John Magnier

Coolmore's John Magnier has donated approximately 14 acres of land to develop a new training facility for the Tipperary Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), RTE reported. The land is adjacent to the Tipperary GAA's current base. The expansion of the Tipperary GAA's Coolmore Morris Park in Thurles will allow for the creation of a new, "state-of-the-art centre of excellence". In a statement, Tipperary GAA CEO Murtagh Brennan said, "This investment represents a watershed moment for Gaelic games in Tipperary and underscores our long-term commitment to nurturing athletic excellence and supporting the...

Coolmore boss John Magnier has lost a High Court case over the sale of the 750-acre Barne Estate in County Tipperary.  High Court judge Mr Justice Max Barrett concluded that a sale had not taken place between Magnier and the owner of the Barne Estate, Richard Thomson-Moore. He commented, "I am satisfied that neither the alleged land-sale agreement nor the alleged option agreement were ever concluded. Nor do I see any breach of the exclusivity agreement to arise. It follows that all the reliefs sought by the plaintiffs will be...

The leading owners battled it out for the progeny of Wootton Bassett on a day when the Coolmore stallion was responsible for the €2.3 million top lot DEAUVILLE, FRANCE -- What more can you say that hasn't already been said about Wootton Bassett? If Aidan O'Brien was asked to sum up the stallion, you can be sure the words, different, special and unusual would be the first ones to be ticked off that bingo card.  Even the most cynical of people will have to start agreeing with the master of...

Legendary BBA Ireland bloodstock agent Adrian Nicoll relives some of his greatest days in the business They say that stories lived are better than stories told. And by God, Adrian Nicoll has lived through his share of good times. The former BBA Ireland bloodstock agent has purchased his share of Group 1 winners, too. Think Dark Angel, Kooyonga, Alexander Goldrun, Serenade Rose and more. He also played a part in the shuttling of the stallions to Australia which was the brainchild of his close friend John Magnier. More recently, he...

THE CURRAGH, Ireland -- The sun came out as he came in. Lambourn, a dual Derby winner, just like his sire before him, and his grandsire before that.  He had to work for it, mind. This was no procession as at Epsom. This time his lead was contested much of the way by Sir Dinadan until Serious Contender looked just that. Turning in, with Ryan Moore already having to coax a little, Lambourn looked far from certain to claim his second Classic. These races are never easily won though, and...

Helping to create what he now calls "a monster" weighs heavily with Dr. Chris Cahill. Actually, he has a way to put it back in the cage. But let's not get ahead of ourselves; let's first remind ourselves how it all happened. Cahill came to Lexington from Texas for the 1974 breeding season as a $75-a-week rookie veterinarian at Hagyard-Davidson-McGee. One of his main duties was as standby in the Gainesway breeding shed. Albeit then standing "only" 14 stallions, John Gaines was still ahead of the curve in requiring a...

The TDN European division produced a wonderful article about our recently deceased friend Clem Murphy last Saturday. I wanted to offer a few observations from an American who respected and loved Clem for all the things he did not just in Europe, and the list is long, but for what he did here in America. As background, I met Clem about 40 years ago, just as the Coolmore empire was exploding under John Magnier, with the help of a quiet young genius named Clem Murphy. Clem was part of the...

Clem Murphy, one of the most respected senior members of the Coolmore team in Ireland, has died after a short illness. He was 75. Described by John Magnier as a man who had "the respect of all", Murphy's passing on Friday comes as a blow to his many friends and colleagues, both within the close-knit team at Coolmore and in the wider bloodstock world. Leading the tributes, Magnier said, "We count ourselves extremely lucky to have had Clem with us at Coolmore since the outset. He soon became part of...

Fifty years ago this spring John Magnier moved into Coolmore Stud ahead of the now infamous and audacious annual raids on the Kentucky yearling market. At the Keeneland July Select Sale of 1975, Magnier, along with the esteemed trainer Vincent O'Brien and key ally Robert Sangster, started their recruitment drive of what O'Brien described as "baby stallions".  In his biography, O'Brien stated, "We would try and turn the tide: we would organise a syndicate to buy yearlings which I would train, and from which we could make our own stallions."...

MV Magnier has described the Japan Cup as "the main aim" for Auguste Rodin (Ire) where the six-time Group 1-winning son of Deep Impact (Jpn) will bid to bridge a gap of almost two decades to the last European-trained winner of the race.  Speaking at the JRHA Select Sale in Japan last week, Magnier firmed up plans for Auguste Rodin, who is the culmination of over 10 years of Coolmore breeding mares to Japanese-based stallions.  He also confirmed that Coolmore has supported Kitasan Black (Jpn), the sire of Equinox (Jpn),...

Wesley Ward admitted he was looking for an easy spot for  White Sands (Into Mischief) to make her first racetrack appearance, but when the half-sister to sprint champion Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music) romped by 9 1/2 lengths in her debut at Belterra Park in May, the trainer immediately circled the Prairie Gold Juvenile Stakes on his calendar. The filly duly delivered again in that 5 1/2-furlong event, defeating the boys in a 13 3/4-length demolition at Prairie Meadows last Saturday. "We had a long time with her," Ward said of...

John Magnier was in mischievous form at Sandown after he and his wife Sue had joined the wider Coolmore team for celebratory photographs with their Derby and Eclipse winner City Of Troy.  It has been well documented how important this colt is to the operation: the European champion two-year-old of 2023, he is by the Triple Crown winner Justify, who was recruited at vast expense to stand at Coolmore's Ashford Stud in Kentucky. For that stallion to prove himself adept at siring top-class runners on both dirt and turf would...