Donnacha O'Brien

Coming into Monday's G3 Coolmore Stud Auguste Rodin Irish EBF Athasi Stakes on the back of a debut win at modest Bellewstown, Barry Fowler's Atsila sprang a minor surprise to stake her Irish 1,000 Guineas claim over the same mile trip and Curragh track later this month. Belying inexperience by having the nous to thread between rivals under Gavin Ryan towards the business end, the daughter of Phoenix Of Spain who was a 11-1 shot overhauled the experienced Cercene inside the final 100 yards for a half-length verdict. There was...

It's exceedingly rare to see a Kentucky Derby point race run on a Tuesday, but thanks to a week of catastrophic weather in the Commonwealth, that's what is happening at Keeneland as a field of seven line up to contest the last of the major Derby preps--the GI Toyota Blue Grass Stakes. On the rail, and fortuitously drawn to the inside of a closer, is 'TDN Rising Star' River Thames (Maclean's Music). With the small field, the speedster will likely encounter considerably less traffic trouble than that post position would...

Everyone recognizes that with the glut of entertainment options today, it's harder and harder to provide experiences that really wow people. In the old days, a trainer would accept a horse from an owner, and hope to never hear from him again, or, to quote an old Charlie Whittingham adage, "Treat owners like mushrooms. Keep 'em in the dark and feed 'em horse manure." Those days are gone, and racing syndicates are now taking the game one step beyond mere communication—not only providing a constant stream of videos, trainer messages,...

The wait is almost over. With less than a month until the Flat season proper gets underway, what better time to draw up a list of under the radar runners, beginning with Brian Sheerin's nominations from Ireland. From potential Classic contenders to well-handicapped sprinters rated 76, our man in Ireland has put forward 10 horses who will hopefully prove profitable to follow this season. Giselle (Ire) Frankel (GB) filly out of Newspaperofrecord (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) Form: 213 Trainer: Aidan O'Brien Giselle could be one of the most exciting...

It's not that Medallion Racing, a branch of Taylor Made, didn't get off to a good start. It was anything but. A racing partnership whose goal is to gets its partners to experience racing at the highest levels around the world, Taylor Made was delivering on that promise. Out of 250 plus starts, Medallion, at one point had raced five Grade I winners, won 28 graded stakes and had 72 top-three finishes in graded stakes. But what it didn't have was a superstar, the type that could win multiple Grade...

He's been on board for both her Group 1 wins and on Wednesday morning Frankie Dettori was reunited with Emily Upjohn (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) for a spin on the grass track at Del Mar ahead of lining up for the Breeders' Cup Turf. It has been exactly a year since Europe's most recognisable jockey signed off with a Champion Stakes triumph in Britain before jetting to his new life in California. This new chapter started in the best possible way with another top-flight win, in the Breeders' Cup...

Donnacha O'Brien is looking forward to taking on the boys with Porta Fortuna (Ire) when she bids for her fourth top-level victory of the campaign in the Breeders' Cup Mile at Del Mar on Saturday, November 2. The daughter of Caravaggio has been on a roll since returning to action this season with a narrow defeat to Elmalka (GB) in the 1,000 Guineas, subsequently reeling off a Group 1 hat-trick in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot, Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket and Matron Stakes at Leopardstown. All roads now lead...

Proving herself the complete racing machine on Saturday, Medallion Racing, Steve Weston, Barry Fowler and Reeves Thoroughbred Racing's Porta Fortuna (Ire) (Caravaggio--Too Precious {Ire}, by Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) added Leopardstown's G1 Coolmore America 'Justify' Matron Stakes to her already enviable top-level tally with the minimum of fuss. Coming of age this summer with wins in the G1 Coronation Stakes and G1 Falmouth Stakes, the pride and joy of Donnacha O'Brien's stable who had also captured last year's G1 Cheveley Park Stakes was a touch free and fresh in the...

  The Curragh's American Racing Channel Irish EBF Fillies Juvenile Race is always a race worth intense scrutiny and Saturday's renewal did not disappoint with Coolmore dominating the finish and their prized homebred Falling Snow (Ire) (Justify--Winter {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) edging it to become the second TDN Rising Star on the card. Sent off the 7-2 second favourite for this seven-furlong conditions event won in the recent past by Hydrangea (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and in which Opera Singer (Justify) was runner-up to A Lilac Rolla (Ire) (Harry Angel {Ire})...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Monday's Observations features the half-brother to a dual Classic winner. 17.18 Killarney, Mdn, €18,000, 2yo, 8f 20yT SARATOGA (IRE) (Camelot {GB}) is the 10th foal out of Dialafara (Fr) (Anabaa), who has proven such a rich font of class for Coolmore in producing Galileo's dual Classic winner Capri (Ire)...

As admirably straightforward as she is classy, Steven Weston, Barry Fowler, Medallion Racing and Reeves Racing's G1 Coronation Stakes and G1 Cheveley Park Stakes heroine Porta Fortuna (Ire) (Caravaggio--Too Precious {Ire}, by Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) took her latest task in her stride when dominating Friday's G1 Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket. Always travelling comfortably tracking the pace under Ryan Moore, the Donnacha O'Brien-trained 10-11 favourite was left in front approaching the two-furlong pole and despite drifting right when in the clear was able to open up a 3 3/4-length...

Ryan Moore has been booked for the ride on the G1 Coronation Stakes and G1 Cheveley Park Stakes heroine Porta Fortuna (Ire) (Caravaggio) in Friday's G1 Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket, for which seven fillies and mares were confirmed on Wednesday morning. With no Ballydoyle representative in the line-up, Moore is free to link up with the Donnacha O'Brien-trained filly, racing for the Medallion-Weston-Fowler-Reeves partnership, with Oisin Murphy who steered her to success in the Cheveley Park back on David Howden's G2 Duke Of Cambridge Stakes winner Running Lion (GB)...