Aidan O'Brien

Infobox Person
name = Aidan O'Brien


image_size =
caption =
birth_date = 16 October, 1969
birth_place = Co. Wexford,
Republic of Ireland. flagicon|Ireland
death_date =
death_place =
occupation = Racehorse trainer.

Aidan P. O'Brien (born 16 October 1969 in County Wexford, Ireland) [ [http://www.ntra.com/stats_bios.aspx?id=2375 Aidan O'Brien bio NTRA.com] ] , is an Irish horse racing trainer. He is the private trainer for John Magnier and his associates at Coolmore Stud and heads up the training operation at Ballydoyle Stables in County Tipperary.

Early and private life

Aidan O'Brien is the son of Derek O'Brien, a farmer and small-scale horse trainer. Denis O'Brien lives in the townland of Killegney, near Poulpeasty, in Co. Wexford. It was here that Aidan grew up. Aidan is the third of six children. His mother's maiden name is Doyle.

Aidan O'Brien attended Poulpeasty (or Donard) National School, located less than mile from his parent's home. He subsequently attended secondary school at Good Counsel College, New Ross, both located in Co. Wexford. [H. Ashdown (ed.) & Poulpeasty Parish Committee, "Echos of Poulpeasty" (Enniscorthy: Courtney & Hogan Print Ltd., 1999), p. 174.] He is married and has four children. His wife's name is Anne-Marie (nee Crowley), daughter of horse trainer Joe Crowley. Their children's names are Joseph, Sarah, Anna and Dennis. For some time, O'Brien worked as an assistant to his future wife. [ [http://www.ntra.com/stats_bios.aspx?id=2375 Aidan O'Brien bio NTRA.com] ]

O'Brien first started working professionally with horses at P.J. Finn's racing stables at the Curragh, Co. Kildare, and then with Jim Bolger at Coolcullen, Co. Carlow. ["Echos of Poulpeasty", p. 174.]

He lives at Ballydoyle, Cashel, Co. Tipperary, Ireland.

Successes

*2004 proved to be a disappointing year for O'Brien. It started off with the removal of Michael Kinane as stable jockey. Kinane was replaced by the young Jamie Spencer who had developed a good reputation riding in the UK. However the year ultimately proved disappointing on the track. Spencer was replaced after a string of self confessed mistakes on Powerscourt in the Arlington Million and on the same horse again in the Breeders' Cup Turf.

*2005 season. After much media hype and speculation long time English champion jockey Kieren Fallon replaced Spencer as Ballydoyle's stable jockey. It was not long before the good times returned. On the first classic weekend of the 2005 flat season the newly formed partnership of Aidan O'Brien and Kieren Fallon took home both the 2,000 Guineas (Footstepsinthesand) and the 1,000 Guineas (Virginia Waters). More success would come in the year through Oratorio (Eclipse Stakes, Irish Champion Stakes), Scorpion (Grand Prix de Paris, St. Leger), and with the exciting juveniles George Washington, Rumplestiltskin and Horatio Nelson.

*2006 Season. The start of the 2006 flat season saw George Washington confirm his juvenille promise by easily winning the 2,000 Guineas on Newmarket's Rowley Mile to give O'Brien his 4th win in the race. While George Washington disappointed in the Irish equivalent, he redeemed himself in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot. Dylan Thomas would also make his mark in the top middle distance races in Europe. After going close in the Epsom Derby, he was found to be more effective under a patient Kieren Fallon ride in the Irish Derby. Dylan Thomas also showed his battling qualities in the Irish Champion Stakes, where he battled against the Champion mare Ouija Board to take the Irish Champion Stakes by a neck. Other 2006 highlights where to come through Alexandrova who dominated the middle distance fillies classics taking in the Epsom Oaks, Irish Oaks and Yorkshire Oaks. The end of season saw the juvenile Holy Roman Emperor take the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère on Arc day at Longchamp. In one of the races of the season he would be beaten by a head in the Dewhurst Stakes by European Champion 2 year old Teofilo. Much of the excitement for next years flat season would be based around the rematch of these two colts in the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket. Aidan would finish the season winning over €6.5m in Ireland and Great Britain. The season was marked however by the emerging race fixing scandal involving stable jockey Kieren Fallon. On July 3, 2006, Fallon was charged along with 7 other people for conspiring to defraud the internet betting exchange Betfair. Fallon was one of 28 people answering bail at Bishopsgate police station in the City of London in connection with the inquiry. In a released police statement, he was described as being charged with "offences relating to allegations of fixing the outcome of horse races between December 1, 2002, and September 2, 2004, and money laundering". He was amongst three jockeys charged, along with Darren Williams and Fergal Lynch, all of whom had their licences suspended. Fallon's problems were further compounded when on the 29th November 2006 the French racing authority France Galop suspended Fallon for six months after testing positive for a prohibited substance. The 41-year-old six-times champion jockey tested positive for a metabolite of a banned substance.

