Aidan’s the top dog
O’Brien rules at Royal Ascot again
AIDAN O’BRIEN and the Coolmore operation overcame a slow start to scoop the top awards again at Royal Ascot, with their six winners earning them the leading trainer and owner titles for the third year in a row, and it was O’Brien’s eighth time to take the trainer’s award.
His jockey, Ryan Moore, was the leading rider to make it a clean sweep.
He was on five of the O’Brien winners and got another on Thomas Hobson for top jumps trainer, Willie Mullins.
They all faced a strong challenge this year from Godolphin in the owners’ race, also clocking up six winners, but Coolmore came out on top thanks to having more placed horses.
It did not look like being O’Brien’s week when he had just two winners after three days - Highland Reel in the Prince of Wales Stakes, the most valuable race of the week, and Sioux Nation in the Norfolk Stakes - while Godolphin had a treble on day one.
But O’Brien had doubles on Friday with the outstanding Caravaggio and Winter, and on Saturday when he wrapped up the awards with wins by September, and Idaho ridden by Seamie Heffernan in the Hardwicke.
It is a remarkable testament to the strength of the O’Brien and Coolmore team there was more talk about two of their beaten stars than most of the winners, with Churchill losing his unbeaten tag, and Order of St. George just failing to get up to retain his Gold Cup title after Ryan Moore left him an awful lot to do and Big Orange held on in a gripping race.
As usual, Aidan was the epitome of modesty and grace, and shared the credit for all his success with all and sundry on his staff, from the most humble stable worker upwards. He has now had 61 Royal Ascot wins in 20 years, and there are surely more to come.
His attention will be on the Curragh this weekend for the threeday Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby festival starting on Friday, with the Derby being run on Saturday. O’Brien will be going for his twelfth win in the big race.
Meanwhile, Pat McDonald (Taghmon) got a taste of the action at Ascot on Thursday and finished third in the £90,000 King George V. Stakes on Bear Valley (20/1) for Mark Johnston behind a pair of Godolphin runners.
He had begun the week with a winner at Wetherby on Monday - Secre Memories (7/1) - and was just beaten a head for a double on Laureate (16/1).
Other Wexford successes in Britain last week included Tom O’Brien who made his Tuesday trip to Stratford for a single ride pay off in rich measure with a hurdle success on Sailors Warn (9/2) for Ian Williams.
Jimmy Quinn from New Ross and his son, Josh, both had single rides at Newmarket on Friday evening and it was the son who had a winner, on Trulee Scrumptious (7/2 f) in the apprentice handicap.
Pat McDonald won on Gworn (5/1) at Ayr and then moved on to Redcar on Saturday to score on Batten the Hatches (5/4f) for T.D. Barron.
Daryl Jacob had one really short priced ride for Nicky Henderson at Hexham on Sunday but Cheltenham winner Peace and Co (1/5) easily obliged on his chasing debut.