday. A repeat of that tally may yet make for an interesting climax to the international racing calendar at Hong Kong’s Carnival in December.
Half of his Breeders’ Cup wins have come in two-year-old races and after his victory at Ascot, O’Brien commented: “Mission Central is a horse with a lot of ability. He was coming here on the way to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint.”
“Christophe [Soumillon] said he is very fast. He eased him back and they travelled very easy through the race. We think that race will suit him [at the Breeders’ Cup]. He is a gelding, so he is a horse everyone can have fun with.”
What would suit very well is a repeat of the sort of transatlantic bonanza enjoyed by Gordon Elliott at Far Hills in New Jersey on Saturday night. The Co Meath trainer saddled a five-timer topped by Zanahiyr’s American Grand National victory.
Jack Kennedy’s mount edged out Keith Donoghue on Ballysax Hank in a close finish to the $250,000 highlight. Kennedy did remarkably well to win having been almost unseated at the second jump.
Elliott also won with Chortal, We’re Back Again and Emily Love, all ridden by Kennedy, while Danny Gilligan scored on Coutach.
Separately, Joseph O’Brien will be represented in a Listed contest at Deaville on Monday when the Roscommon winner Viking Invasion lines up in a mile and a half contest. Maxime Guyon rides the Irish hope in a race that also includes the Ascot winner Aegean Prince.
Monday’s domestic action is in Gowran where Dylan Browne McMonagle and Colin Keane are both in action as they continue their tussle for the jockeys’ title.
A stall one draw, and first-time blinkers, can help Mr Tony win the opener, although Keane can strike back in the next with Giverhertilxmas.
In other news, Charlie Appleby has outlined plans to run up to seven horses at the Breeders’ Cup topped by Rebel’s Romance who will bid for an unprecedented hat-trick in the Turf.
Group One winner Cinderella’s Dream and Notable Speech as well as the two-year-old Military Code are among those set to travel to California.
