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00:00Well we're delighted on this week's Thoroughbred Daily News Writer's Room podcast. A very special
00:04guest none other than Aiden O'Brien, one of the greatest trainers of all time and somebody who's
00:08going to probably make a lot of noise in the U.S. in the Breeders' Cup races coming up. Aiden,
00:14thanks for joining us and you know all the buzz for City of Troy has reached our shores. We've
00:20heard about how good he is, we've heard about what you think of him, but when did you start
00:23thinking about the Breeders' Cup Classic for him and why the dirt instead of turf?
00:29Yeah I suppose it was always on our mind obviously Bill we've never won a Classic,
00:34we've been placed in it a good few times. It's obviously a race that we'd love to win
00:39but we know that you need an exceptional horse to do it really. Obviously he's by Justify which
00:45makes it very exciting and always made it look like he could be very special for us.
00:51So he's pacey, he's hardy, he stays, he's determined. He has all the things we think
00:58could have and he could have to make it happen but obviously it's a big ask to run on the dirt
01:06first time and a horse that's not trained on it. We've went close with horses before obviously
01:12like a Giant's Pawsway and those horses. So you say he's not trained on it yet,
01:18this is pretty interesting I think. We find it over here fascinating, the plans going forward,
01:24the immediate future for City of Troy, the September 20th workout at Southwell with an
01:30American starting gate. Explain to us the thoughts behind that and the logistics involved in getting
01:37it done. Yeah, I suppose Randy he'll fly over, it'll be like a race day farm, it'll be an
01:43artificial surface. Obviously it's not dirt but it's as close as probably we can get from here and
01:51we don't want too big a change too quickly either so it's a little bit of a change off of what he
01:56is used to. So yeah, obviously it'll be out American gates with horses we'll probably go
02:03a mile and we'll probably do as much as we can to have him as ready as we can without
02:08changing his whole regime every day. I suppose that's what we're trying to do. We're trying to
02:14do a little gently really rather than one big shock and obviously then the next one would be
02:20more severe for him. How many horses do you anticipate working with him? I suppose five,
02:27between five and eight we think. Yeah, so it'll depend on what way it'll be but we think we
02:34probably need at least five. So Aidan let me get this straight, you're going to load five or eight
02:40horses onto the Ballydoil plane, take them to Southall and you're also taking your American
02:47starting gate. When did you get an American starting gate at Ballydoil and can you just
02:52explain to everybody the difference between the English and the American ones and why?
02:59Yeah, they're bigger, they're stronger, they're closer and they go more to the ground and obviously the
03:03bell and there is a different feel to them. We've had them a long time now but that's made a big
03:08difference to us when we go to America with the horses. It's a whole different feel.
03:13The stalls look bigger but they're not, they're tighter because the sides come in closer than
03:18our stalls do here. So yeah, I suppose we're always trying to improve and when we do go
03:24over to try to have as much practice done for whatever situation we have to deal with I suppose.
03:32Will you use a handler? Because I know that's been problematic in the past because
03:38you might not have one but there'll be a guy next door that could spook your horse.
03:42Yeah, we probably will. Our horses are very used to us all the time. Now from the time
03:50they start going into stalls we treat them like the way you treat your horses in America, where
03:54the handler goes in there, sits with them and like all the horses we do that all the time so that if
04:00or when we go to America there's no real change.
04:04Would the plan be to expose him to kickback?
04:09Yeah, I think so. Well, the surface we're going to work on, Ryan said there's not much kickback
04:14anyway. I'm not sure. My experience of kickback, they either take it or they don't and obviously
04:20you do your best not to be in kickback. I think that's the way I think all trainers approach it
04:26in America. If you're in the situation you're getting it, you can't do anything about it but
04:30in an ideal world you don't want to be getting it really, sure you don't.
04:35Now still several weeks to go but Aidan, City of Troy will be the headliner. At this point in time
04:40can you tell us of other horses you're thinking of bringing to the Breeders' Cup?
04:46I suppose it's early but we would have a lot of horses. Obviously we have the Philly Content,
04:52she won the Yorkshire Oaks and then we obviously would have two-year-olds Bill. We always like to
04:56take a Colt and a Philly and I suppose Whistlejacket is another one as a possible. He won
05:02the Marnie, he's going to run in the Middle Park next. So all those type of horses really. Obviously
05:09come that time of the year who's well but one thing we have learned, the horses have to be
05:14very good, have to be top class to go there. So it's like obviously we approach like all group
05:19ones that if they're good enough we take them and try and if they're not we won't.
05:25So another question I have on the City of Troy topic, you know we've seen over the years,
05:31you've seen over the years, this you know the late, unfortunate late super sire Galileo.
05:38The form of Galileo sired horses typically didn't translate that well from grass to dirt, right? Yes.
05:46The dam of City of Troy together forever is a daughter of Galileo with theatrical also on the
05:55in that pedigree. So it's almost exclusively turf and you've got Justify obviously as the sire.
06:01Does this source remind you physically the way he runs a little bit more of Justify maybe than
06:08together forever? I think he's always been around that way. He goes forward and we start, we start,
06:15he went forward in all his runs as a two-year-old and then he kind of blew up on us in the guineas
06:20his first run. I probably did had him too fresh and after that we kind of had to take our time
06:25with him here. Obviously the style of racing is a little bit slower here but I think naturally
06:30he's aggressive if you let him be. We haven't, after the first day we didn't leave him be
06:36but obviously we had it in our minds if everything went well the last day he would be going here next.
06:41So Ryan went forward on him and he did latch on and I know knowing the horse he
06:47wanted to go forward more the next day and if that was the case that would suit your race we think.
