Coolmore Coronation Cup

If horse racing is your thing and you value the Derby above all other races, then there can be no finer way to spend a Monday morning in May than at the place which has had more influence on the great race than any other. Ballydoyle can be held up alongside any of the great sporting arenas such as Lord's, Murrayfield, Old Trafford, Fenway Park, the MCG. True, it's not where the competition actually takes place, but what happens on its fabled acres has long been of worldwide significance to...

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...

Forty-one colts remain in contention for the £2 million Betfred Derby following Tuesday's latest scratching stage, with a handful of colts trained by Aidan O'Brien heading the market. Top among them is Benvenuto Cellini, a son of Frankel and the Breeders' Cup winner Newspaperofrecord who will make his seasonal debut in Wednesday's G3 Boodles Chester Vase. Of the 41 remaining entries, 21 are trained in Ireland - 17 by O'Brien and the other four trained by his son, Joseph, who won the Derby twice as a jockey aboard Camelot and...

Diamond Necklace (St Mark's Basilica) and Precise (Starspangledbanner), both Group 1-winning juveniles trained by Aidan O'Brien, headline 53 entries for the Betfred Oaks at Epsom on Friday, June 5. Unbeaten in three starts as a two-year-old, Diamond Necklace was last seen winning the Prix Marcel Boussac at ParisLongchamp, while Precise rattled off four straight victories as a two-year-old after being beaten on her debut at Fairyhouse, culminating with back-to-back Group 1 wins in the Moyglare Stud Stakes and Fillies' Mile. In total, O'Brien has entered 15 fillies in his quest...

In recent weeks, Forever Young has won the world's richest race for the second time, Ka Ying Rising has set a new record in winning 18 consecutive races, Romantic Warrior landed his 13th Group 1 contest, and Rebel's Romance posted his 21st career victory. They have respectively earned the equivalent of approximately £23m, £13m, £26m and £12m. It would seem that there has never been a better time to own a top-class racehorse.  Calandagan, the world's top-rated racehorse in 2025, has just turned five and may be seen next in...

The Betfred Derby will be run for prize-money of £2 million in 2026, making it the joint-richest race in Britain alongside the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. This £500,000 boost in purse from last year is just one of a raft of "significant changes" announced by the Jockey Club for Epsom's Betfred Derby Festival next June. The programme of reinvigoration, with investment of £6 million, includes Coolmore being announced as sponsor of the Coronation Cup, which will be run for £1 million - more than double its previous...