As Ireland’s most successful sportsperson celebrates a landmark birthday tomorrow. Darren Norris counts down Aidan O’Brien’s 50 greatest moments.

In television interviews Aidan O’Brien strove manfully to explain how it could happen, but not even PR guru Alastair Campbell could spin this one!

Anthony Van Dyck provided Aidan O'Brien with a record-equalling seventh victory in the Investec Derby at Epsom.

It was 100-30 the field yesterday for next Saturday’s Epsom Derby and that tells you all you need to know about the open nature of this Classic.

The Flat season is not long under way but already, Mark Gallagher is making a claim to providing one of the outstanding narratives of the campaign.

Not 26 years old yet and Joseph O’Brien already enjoys the ultimate badge of acceptance within the racing community. He is known simply as ‘Joseph.’ Of course, as the eldest son of Aidan and Anne-Marie O’Brien, he has had his advantages in the sport, certainly during his riding career, but as a trainer he is very much his own man.

We know there has been something of a cloud hanging over the Ballydoyle horses for a while now, with Aidan O’Brien reporting that the bug was “the worst we’ve had.’’

We know there has been something of a cloud hanging over the Ballydoyle horses for a while now, with Aidan O’Brien reporting that the bug was “the worst we’ve had.’’

Isn’t US Navy Flag one of the most extraordinary horses in the history of flat racing?

At the curragh last weekend Aidan O’Brien added some real live candidates to his already considerable Royal Ascot portfolio later this month, none more so than the Australian horse, Merchant Navy.

Hazapour sprang a shock in the Group 3 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial at Leopardstown, overcoming Ballydoyle colts Delano Roosevelt and The Pentagon and booking his ticket to the Investec Derby at Epsom

Aidan O’Brien cut a supremely relaxed figure yesterday morning as he hosted the launch of the new Irish Flat racing season, which gets under way at Naas on Sunday.

The Minister for Agriculture, Michael Creed, wants the horseracing industry to be exempt from workplace legislation that limits working hours for stable staff. He has made representations to cabinet colleagues.

Kate Harrington, 27, is assistant trainer to her mother Jessica, who will have a strong team, headed by Gold Cup hero Sizing John, operating over the festive period. Kate is also a prolific winner as a jockey herself

Horse sports received plenty of recognition at the RTÉ Sports Awards on Saturday night, but it was James McClean who collected the top award.

Frankie Dettori has elected to ride Coronet over better-fancied stablemate Stradivarius in the William Hill St Leger at Doncaster on Saturday.

Capri heads a field of 11 for the William Hill St Leger at Doncaster on Saturday.

Aidan O'Brien remains keen on a tilt at the Qipco Champion Stakes with Churchill despite his disappointing display in the Irish equivalent at Leopardstown on Saturday.

There’s a top and a bottom in every sport, and to suggest the top is killing the bottom in jump racing is, in my opinion, off the mark, writes Ruby Walsh.

Here’s a briefing on some of the stories and issues highlighted on irishexaminer.com today.

Joseph O’Brien has made a huge impact since making the transition from record-breaking jockey to trainer. The 23-year-old tells John O’Brien in The Irish Racing Yearbook 2017 that he wants to build a strong dual-purpose yard on The Hill and to challenge the established operations — including Ballydoyle

It might be an exaggeration to say it represented a changing of the guard, but that unprecedented six-timer by Gordon Elliott at Navan last Sunday was some statement of intent.

Matt Chapman emerged with a good deal of credit from the television coverage of the Prix de I’Arc de Triomphe at Chantilly last Sunday.

David Wachman’s announcement this week that he is to retire from training at the end of the season, after some 20 years, encouraged one to reflect on various aspects of this great game.

That was a rather interesting little spat between trainer, Richard Hannon, and Horse Racing Ireland chief Executive, Brian Kavanagh, regarding the recent Group 1 Keeneland Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh.

Aidan O’Brien’s domination of the British Flat season continued apace as he saddled three of the first four home in the Darley Yorkshire Oaks with Seventh Heaven coming out on top.

“I have to be careful what I say now, don’t I?’’, are the words Aidan O’Brien reportedly muttered in the wake of his Caravaggio enjoying no more than a leisurely stroll on the way to winning the Group 1 Phoenix stakes at the Curragh last Sunday.

Aidan O'Brien's Caravaggio is set to be seen next in the Prix Morny at Deauville on August 21 after cementing his position at the top of the juvenile tree with another imperious performance in the Keeneland Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh.

Caravaggio oozed class as he romped to an impressive, four lengths win in the Group 1 Keeneland Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh yesterday.

Caravaggio bids to become the latest in a long line of Ballydoyle superstars to have landed the Keeneland Phoenix Stakes when he puts his huge reputation on the line at the Curragh tomorrow.

A quick sweep of the archives would show it is perhaps not the greatest surprise that Kieren Fallon has called time on his career in the saddle.

Dermot Weld reached a significant milestone in his long and illustrious career in Naas last night when a double, with Discipline in the listed Naas Oaks Trial and Sea Swift in the fillies maiden, saw him reach the 4,000 winner mark.