Modest Royal Ascot centurion O'Brien driven by a relentless drive and hatred of complacency
Scandinavia ridden by Ryan Moore (right) wins the Gold Cup as Trawlerman ridden by William Buick finishes second on day three of Royal Ascot. Pic: John Walton/PA Wire.
Given his hatred of complacency, Aidan O’Brien may have been the one person with a passion for racing who genuinely didn’t think that this would be the week where he would bring up a century of Royal Ascot winners.
Fresh from a recording-extending 12th Derby success, O’Brien went into Flat racing’s biggest week on 96 Royal Ascot winners with few doubting another remarkable record would soon be achieved.
But when it did, it wasn’t the one most anticipated as Mission Central’s surprise King Charles III Stakes win on Tuesday gave O’Brien the full set of Royal Ascot Group 1 triumphs.
By then, he had already won the Coventry Stakes for a 12th time when Great Barrier Reef landed the spoils in the hands of Wayne Lordan.
Wednesday saw him move within one victory of the century when the aptly-named Victorious landed the Queen Mary, the opening race of the day.
He had to wait until Thursday to hit the ton and it was fitting that it was the tenacious Scandinavia who gave O’Brien a perfect 10th Gold Cup win to bring up the landmark.
The modest O’Brien always deflects any praise that comes his way and insists he is merely a small cog in a giant wheel.
It could be argued that there’s an element of truth in that view given the quality of horses he has access to but elite sports people are judged on how they perform on the biggest stage and since moving to Ballydoyle 30 years ago O’Brien has consistently delivered the goods.
Only twice — 1998 and 2003 — since Harbour Master got the ball rolling when landing the Coventry in 1997 has a Royal Ascot passed without an O’Brien-trained winner.
His most successful Royal Ascot to date came in 2016 when he equalled Henry Cecil’s record tally of seven winners at a single meeting. Outright ownership of that record will surely come his way at some point, perhaps even this week.
The frightening thing for O’Brien’s rivals is the 56-year-old has no plans to exit the stage any time soon. That much was made clear in a fascinating ITV segment ahead of the Derby where Gabriel Clarke interviewed O’Brien and his wife Annemarie.
“What else would I be doing,” Aidan asked rhetorically when quizzed about how long he intended to continue training. “I love doing it. If I have to go away for a week, I can’t wait to get back. Really racing is my hobby, work, pastime, passion all rolled into one.”
Annemarie added: “I don’t see any reason why we can’t continue to do this for the next 20 years. I believe he will be the greatest of all time. Being here, having access to those thoroughbreds, he will set a record that will be impossible to get near.”
Some would argue he already has but should he carry on for another two decades, it’s far from fanciful to think he could get to 20 or more Derby wins. He’ll likely win the Irish Derby for an 18th time Saturday week and could get to circa 30 if he sticks around until 2046. And God knows what his Royal Ascot tally will be like by then.
Not that O’Brien will be thinking like that. He’s not wired that way.
As he told Clarke: “If you get any bit complacent, if you think you’re a little bit better than the others, it’s over. Don’t kid yourself in any way about that. There’s no excuse for complacency, that’s laziness really.”
“Everything has to be done perfectly,” Annemarie said of her husband’s mentality, prompting Clarke to ask what happens if it isn’t. She replied: “It will be the next time!”
Next is a key word in Aidan O’Brien’s vocabulary. No matter what the achievement, the focus turns to the next race, to the next challenge.
That relentless drive is what makes him great.
Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes (4 wins): Ad Valorem (2006), Haradasum (2008), Declaration Of War (2013), Circus Maximus (2020).
Group 2 Coventry Stakes (12): Harbour Master (1997), Fasliyev (1999), Landseer (2001), Statue of Liberty (2002), Henrythenavigator (2007), Power (2011), War Command (2013), Caravaggio (2016), Arizona (2019), River Tiber (2023), Gstaad (2025), Great Barrier Reef (2026).
Group 1 King Charles III Stakes (1): Mission Central (2026).
Group 1 St James’s Palace Stakes (9): Giant's Causeway (2000), Black Minnaloushe (2001), Rock of Gibraltar (2002), Excellent Art (2007), Henrythenavigator (2008), Mastercraftsman (2009), Gleneagles (2015), Circus Maximus (2019), Paddington (2023).
Wolferton Stakes (1): Sir Isaac Newton (2016).
Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes (2): True Love (2025), Victorious (2026).
Group 2 Queen’s Vase (8): Mahler (2007), Mikhail Glinka (2010, Leading Light (2013), Aloft (2015), Sword Fighter (2016), Kew Gardens (2018), Santiago (2020), Illnois (2024).
Group 1 Prince of Wales's Stakes (5): Duke Of Marmalade (2008), So You Think (2012), Highland Reel (2017), Love (2021), Auguste Rodin (2024).
Windsor Castle Stakes (3): Washington DC (2015), Southern Hills (2019), Little Big Bear (2022).
Chesham Stakes (7): Bach (1999), Maybe (2011), Churchill (2016), September (2017), Battleground (2020), Point Lonsdale (2021), Bedtime Story (2024).
King George V Stakes (1): South Pacific (2019).
Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes (6): Bracelet (2014), Even Song (2016), Magic Wand (2018), Warm Heart (2023), Port Fairy (2024), Garden of Eden (2025).
Group 1 Gold Cup (10) Yeats (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009), Fame And Glory (2011), Leading Light (2014), Order Of St George (2016), Kyprios (2022, 2024), Scandinavia (2026).
Britannia Stakes (1): War Envoy (2015).
Group 3 Hampton Court Stakes (5): Moscow Ballet (2004), Indigo Cat (2005), Hunting Horn (2018), Russian Emperor (2020), Trinity College (2025).
Group 3 Albany Stakes (3): Brave Anna (2016), Mediate (2022), Fairy Godmother (2024).
Group 1 Commonwealth Cup (1): Caravaggio (2017).
Group 1 Coronation Stakes (3) Sophisticat (2002), Lillie Langtry (2010), Winter (2017) Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes (3): Five Dynasties (2004), Japan (2019), Changingoftheguard (2022).
Group 2 Norfolk Stakes (4): Johannesburg (2001), Waterloo Bridge (2015), Sioux Nation (2017), Charles Darwin (2025).
Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes (4): Macarthur (2008), Await The Dawn (2011), Idaho (2017), Broome (2022).
Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (2): Starspangledbanner (2010), Merchant Navy (2018).
Group 3 Jersey Stakes (4): Mozart (2001), Ishvana (2012), Gael Force Ten (2013), Age Of Kings (2023).
Queen Alexandra Stakes (1): Honolulu (2008).
