Ballydoyle back in business at Dundalk

Thursday 28th February

Champion Trainer Aidan O'Brien will have his first runners in Ireland for over three months when he saddles five horses at Dundalk tomorrow evening.

O'Brien's son Joseph has been farming the All Weather venue over the winter months but that looks set to change tomorrow as the Ballydoyle behemoth is cranking up for the new Flat season.

O'Brien snr runs three in the featured Listed contest for three-year-olds, The Betvictor Patton Stakes, over one mile.

Ryan Moore will partner the 110 rated Western Australia in the €75,000 event while Donnacha O'Brien rides the penalised Van Beethoven and Seamus Heffernan is on Albuquerque.

There are eight runners in total for this Listed race including a pair for Joseph O'Brien and one from England as Lambourn trainer Archie Watson sends over the 100 rated Barys.

Action at Dundalk gets underway at 5.15pm.

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Ballydoyle set to unleash first Irish runners of 2019

25th February

Aidan O'Brien will send out his first runners on home soil in 2019 at Dundalk on Friday night.

The master of Ballydoyle has 2 entries in the 5.45 Maiden Stakes Blenheim Palace a full brother to G1 winners Churchill & Clemmie. Blenheim Palace made 3 starts as a juvenile a 4th place in a Gowran Park maiden being his best effort. The highly regarded once raced son of War Front U S S Michigan is Aidan's other entry. U S S Michigan made an eye catching debut last June finishing 2nd in a Curragh maiden but was not seen again during 2018.

I Can Fly the 4YO daughter of Fastnet Rock who finished runner up to Roaring Lion in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes Group 1 last October is O'Brien's only entry in the 6.45 Conditions Stakes.

Aidan has 6 entered in the Kentucky Derby trial (7.45 Patton Listed Stakes) Galileo colt Albuquerque who is a full brother to Rip Van Winkle & broke his maiden tag at Gowan Park last October. War Front colt Antilles who won a Naas Maiden last November. Railway Stakes Group 2 winner Van Beethoven (Scat Daddy) & Vertem Futurity Trophy Stakes Group 1 3rd Western Australia who is from the first crop of Australia are joined by Blenheim Palace & U S S Michigan who are also entered.

Ballydoyle set to unleash first Irish runners of 2019 > http://www.aidanobrienfansite.com/latest-news.php

Ballydoyle Entries Dundalk Friday

5.45 Maiden Stakes
Blenheim Palace, U S S Michigan

6.45 Conditions Stakes
I Can Fly

7.45 Patton Stakes (Listed) European Road to Kentucky Derby
Albuquerque, Antilles, Blenheim Palace, U S S Michigan, Van Beethoven, Western Australia.

Peter & Paul Snowden now train Land Force Mount Tabora Murillo Bechstein & Symphony Orchestra - Land Force has been renamed King Of Yulong Symphony Orchestra has been renamed Yulong Base Bechstein has been renamed Yulong Storm

Camelot its flying at stud.

A.P.O'Brien Top Earning Horses Updated

A.P.O'Brien Season Earnings Updated

Former Ballydoyle resident Lucius Tiberius has joined Charlie Appleby & has Been gelded. He potentially will run in the Carnival and on Dubai World Cup Night. Lucius Tiberius last run for Ballydoyle came in the G3 Darley Stakes where he finished 4th.

Ballydoyle The Equine Power Station - Class of 2019

Former Ballydoyle resident The Taj Mahal finished 8th in the Carlton Draught Peter Young Stakes Group 2 at Caulfield He was up with the pace but fell back late on but only finished about 4 lengths behind the winner - Former Ballydoyle Resident Red Cardinal (Montjeu) Wins the Parramatta Cup at Rosehill in Australia

Donnacha says he is hopeful he can do 9 stone this season and says its not easy but is very hopeful of having a full campaign in the saddle that is the plan anyway. When asked about Ten Sovereign he said He looks great; he has gotten strong over the winter and I think he will be extremely effective at sprint distances.

Ballydoyle French Classic Entries 2019

So Much To Look Forward to in 2019 Mouthwatering

Hunting Horn 3rd in the H.H The Amir Trophy Local Group 1 at Doha

Pictures of Hunting Horn This morning at Doha huge thanks to Zuzanna Lupa

Rostropovich move down under made permanent

19th February

Rostropovich has departed Europe's leading stable to continue his career in Australia.

