Trainer Profile

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Aidan O'Brien has been Irish Champion Flat trainer in terms of prizemoney won in every season since 1999. He began his career with Curragh trainer PJ Finn and was later assistant trainer to both Jim Bolger and Annemarie Crowley who he was later to marry.

Aidan took out his trainer's licence in 1993 and his first winner was Wandering Thoughts at Tralee in June of that year. In the early stages of his career, he broke all manner of records in National Hunt racing in terms of winners trained and also became the first trainer to saddle a 1-2-3 in the 1995 Galway Plate when Life Of A Lord defeated Kelly's Pearl and Loshian. Life Of A Lord went on win the Kerry National at Listowel the following September while he also proved successful in the Whitbread Gold Cup at Sandown the following April, before going back to Galway to claim a second consecutive victory in the Galway Plate.

His remarkable success continued when he moved to Ballydoyle in 1996 and he quickly established himself as one of the leading trainers in the world. O'Brien continues to enjoy tremendous success at home and abroad, winning the biggest races on a continuous basis.

He became the first trainer to win the Epsom Derby in three consecutive years when Australia won in 2014, following on from Ruler Of The World and Camelot. Camelot's success was all the more remarkable as it was the first father/son trainer/jockey partnership to win a British classic. The pair repeated the feat with Australia in the same race in 2014 and they also landed the Doncaster St Leger with Leading Light in 2013. At Royal Ascot in 2015, O'Brien saddled eight winners over the five days.

Minding gave O'Brien his 250th Group/Grade 1 winner on the Flat when taking the 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket in May, 2016. O'Brien saddled his 50th winner at Royal Ascot when Even Song won the Ribblesdale Stakes on Thursday, June 17th, 2016. In October of the same year, he recorded a magnificent 1-2-3 in the €5m Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Chantilly when the Ryan Moore-ridden Found led home Highland Reel and Order Of St George. All three are by leading sire Galileo.

Aidan enjoyed his 300th Group 1/Grade 1 winner (Flat and National Hunt combined) when Highland Reel (Ryan Moore) took the Prince Of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot on June 21, 2017. 

On Saturday, October 28, 2017, Aidan set a new world record of 26 Group/Grade 1 wins in a calendar year when Saxon Warrior (Ryan Moore) landed the Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster. He was crowned champion trainer in Britain for the sixth time on the same afternoon. He was to finish the year with 28 Group/Grade 1 winners.

Aidan recorded his 300th Group/Grade 1 winner on the Flat when his son Donnacha partnered Saxon Warrior to win the QIPCO 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket on Saturday, May 5, 2018. 

Aidan set a new record of 152 winners in a Flat season in Ireland when crowned champion trainer 21st time in 2018. Anthony Van Dyck, ridden by Seamus Heffernan, gave Aidan a record-equalling seventh victory in the Epsom Derby in 2019.

Just a year later, he brought his Derby tally to eight (a record) when the Emmet McNamara-ridden Serpentine won at odds of 25/1. His other Epsom Derby winners are: 2001 Galileo, 2002 High Chaparral, 2012 Camelot, 2013 Ruler Of The World, 2014 Australia and 2017 Wings Of Eagles. He has won the Irish Derby on 14 occasions as of 2020. 

At Leopardstown on Thursday, August 6, 2020, Aidan (Military Style), sons Joseph (Thundering Nights and Tonkinese) and Donnacha (Shale) all trained winners on the same card for the first time. 

Aidan recorded his 40th British Classic success, equalling a 158-year-old record held by John Scott, when the Frankie Dettori-ridden Snowfall scored a 16-length success in the Epsom Oaks in June 2021. Aidan's British Classic haul is comprised of a record eight wins in the Epsom Derby, nine wins in the Epsom Oaks, a record 10 wins in the 2,000 Guineas, seven wins in the 1,000 Guineas and six St Leger wins. Two days later after his 2021 Epsom Oaks success, Aidan won the Prix du Jockey Club at Chantilly for the first time with St Mark's Basilica. He also won the French Oaks for the first time in the same year with Joan Of Arc. 

As of 2021, Aidan has 76 Royal Ascot winners to his name.