There is few more successful horse racing trainers in the world than Aidan O’Brien. The trainer has won multiple British Classics and graded stakes races across the planet throughout his career, and has been responsible for some of the legends of the sport.
According to recent celeb news, O’Brien has shaped the future of the sport, and continues to do so due to the success that his son’s are enjoying in training.
Early Life
O’Brien was one of six children of Stella and Denis O’Brien, and was born in County Wexford, Ireland in October 1969. Aidan’s father was a small-time horse racing trainer in the local town of Killegney, and it was quickly a career that O’Brien wished to follow. He attended Donard National School, before going to secondary school at Good Counsel College.
His first steps into the sport of horse racing were made when he began to wok at the Curragh with P.J. Finn. Following a stint there, he moved to trainer Jim Bolger, before embarking on his own personal journey. O’Brien married Anne-Marie Crowley and began working at Ballydoyle in 1996.
First Victories
O’Brien quickly made waves in Ireland as one of the top trainers, as he was named top Irish National Hunt Trainer following the 1993-94 season. That would be an achievement that he would emulate for the next five seasons. So, if you know how to read the odds in horse racing you probably are familiar with his name.
He would enter our celeb list through the most successful horse over this period. The legendary Istabraq, who would win the Champion Hurdle on three occasions, and the Irish Champion Hurdle on four occasions.
However, O’Brien’s time training National Hunt runners would come to an end in 1996, as he accepted an approach from John Magnier to train at Ballydoyle. A first graded victory on the flat would soon follow in the 1996 season, as he trained Desert King to win the National Stakes, before a first Classic victory followed with the same runner in the Irish 2,000 Guineas. At the end of the 2001 season, O’Brien made history by becoming the first Irishman to end the season as England’s Champion trainer since Vincent O’Brien in 1971.
Dominant 2000s
Few trainers experienced as much success as O’Brien throughout the 2000s, with the Irish trainer going on to land victories in all of the big races on the UK and Irish calendar. Dylan Thomas would be one of the team’s most successful horses throughout that period, as he landed 10 victories from 18 starts, which included victories in prestigious races such as the Irish Derby, King George & Queen Elizabeth Stakes and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
The 2008 season would continue to showcase his dominance on the track, with Johnny Murtagh being a key part as the stable jockey. The team would land victories in a record 23 Group 1s throughout the calendar year, including victories in all five of the Irish Classics; becoming the first trainer to achieve the fear since 1935. A standout victory was also achieved at Royal Ascot, with Yeats achieving a record-equaling third straight Gold Cup success.
Big Race Victories
O’Brien has made a habit of making history throughout his career, and he broke new ground in 2017 when he set a new world record for most Grade 1 winners in a single season when landing a 26th victory. He would end the campaign with a staggering 28 wins at the top level.
As one of the top trainers in Europe, O’Brien’s success is based on results in the Classics. He holds the record for the most wins in the Epsom Derby, while he has also landed victories on ten occasions in the 2,000 Guineas. O’Brien has also won the St Leger on six occasions, with his most recent victory coming in 2018 with Kew Gardens.