Rostropovich finished fifth in last year's Ladbrokes Cox Plate & Lexus Melbourne Cup will compete over the 2019 Melbourne Spring Carnival for Lindsay Park Racing.

His most recent start came in theHong Kong International Vase when finishing seventh at Sha Tin on December 9.

"He raced in Hong Kong so it's not straightforward to get him back to Australia," said David Hayes who will train the horse in partnership with Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig.

Formerly prepared by Aidan O'Brien, Rostropovich returned to Ireland after racing in Hong Kong and was then purchased by a syndicate led by Mark Pilkington.

Any horse that visits Hong Kong cannot enter Australia for six months under current quarantine regulations.Therefore Rostropovich has been transferred from Ireland to New Zealand and will enter Australia in the middle of this year.

Hayes is confident Rostropovich will measure up in Australia's best races next season based on his fifth-placed efforts in the Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup.

"He was only three years old (to European time) and doing that, his form is right up there," Hayes said.

Rostropovich is by Galileo's unbeaten son Frankel out of English mare Tyranny who also produced Champion Sire Zoffany.

Rostropovich, Zoffany's younger half-brother, was in demand when offered as a yearling at Tattersalls 2016. He was purchased for 1.1m guineas by Magnier, Tabor and Smith.

Aidan said earlier this year that he will target the Kentucky Derby with a son of Galileo - 2 Galileo's have been entered in the UAE Derby and now look the most likely candidates. Here are my profiles on Albuquerque & Blenheim Palace.

Galileo has sired his first Worldwide Group race winner of the 2019 as Platinum Warrior wins the Group 2 San Marcos at Santa Anita.

7 Ballydoyle Colts Blenheim Palace, Sergei Prokofiev, Van Beethoven, Sydney Opera House, Western Australia, The Irish Rover and USS Michigan have been all been nominated for the American Triple Crown.

European Road to the Kentucky Derby (Key Trials dates and venue)

Aidan has 7 entered in UAE Derby on Dubai World Cup Night - Albuquerque, Blenheim Palace, Sydney Opera House, Sergei Prokofiev, Van Beethoven, The Irish Rover & So Perfect. - leads me to thinking Albuquerque & Blenheim Palace will go on the Kentucky Derby Trail - Ballydoyle Dubai World Cup Night entries

New sales page created for 2019 taking a slightly different direction but as usual we will be covering the major sales around the World > http://www.aidanobrienfansite.com/sales-2019.php

WONDERFUL NEWS

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Champion Hurdle winner Annie Power has given birth to a Galileo Colt we wish them both well. He will be something to look-forward to in a few years time.

Coolmore First Season Sires 2019 Preview by me > http://www.aidanobrienfansite.com/coolmore-first-season-sir…

Hunting Horn Remains in Winter Derby shake up

February 5th

The 4 year old son of Camelot is one of 26 horses who remain in the Lingfield showcase on Saturday February 23rd.

The Betway Winter Derby Stakes is a Group 3 race for 4 year olds and above over 10 furlongs on the all weather surface. The race is also a All-Weather Championships Fast-Track Qualifier.

Hunting Horn was last seen at Gulfstream Park on the 26th of January where he finished full of running in 3rd spot after having traffic problems during the race in the W. L. McKnight Stakes Grade 3. It was a very promising run and would lead you to think that it won't be long before he adds to his sole Group race success which came last season at Royal Ascot when the son of Camelot won the Hampton Court Stakes impressively by over 4 lengths.

Hunting Horn is currently priced up at around 9/2 making him second favorite behind John Gosden's Wissahickon who remains an odds on favorite at around 4/9.

It has not officially been confirmed by anyone at Coolmore or Ballydoyle whether or not Hunting Horn is an intended runner but the race could be used as a nice prep for Dubai World Cup night which takes place at Meydan on the 30th of March.

As each year goes by the season seems to get longer & longer in 2018 Aidan's last runners (Could It Be Love & Snowflakes) ran on the 16th of December & with Magic Wand and Hunting Horn's having their seasonal reappearances in America in late January it means the Ballydoyle training facility was inactive for only 5 weeks between seasons.

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