*2007 season. The end of the 2006 season had apparentely left Ballydoyle with multiple options for the following years classics. However the opening part of the season was left in turmoil after the premature retirement of Holy Roman Emperor. The previous years champion miler George Washington could only cover six mares and was ultimately deemed infertile for commercial purposes and as a replacement Holy Roman Emperor was sent to Coolmore Stud. Plans had to be drastically changed with O'Brien saying "all our eggs were in one basket" in relation to the opening classic of the season the 2,000 Guineas. As a result the season began relatively quietly as far as O'Briens' classic crop was concerned. Howvever signs of changing fortunes would emerge on the day of the Poule d'Essai des Poulains when Astronomer Royal came with a late run to give Ballydoyle a 1-3-4 finish. Group 1 success was seen in the older horses through last year's Irish Derby winner Dylan Thomas when he won the Prix Ganay. The mid summer was highlighted by Scorpion winning the Coronation Stakes in an O'Brien 1-2 wth stable mate Septimus. The stable also dominated the St. James's Palace Stakes and the Irish Derby with Excellent Art and Soldier of Fortune respectively leading home 1-2-3 for O'Brien horses. O'Brien finished Royal Ascot as top trainer with four winners including Yeats who retained his Ascot Gold Cup and Henrythenavigator whom set the juvenile standard for the early part of the season by winning the Coventry Stakes. Ballydoyle was also to see the return of champion jockey Kieren Fallon to retainer duties in both Ireland and France, however his ban in the UK was still being enforced pending the result of his trial in relation to fraud in racing. Peeping Fawn managed to learn from her second place in the Epsom Oaks by taking the Audi Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh and eventually overturning form, albeit on softer ground, with Light Shift in the Irish Oaks. The season of 2007 also saw Aidan land the one big European race that had so far eluded him throughout his illustrious career when Dylan Thomas won the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe under Kieren Fallon.

Coolmore Stud

O'Brien is backed by the Coolmore operation, which undoubtedly gives him a huge advantage. The Coolmore operation is renowned for high priced yearling purchases at the Keeneland September Yearling Sales, and elsewhere, and more often than not the best of these will come under Aidan's guidance at Ballydoyle. Aidan O'Brien is married to Anne Marie Crowley, former Champion National Hunt Trainer and daughter of Joe Crowley of Piltown, County Kilkenny, a well-known trainer of chasers and hurdlers and she is sister of Frances Crowley, who is a flat trainer at the Curragh.

