Since taking over at Ballydoyle in 1996, Aidan O’Brien has set about rewriting the racing record books. The most successful trainer in the history of the 2,000 Guineas and the Derby, O’Brien has a phenomenal 48 British Classic wins to his name. He has also won more Group/Grade 1 events than any trainer in the long history of the sport.
Unsurprisingly, given that incredible overall record, O’Brien has masterminded many spectacular years. Back in 2017, he sent out 28 Group/Grade 1 winners from his Cashel base to set a new world record for top-class wins in a calendar year – bettering the previous record of 25 held by Bobby Frankel.
Eight years after claiming the record, O’Brien is on course to set a new benchmark in 2025.
The Season So Far
Following the death of flag-bearing stallion Galileo in 2021, some questioned whether O’Brien could continue his level of success. However, anyone predicting a downturn in fortunes for the 55-year-old handler was wide of the mark.
Not everything has gone to plan for the Coolmore-backed trainer in 2025; The Lion In Winter performing below expectations and the retirement of star stayer Kyprios being two of the most notable blows. Nevertheless, the Ballydoyle Group 1 winning machine has continued apace, with the following all storming to top-level glory in 2025.
- Henri Matisse – Emirates Poule d’Essai des Poulains
- Los Angeles – Tattersalls Gold Cup
- Lake Victoria – Irish 1,000 Guineas
- Camille Pissarro – Qatar Prix du Jockey Club
- Jan Brueghel – Betfred Coronation Cup
- Minnie Hauk – Betfred Oaks, Juddmonte Irish Oaks, Pertemps Network Yorkshire Oaks
- Lambourn – Betfred Derby, Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby
- Whirl – Pretty Polly Stakes, Qatar Nassau Stakes
- Delacroix – Coral-Eclipse, Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes
- Scandinavia – Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup Stakes, Betfred St Leger Stakes
- Diego Velazquez – The Aga Khan Studs Prix Jacques le Marois
- Precise – Moyglare Stud Stakes
Quite the cast of stars, and that total of 18 Group 1 wins exactly matches O’Brien’s total at this stage of his record-setting 2017 season.
Big Chances On Home Soil
Following the Doncaster St Leger Festival, only 11 British Group 1 events remain on the 2025 calendar. O’Brien will likely need to win at least half of these to better his 2017 total. That’s a tall order, but one which the markets suggest is eminently achievable, with seven of the remaining domestic Group 1s featuring an O’Brien-trained runner as the first or second favourite.
If O’Brien is to set a new landmark in 2025, the betting suggests that the following stars are the most likely to take him a step closer to the history books.
- Gstaad – This year’s Coventry Stakes winner has suffered narrow defeats in the Prix Morny and National Stakes but could bounce back in the Middle Park Stakes or Dewhurst Stakes
- True Love – O’Brien has claimed five of the past nine editions of the Cheveley Park Stakes and has solid claims once again with this daughter of No Nay Never
- January – With three runner-up finishes at Group 1 level, January has been knocking on the door in top company. Connections will hope she can go one better in the Sun Chariot Stakes
- Diamond Necklace – By emerging sire St Mark’s Basilica, Diamond Necklace has performed flawlessly in two starts to date. Much too good in a Listed event at Leopardstown in September, she is the yard’s leading hope for the bet365 Fillies’ Mile
- Scandinavia – Relatively unheralded at the start of the season, Scandinavia has stepped up to replace the retired Kyprios in the staying division. The Goodwood Cup and St Leger winner has the Melbourne Cup and the Champion Long Distance Cup as late-season options
- Delacroix – Hugely valuable as a stallion, this Dubawi colt may have appeared for the last time in the Irish Champion Stakes. However, if connections opt to run him again, the Qipco Champion Stakes is the obvious target
- Benvenuto Cellini – Already touted as a potential Derby horse for 2026, this Frankel colt looked like a star in the making last time out in the Group 2 KPMG Champions Juvenile Stakes. With a Classic campaign on the agenda, an appearance in the Futurity Trophy at Doncaster is likely
International Targets
Barring an improbable clean sweep, O’Brien will need to complement his British wins with overseas triumphs to break the record. The key meetings in the yard’s international crosshairs come in France and the USA.
Longchamp’s Arc meeting is first on the agenda in October. Minnie Hauk and Whirl, first and second at Epsom, have leading claims in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and the Prix de l’Opéra. Talented stayer Illinois may tackle the Prix du Cadran. Later in the month, O’Brien often targets the Critérium International and the Critérium De Saint-Cloud with his more promising juveniles.
If within touching distance of the record at the tail end of October, the decisive victory may come at Del Mar. Already the joint most successful trainer in Breeders’ Cup history, O’Brien is sure to send a strong squad stateside, including juvenile star Charles Darwin.
