Aidan O'Brien

With just a few pieces of the jigsaw still to be slotted into place this week at York, the Epsom picture has emerged a little more clearly over the past week or so through some key Derby and Oaks trials at Chester, Lingfield and Leopardstown. Most have been dominated by Aidan O'Brien, including a clean sweep of the five stakes races on the Roodee. So where better to start than at Ballydoyle on a fresh Monday morning with a trainer in a jovial mood after bagging his second Classic of...

Staged in relentless driving rain, Sunday's G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches offered a dramatic backdrop to the continued rise of Ballydoyle's brilliant Diamond Necklace who provided St Mark's Basilica with his first Classic. Sent off the 4-5 favourite returning to the ParisLongchamp track over which she had dominated the Prix Marcel Boussac in the autumn, the regally-bred TDN Rising Star tracked the early pace under cover before being sent down to the rail at the straight's cutaway. Surging to the front 300 metres from the finish, she was kept up...

Introduced in Albert Einstein's maiden at Naas on Saturday, Ballydoyle's costly colt Confucius (No Nay Never) upstaged that much-vaunted stablemate in terms of winning time to become his sire's 13th TDN Rising Star, Presented by Hagyard. Out quickly in the near-six-furlong test staged on ground probably quicker than the official description of good, the 1.7million gns Tattersalls October Book 1 purchase who was narrowly denied on debut at The Curragh last month was strong on the clock throughout as he saw off the smart Jack Davison-trained newcomer Alaskan Bear (Kodiac)...

Coolmore and Westerberg's G3 Park Express Stakes fifth Cameo (Wootton Bassett) benefitted greatly from a jump up in trip and entered G1 Oaks calculations with a powerful display, and a fourth success for Aidan O'Brien, in Saturday's Listed William Hill Oaks Trial at Lingfield. "Today was the first time I've ridden her," said Ryan Moore. "She's a scopey filly, she handled the track well and did everything right. She picked up from a long way out and kept going. She is a filly that will get better as the year...

History was made at Chester on Friday when the dual Derby hero Lambourn (Australia) took the G2 Huxley Stakes to provide Aidan O'Brien and Ryan Moore with a clean sweep of the May meeting's Stakes races. Having to battle harder than Jan Brueghel, Constitution River, Benvenuto Cellini and Amelia Earhart had to complete the clean sweep in the extended 10-furlong contest, the 6-4 favourite who was last seen finishing fourth in the St Leger saw off Bay City Roller (New Bay) to prevail by a neck, with 1 1/4 lengths...

A baker's dozen will go forward for Sunday's G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains and 15 are set to head postward for the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches after declarations for the ParisLongchamp Classics were confirmed Friday morning. Likely favourite for the colts' Classic is G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere and G1 Criterium International hero Puerto Rico (Wootton Bassett), who will be accompanied by Aidan O'Brien stablemate Dorset (Wootton Bassett), as the trainer seeks a seventh win in the contest. They have drawn stalls seven and three, respectively. The domestic defence is...

Ballydoyle has once again passed its annual check-up with Dr Chester and Aidan O'Brien continued his domination of black-type contests at the Roodeye after TDN Rising Star Jan Brueghel (Galileo) increased the trainer's record haul to eight in the extended 13-furlong stamina test. O'Brien and Ryan Moore, when partnering up, have registered 11 consecutive wins at the track and the G1 St Leger and G1 Coronation Cup hero will defend his title in the latter event, skipping the opportunity of utilising his free ticket to next month's GII Belmont Gold...

Delayed by an hour due to a course inspection at Chester, the Listed Dee Stakes eventually went the same way of the previous day's Classic trials and fell to Ballydoyle and their exciting colt Constitution River (Wootton Bassett). While the fall-out from the lengthy delay was the withdrawal of winner's key rival Morshdi (Dubawi) as Tom Marquand described the track's home bend as dangerous, there can be no debate about the outcome of the 10-furlong Derby trial with the winner so utterly dominant. Content to wait in third early on...

Already Derby favourite prior to Wednesday's G3 Boodles Chester Vase, Ballydoyle's Benvenuto Cellini (Frankel) ensured that it will take something special over the next few days to deny him that position on the first Saturday in June. Making it a dozen renewals for Aidan O'Brien in the extended 12-furlong trial, the 2-9 favourite had several lengths to make up on the aggressively-ridden stablemate Proposition (Frankel) but was able to subdue him in the short straight and register a 4 1/4-length success in a very fast 2:35.22. Mr Colonel completed the Frankel...

When it comes to Chester's May Festival, Aidan O'Brien always means business and Amelia Earhart (Camelot) got Ballydoyle's 2026 team off to a flyer on Wednesday to provide the stable with a 10th Listed Weatherbys Cheshire Oaks. Sent off the 13-8 second favourite fitted with blinkers for the first time, the Coolmore homebred who took the same Leopardstown maiden as last year's winner Minnie Hauk travelled easily for Ryan Moore under cover throughout. Sent to the front at the furlong pole, she had too many guns for the Gosdens' 6-5 market-leader...

There were no anxious moments for takers of the generous 4-6 odds on offer for Ballydoyle's returning Minnie Hauk (Frankel) as she breezed through Monday's G2 Clem Murphy Memorial Irish EBF Mooresbridge Stakes at The Curragh. Last year's Oaks, Irish Oaks and Yorkshire Oaks heroine is on course for a rematch with her Arc conqueror Daryz at Royal Ascot and could not have begun her four-year-old campaign any more impressively as Ryan Moore proved a passenger in the 10-furlong contest. Setting up like a piece of work, she gave her...

If Hawk Mountain wins the Prix du Jockey Club, Aidan O'Brien may look back on his decision to send the son of Wootton Bassett to Chantilly for his prep as the key event. Errant and lairy at times in front during Monday's nine-furlong G3 Prix de Guiche, last year's Futurity Trophy and Beresford winner kept giving his rivals hope but ultimately was never going to be beaten and hit the line strong with 1 1/4 lengths to spare over Lord Clover (Siyouni). Campacite (Zarak) was a head further back in...