Aidan O’Brien, the 12-time high coach at Royal Ascot, has saddled a document 85 winners on the massive assembly and is about for extra glory in Berkshire in 2024.
Since being appointed because the coach within the historic Ballydoyle advanced in 1996 on the age of simply 26, he has damaged each document price breaking and received each race price profitable in Europe and past.
Royal Ascot has at all times been a spotlight level for O’Brien, and it’s a assembly that he has loved a large amount of success at.
Certainly, he overtook Sir Michael Stoute as probably the most profitable coach within the lengthy historical past of the assembly final yr together with his document now standing at 85 winners. In addition to that, O’Brien has been topped the main coach on the assembly on at least 12 events.
Aidan sat down with Kevin Blake of attheraces.com to debate people who may give him extra glory at Royal Ascot in 2024.
Auguste Rodin
He is in nice order and he has been educated for the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes. We had been blissful together with his run within the Tattersalls Gold Cup. The hope going into it was that he’d win, however the rain despatched the bottom in a course that wasn’t supreme for him. He additionally simply had a bit wobble when he obtained pushed out on the house flip which interrupted his rhythm for a number of strides. Although he was crushed, the run was at all times going to deliver him on. Royal Ascot has been an enormous a part of the plan with him, and we could not be happier with the place he’s on the minute. We would not need rain for him and would a lot desire quicker floor.
Steady
The plan is for him to run within the Hardwicke Stakes. We’re blissful to ship him there with out a run as we did not really feel there was an acceptable lead-in race for him. He is been away for 2 works, and he appears in good kind. He ran nice the final time we noticed him on the monitor within the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. We thought afterwards that perhaps we rode him too quietly and that he would have run higher with a extra constructive trip. We expect there’s extra to return from him and hopefully he could make a robust begin to his season at Royal Ascot.
Kyprios
He’s bang on course for the Gold Cup. He has hit each marker we have set for him this season and it has all gone very easily. He is by no means prone to be the kind to stretch away and after what occurred in France, the place he veered left after hitting the entrance, we’re by no means in a rush to ship him to the entrance. We might at all times ideally prefer to get him a lead for so long as potential. After all of the difficulties he confronted final season, we’re excited to see him again within the Gold Cup.
Diego Velazquez
It is not locked in but, however on the minute it appears to be like like he may go for the Hampton Court docket Stakes on the Thursday. We’re inclined to forgive his run within the Prix du Jockey Membership final time. He had a large draw and Ryan wasn’t proud of the slot he ended up in from on the market in what was a messy race. We expect he’ll depart that run behind him and the Hampton Court docket appears to be like a pleasant spot for him.
Henry Longfellow
Henry Longfellow will go for the St James’s Palace Stakes. His final run within the Poule d’Essai des Poulains was a little bit of a multitude. He obtained trapped again within the area in a slowly-run race and each time he tried to return out somebody lower the pinnacle off him. It was a little bit of a non-event, however he did not have a tough race in consequence, and he appears to have come ahead from it. We expect he’ll carry out an terrible lot higher at Royal Ascot. If the rain comes, that’ll be wonderful for him.
Opera Singer
We’re actually trying ahead to seeing her within the Coronation Stakes. She had a hold-up earlier this yr and we felt we needed to run her within the Irish 1,000 Guineas if she was going to make it to Royal Ascot. She hadn’t been away for a piece and actually, we did not anticipate her to run in addition to she did on the Curragh as we did not assume she had almost sufficient work accomplished. It says lots about how a lot class and talent she has that she ran so properly. She appears to be like to have come ahead at house simply as we hoped she would since then and he or she’s one to stay up for.
River Tiber
The plan is to run him within the Jersey Stakes. He ran very properly within the Irish 2,000 Guineas and in equity, you could not say he did not get the mile, however he does present lots of tempo and we really feel the Jersey Stakes is a pleasant spot for him. We’ll be taught extra about him there, however it would not be in any respect out of the query that he may return as much as a mile after the Jersey. We’ll be guided by what we see from him there. He is a horse we have at all times held in excessive regard and we’ll trying ahead to him.
Two-year-olds…
Bedtime Story – The plan is to run her within the Chesham Stakes. We had been delighted together with her efficiency at Leopardstown. We did not actually got down to try to power any of those two-year-olds into attending to the Chesham, we simply let it occur if it occurred. She put her hand up for the job at Leopardstown and seemed a cultured filly.
Camille Pissarro – The plan is for him to run within the Coventry Stakes. We have now thought for fairly a while that he’s a Coventry horse. He works like an excellent horse. He was simply inexperienced within the Marble Hill final time. Ryan felt he was very babyish and would come ahead a superb bit once more. We’re trying ahead to him.
Celtic Chieftain – I might say he is prone to run within the Windsor Fortress Stakes. He was able to run early, however he had a bit hold-up that delayed him. We had been delighted with what he did at Navan, and it was nice to see him beat a horse in Crimson Evolution that had such a superb run below his belt. He was lots inexperienced when he hit the entrance. He ought to sharpen up and are available on lots from that.
Simple Mover – I do not assume she’ll run as it’d come a bit bit quickly for her after solely profitable on Friday. If she was going to run, it could be the Albany Stakes, however I might say greater than doubtless she’ll anticipate the Airlie Stud Stakes on the Curragh on the finish of the month.
Fairy Godmother – She’ll go for the Albany Stakes. She has at all times labored like a extremely good filly. We could not see her being crushed on her debut at Naas, however when she obtained there to problem, she began trying far and wide and was crushed. So, for her second begin we set out with the intention of driving her a lot quieter and educating her as a lot as we may. She quickened up rather well from off the tempo to win narrowly and for us she might be rated a good bit higher than the naked kind. She appears to have come ahead once more and is a extremely pretty prospect.
Heavens Gate – We’re aiming her on the Queen Mary Stakes. It is a chance that she may discover that take a look at a bit bit sharp for her, however now we have to separate them up and we hope she may get away with it as she had good tempo. I may see her operating over seven furlongs later within the season.
Treasure Isle – He is one for the Windsor Fortress Stakes. He knuckled down properly when profitable at Naas final time and we expect he is come ahead from that. He has loads of tempo and may take pleasure in Ascot.
Tunbridge Wells – He is one other one which is not a sure runner at Royal Ascot. If he goes, it’s going to be within the Coventry Stakes. If he does not go, he’ll be one for the Railway Stakes. He galloped via the road very properly on the Curragh and appears a pleasant prospect.
Whistlejacket – He is the one for the Norfolk Stakes. We thought he could not be crushed on his debut, and he ran nice, however he ran into what seemed a extremely good horse in Cowardofthecounty. He had no drawback dropping again in journey for the First Flier Stakes and was spectacular there. The shape has labored out properly since then. His full-brother Little Massive Bear was crushed on debut and went on to win the Windsor Fortress Stakes at Royal Ascot and we expect this fella will go there with an enormous probability.