COOLMORE/BALLYDOYLE

Coolmore and Ballydoyle are world-famous names in equestrian circles.

Based in Rosegreen, Ballydoyle Racing Stable is acknowledged by many to be the finest training establishment in the world. First Vincent O’Brien, and now his unrelated namesake Aidan O’Brien, have sent out horses that have returned with rosettes from all the major races in Europe and the USA. Vincent’s son David used the Ballydoyle gallops during his brief but spectacularly successful training career in the early 1980’s.

When Vincent O’Brien chose the property in 1950 it was a working farm, but several natural features of the place assured him that it had the makings of his envisioned racehorse academy. Natural drainage and the fertile limestone land make for a good covering of grass, which provides an extremely safe surface for the horses. Minimising the risk of injury is paramount and, benefiting from the natural contours of Ballydoyle, no less than nine Epsom Derby winners would be prepared.

Speaking of his time spent at Ballydoyle, Michael Dickinson said: “If I had seen the Pyramids, Niagara Falls and the Great Wall of China on the same day it would not have created more of an impression. I thought Ballydoyle was a perfect world. Everything about it was terrific, especially the surfaces – and I realised why people brought their million-pound yearlings for Vincent to train.”

Since 1966 only two overseas trainers have landed the trainers championship in Britain. Remarkably, both were based at Ballydoyle with Vincent topping the table in 1966 and 1977 and Aidan becoming leading trainer in 2001, 2002, 2007 and again in 2008. Vincent and Aidan O’Brien have both become Irish sporting legends. Irish racing is more successful internationally than any other sport in which we participate, and Ballydoyle has been central to that success over the past 50 years.

The Coolmore Group took over a 350 acre existing stud with the objective of creating a world class stallion operation. Today the Group currently has more than 50 stallions under Coolmore management, with the major operations in Fethard, Co. Tipperary, Ashford Stud in Kentucky, and Coolmore Australia in the Hunter Valley.

The legendary Sadler’s Wells and Danehill are no longer active, but horses of the calibre of Galileo, Danehill Dancer, and Giant’s Causeway are among the most sought-after stallions in the global bloodstock business.

For the last 18 consecutive years, the Champion Sire in Britain & Ireland has resided at Coolmore. Nine of the last 11 Epsom Derby winners were sired by Coolmore stallions, along with 10 of the last 12 winners of the Irish Derby.

John Magnier is Managing Partner of Coolmore-Castlehyde & Associated Stud Farms. Since the 1850’s, the Magnier family has been associated with a long sequence of top-class stallions, including Cottage, Fortina, Wrekin Rambler, Even Money, Deep Run, Be My Native, Supreme Leader, Oscar and Flemensfirth.

For more information visit http://www.coolmore.com/