Major wins

flagicon|Ireland Ireland
* Irish 1,000 Guineas - (4) - "Classic Park (1997), Imagine (2001), Yesterday (2003), Halfway to Heaven (2008)"
* Irish 2,000 Guineas - (5) - "Desert King (1997), Saffron Walden (1999), Black Minnaloushe (2001), Rock of Gibraltar (2002), Henrythenavigator (2008)"
* Irish Champion Stakes - (5) - "Giant's Causeway (2000), High Chaparral (2003), Oratorio (2005), Dylan Thomas (2006, 2007)"
* Irish Derby - (6) - "Desert King (1997), Galileo (2001), High Chaparral (2002), Dylan Thomas (2006), Soldier of Fortune (2007), Frozen Fire (2008)"
* Irish Oaks - (3) - "Alexandrova (2006), Peeping Fawn (2007), Moonstone (2008)"
* Irish St. Leger - (2) - "Yeats (2007), Septimus (2008)"
* Moyglare Stud Stakes - (4) - "Sequoyah (2000), Quarter Moon (2001), Necklace (2003), Rumplestiltskin (2005)"
* National Stakes - (7) - "Desert King (1996), King of Kings (1997), Beckett (2000), Hawk Wing (2001), One Cool Cat (2003), George Washington (2005), Mastercraftsman (2008)"
* Phoenix Stakes - (9) - "Lavery (1998), Fasliyev (1999), Minardi (2000), Johannesburg (2001), Spartacus (2002), One Cool Cat (2003), George Washington (2005), Holy Roman Emperor (2006), Mastercraftsman (2008)"
* Pretty Polly Stakes - (1) - "Peeping Fawn (2007)"
* Tattersalls Gold Cup - (3) - "Black Sam Bellamy (2003), Powerscourt (2004), Duke of Marmalade (2008)"----flagicon|Canada Canada
* Canadian International - (1) - "Ballingarry (2002)"----flagicon|France France
* Poule d'Essai des Poulains - (3) - "Landseer (2002), Aussie Rules (2006), Astronomer Royal (2007)"
* Poule d'Essai des Pouliches - (1) - "Rose Gypsy (2001)"
* Critérium International - (1) - "Mount Nelson (2006)"
* Critérium de Saint-Cloud - (2) - "Ballingarry (2001), Alberto Giacometti (2002)"
* Grand Prix de Paris - (1) - "Scorpion (2005)"
* Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe - (1) - "Dylan Thomas (2007)"
* Prix Ganay - (2) - "Dylan Thomas (2007), Duke of Marmalade (2008)"
* Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère - (7) - "Second Empire (1997), Ciro (1999), Rock of Gibraltar (2001), Hold That Tiger (2002), Oratorio (2004), Horatio Nelson (2005), Holy Roman Emperor (2006)"
* Prix Lupin - (1) - "Ciro (2000)"
* Prix Marcel Boussac - (1) - "Rumplestiltskin (2005)"
* Prix Maurice de Gheest - (1) - "King Charlemagne (2001)"
* Prix Morny - (3) - "Orpen (1998), Fasliyev (1999), Johannesburg (2001)"
* Prix du Moulin de Longchamp - (1) - "Rock of Gibraltar (2002)"
* Prix de la Salamandre - (1) - "Giant's Causeway (1999)"----flagicon|United Kingdom Great Britain
* 1,000 Guineas - (1) - "Virginia Waters (2005)"
* 2,000 Guineas - (5) - "King of Kings (1998), Rock of Gibraltar (2002), Footstepsinthesand (2005), George Washington (2006), Henrythenavigator (2008)"
* Ascot Gold Cup - (3) - "Yeats (2006, 2007, 2008)"
* Champion Hurdle - (3) - "Istabraq (1998, 1999, 2000)"
* Coronation Cup - (3) - "Yeats (2005), Scorpion (2007), Soldier of Fortune (2008)"
* Coronation Stakes - (1) - "Sophisticat (2002)"
* Derby Stakes - (2) - "Galileo (2001), High Chaparral (2002)"
* Dewhurst Stakes - (1) - "Rock of Gibraltar (2001)"
* Eclipse Stakes - (4) - "Giant's Causeway (2000), Hawk Wing (2002), Oratorio (2005), Mount Nelson (2008)"
* Fillies' Mile - (2) - "Sunspangled (1998), Listen (2007)"
* International Stakes - (2) - "Giant's Causeway (2000), Duke of Marmalade (2008)"
* July Cup - (2) - "Stravinsky (1999), Mozart (2001)"
* King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes - (3) - "Galileo (2001), Dylan Thomas (2007), Duke of Marmalade (2008)"
* Lockinge Stakes - (1) - "Hawk Wing (2003)"
* Middle Park Stakes - (3) - "Minardi (2000), Johannesburg (2001), Ad Valorem (2004)"
* Nassau Stakes - (2) - "Peeping Fawn (2007), Halfway to Heaven (2008)"
* Nunthorpe Stakes - (2) - "Stravinsky (1999), Mozart (2001)"
* Oaks - (3) - "Shahtoush (1998), Imagine (2001), Alexandrova (2006)"
* Prince of Wales's Stakes - (1) - "Duke of Marmalade (2008)"
* Queen Anne Stakes - (2) - "Ad Valorem (2006), Haradasun (2008)"
* Queen Elizabeth II Stakes - (1) - "George Washington (2006)"
* Racing Post Trophy - (4) - "Saratoga Springs (1997), Aristotle (1999), High Chaparral (2001), Brian Boru (2002)"
* St. James's Palace Stakes - (5) - "Giant's Causeway (2000), Black Minnaloushe (2001), Rock of Gibraltar (2002), Excellent Art (2007), Henrythenavigator (2008)"
* St. Leger - (3) - "Milan (2001), Brian Boru (2003), Scorpion (2005)"
* Sun Chariot Stakes - (1) - "Halfway to Heaven (2008)"
* Sussex Stakes - (3) - "Giant's Causeway (2000), Rock of Gibraltar (2002), Henrythenavigator (2008)"
* Whitbread Gold Cup - (1) - "Life of a Lord (1996)"
* Yorkshire Oaks - (2) - "Alexandrova (2006), Peeping Fawn (2007)"----flagicon|Italy Italy
* Gran Criterium - (2) - "Sholokhov (2001), Spartacus (2002)"
* Gran Premio del Jockey Club - (1) - "Black Sam Bellamy (2002)"----flagicon|United States United States
* Arlington Million - (1) - "Powerscourt (2005)"
* Breeders' Cup Juvenile - (1) - "Johannesburg (2001)"
* Breeders' Cup Turf - (2) - "High Chaparral (2002, 2003 DH")
* Secretariat Stakes - (1) - "Ciro (2000)"
* Shadwell Turf Mile Stakes - (2) - "Landseer (2002), Aussie Rules (2006)"

References