Luxembourg

On December 3, 1995, the G1 Royal Bond Novice Hurdle was won by the Aidan O'Brien-trained Thats My Man (Ire). It is unconfirmed, but those may well have been the words uttered by John Magnier when he decided to appoint O'Brien to uphold the good reputation of his surname at Ballydoyle. This he has done with aplomb. From that December day at Fairyhouse until Sunday at the Curragh, A P O'Brien has been the name printed alongside 400 Group or Grade 1 winners. From his roots in National Hunt, he...

There are undoubtedly many good reasons to have a rounded life with interests beyond the breeding, training, buying and selling of a supreme equine athlete who can run faster than his contemporaries. Those of us whose waking hours are mostly consumed by one or more of these bloodstock industry pursuits can rightly be accused of not getting out more, particularly at this time of year. But when the daily non-racing headlines revolve around the British economy in freefall, hurricanes and floods decimating parts of the world, and President Putin looming...

Based on his devastating, 19 1/4-length victory in the GI TVG Pacific Classic at Del Mar Sept. 3, Flightline (Tapit) has assumed the mantle of highest-rated horse in the world according to the latest edition of the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings (WBRR), which were published Thursday. The 4-year-old 'TDN Rising Star' has been given a rating of 139 for his smashing success in his first start at 10 furlongs and was improving by 12 points, having been rated on 127 following a similarly impressive victory in the GI Hill...

Where to begin? The past week has been so wrought with emotion that by the time Sunday arrived with its 15 group races in England, Ireland and France only the dourest of stayers made it through to Doncaster's Mallard Handicap. This is a racing publication, of course, but before we reflect on the action on the racecourse, it would be remiss not to mention the heartbreaking human loss which was so intrinsically entwined with the sport.  Grief engulfed two nations. Wednesday brought the indelibly sad image of Henry de Bromhead...

Ryan Moore has admitted that G1 French Derby and G1 Coral-Eclipse winner Vadeni (Fr) (Churchill {Ire}) sets the standard in the Royal Bahrain Irish Champion S. at Leopardstown on Saturday but warned that Luxembourg (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) should not be underestimated in the feature race of Longines Irish Champions Weekend. The Aidan O'Brien-trained Luxembourg got his season off to a promising start when third in the G1 2000 Guineas, but suffered a setback in the build-up to the Derby. He won in workmanlike fashion on his return from a 105-day...

ROSEGREEN, Ireland--Ryan Moore will find it difficult to ride anything other than Stone Age (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the Cazoo Derby, according to Aidan O'Brien, who may be without the ace--Luxembourg (Ire) (Camelot {GB})--in his Epsom pack, but expects to run up to six colts as he bids for a record-extending ninth win in the race on June 4. Stone Age didn't just open the door to a tilt at the Derby in winning the G3 Derby Trial at Leopardstown on Sunday, he kicked it open and announced himself as...

Luxembourg (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), the short-priced favourite for the Cazoo Derby, is not certain to line up at Epsom after meeting with a setback, Aidan O'Brien has revealed. Third in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket last Saturday, Luxembourg had been a general 2-1 chance for Derby glory before O'Brien revealed the news to the Racing Post on Friday. He said, "Luxembourg was a little bit off after his canter this morning. He was a little lame on his off-hind." O'Brien added, "We are not sure of the reason why at...

The Aidan O'Brien-trained Luxembourg (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) will head straight to Epsom following his third-place finish in Saturday's 2000 Guineas at Newmarket.  The winner of last season's G1 Vertem Futurity Trophy at Doncaster is currently favourite for the Cazoo Derby on June 4. "The two colts [from the 2000 Guineas] cantered this morning and seem fine. Luxembourg just clipped heels after going 50 yards and he did well to finish where he did," said O'Brien at the Curragh on Monday. "I think he will go straight to Epsom, that was...

Ben Sangster is not one to underestimate the influence of luck in this sport. But there is a lot to be said for people making their own, and having made most of the opportunities to come his way, luck is now shining kindly on his Swettenham Stud operation. Years of cultivating one branch of a favoured family could be on the cusp of yielding Classic rewards in the form of Luxembourg (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), the current ante-post Derby favourite who was bred by Sangster out of Attire (Ire) (Danehill Dancer...

Aidan O'Brien has outlined plans for some of his Classic hopes for the 2022 season and indicated that the dual group winners Luxembourg (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) and Point Lonsdale (Ire) (Australia {GB}) will head to Newmarket for the G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas on Apr. 30. Luxembourg will bid to emulate his treble Classic-winning sire by claiming the Newmarket feature on his seasonal debut after winning the G1 Vertem Futurity at Doncaster at two. "Point Lonsdale worked in the same group as Luxembourg on Saturday and that was the first time...

Last orders are being called for the European Flat turf season. Cheltenham and Aintree have been knocking loudly on the door but there are still some important scores to settle on the level, and in Paris, where this correspondent was fortunate enough to be billeted this weekend, the major Group 1 action was conducted in a blaze of life-affirming autumnal glory that may almost sustain us until the spring. The four Group 1 races around the world on Saturday, in England, France and Australia, went to the offspring of Irish-based...

There is an abundance of potentially exhilarating 2-year-old action across Britain, France and Ireland on Saturday which will act as significant pointers to the 2022 Classics for which Luxembourg (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) is already favourite. Whether Ballydoyle's latest G1 Vertem Futurity Trophy hope is the next Epsom Derby winner in waiting, as the current ante-post lists suggest he is, we will in part find out mid-afternoon on Doncaster's Town Moor. Unbeaten in two starts, with the latter resulting in a 4 3/4-length success in The Curragh's G2 Beresford S. Sept....