Aidan O’Brien etched his name into Breeders’ Cup history Friday, surpassing D.Wayne Lukas as the all-time leading trainer with a record 21st victory. Simultaneously, the next generation of the O’Brien racing dynasty emerged, as Aidan’s son, Donnacha O’Brien, secured his first breeders’ Cup win.
The landmark achievement for Aidan O’Brien came courtesy of Gstaad’s win in the Juvenile Turf at Del Mar, near San Diego. This victory also marked O’Brien’s eighth win in the Juvenile Turf, extending his existing record. Donnacha O’Brien’s triumph arrived in the Juvenile Fillies Turf, where Balantina, ridden by Oisin Murphy, delivered a surprise victory in the $1 million (£760,292) race.
“Its special, Wayne was a special man, unbelievable,” said Aidan O’Brien, acknowledging the legacy of the trainer he surpassed. “Wayne was such a big help to us all the time and when we had Giant’s Causeway he was such a help. He was ther at the barn when we were relatively new here and helped shoe him and he came down to the track with us on his own horse.”
O’Brien continued, “Everything he did was for his horses and his owners. He dreamed a lot and was an incredibly special man.”
Aidan O’Brien, who has secured 26 top-level wins this year, now stands alone atop the Breeders’ Cup trainer standings. The family success didn’t end there; Donnacha, 27, joined his father and brother joseph as a Breeders’ Cup-winning trainer.
“This is very special. It was fantastic,” Donnacha O’Brien said. “To watch Dad do it year-in and year-out, and Joseph to get winners – nice to be on the board.”