06:54How good do you feel the sons of Justify are worldwide because it seems like he's got it all.
07:01We see him running on dirt and turf over here, he's done well in Australia, he seems to be flying
07:06over in Ireland. What is it about him because physically looking at him and I spent a lot of
07:11time with him in Southern California he just looks like your big burly dirt horse but he's got that.
07:18Yeah like when we saw him first like he looked a different breed of turf at all together like he
07:22looked like a big quarter horse really. Right. Yeah that's when we saw him as the first like we
07:27could not believe the amount of muscle and the power and the scope and the strength that he had
07:32and then to be able to go get a mile and a half in the Belmont like it was just it was freaky
07:37really. So really we like he's a different kind of a breed of turf than we've seen ever before we
07:41think. He's stock of a lot of class and they're very high cruisers, they're very genuine and they're
07:48very like Galileo's but they have more speed you know but I suppose what he did as a racehorse was
07:54just out of this world like a horse that didn't run a tube to win the triple crown and be that
07:59size you know so we just we hoped like obviously the boss obviously saw him and he wanted him and
08:05that's why he wanted the like he was just a different breed of turf at all together and
08:09um that's what we're so excited about him the way he's working uh here on the grass and and like he
08:15looks like a massive big powerful dirt horse doesn't he really so you know you're absolutely
08:19right. We always look forward here to seeing the Coolmore horses for the Breeders' Cup.
08:24The Breeders' Cup would not even be close to what it is right now without John Magner and the rest
08:31of Coolmore and the horses that you've trained coming over here such sporting gestures year
08:36after year after year. How much do you enjoy Del Mar as a site for the Breeders' Cup? Yeah
08:42no sure we love it obviously we love walking on the beach um it's unique isn't it really um
08:48like obviously when we go to the Breeders' Cup it's a big it's great for us to go over and
08:53experience it. I think you have to go and experience it to really believe it um the atmosphere and the
08:59the hype and you know it's just very special really that time of the year and all the best
09:03horses are there um and uh it's it's the ultimate test really. And it's interesting because um when
09:11you come to America uh you think you know you kind of go in and just mind your own business
09:16but you've talked about how much you've learned from American trainers in particularly Bob Baffert
09:21and Wesley Ward. What lessons what what have you talked to them or you just follow them from
09:27afar and what what have you learned from them? I'm not sure obviously we've learned a lot from
09:31and always do and try and obviously weigh in as well you know so um like every time we go
09:38we we learned a lot and like obviously we would be friendly with all the American trainers and
09:42and um like they're always very uh forthcoming with information what we should be doing or what
09:48they do and obviously we see everything that they do as well and everything now is very public
09:53anyway and it's it's broadcasted um to everybody which is is a big help I think to everybody.
09:59Information kind of is all the key is always the key and uh experience of watching what
10:04they do and what we should do if if we want to be successful or over there with you really.
10:11What's what's left for Aidan O'Brien? You have won just about everything asides from the Breeders'
10:17Cup Classic. Like what are one of your goals that you're like I really would love to win this race?
10:24Yeah not really we never approach anything like that so we always try to do our best with every
10:29horse take it as it comes and I think if you start doing that it just becomes too difficult
10:33and too much pressure you know so we try and do our best with every horse to get the best out of
10:38them and uh and try and win whatever races uh we would like to win but it's some races are very
10:43difficult and like obviously like it's the classic we haven't won we've never won a classic
10:48you know and we've ran very good horses in it so it's it's a very very difficult and we've tried
10:53very hard um but uh yeah so all we can do is try again really. Would you try the Kentucky Derby?
11:00Would you? Yeah well we have and we have had runners um it's very tough in this part of the
11:05world because maybe the preparation isn't as tough uh to get into it I think a lot of the
11:11horses in the Kentucky Derby it's a tough preparation and they're really ready for when
11:14it does come and we wouldn't be able to probably give them that preparation over here but like
11:19like everything it's not impossible we think but you just have to have the right horse and
11:24you don't win it with a second racer really. So on that same general topic Aidan one of the one
11:30of the big stories of American racing this year especially this summer has been that Godolphin
11:37and Charlie Appleby have sent basically a full-time string to stay in the United States I
11:42think they've run 19 different horses this year they've made almost five million dollars in purses
11:48is that something you think that your bosses that Mr. Magner and Tabor and Smith might possibly be
11:53looking at for the future? Yeah I'm not sure like obviously we have a Valley Dial here and we have
11:59all kinds of gallops and um it's a pain journey away really um that's all so I it's it's very safe
12:09environment here um and uh we I don't know whether the lads have looked at that but uh and I don't
12:15know whether they will or they won't but um it's it's uh like it's not it's not a long trip across
12:20the the across the the across the uh sea really. Being the hard-hitting journalist that I am I'm
12:26gonna ask you a real tough question if you don't mind Aidan. What's the story with the dog?
12:31Well she's uh we're minding her for Anna and Anna is in America at the moment
12:36and she's missing Anna there's two of them there so that's
12:41and anybody goes by the door they think it's Anna so.
12:45We're all dog fans we enjoy the sound effect that's really nice.
12:48Well done. I've got I've got one more question. No problem. Aside let's let's get off horses
12:57does Aidan O'Brien have a bucket list of a place he'd like to see like to go would you want to
13:03want to jump out of an airplane is there something that you want to do other than horse? No like
13:08obviously there's a lot of stuff and I don't do much any wherever I go racing and I go to the
13:13tracks and I don't get time really to do anything really um that's just the way my life is um it's
13:18seven days a week 24 hours a day and and uh and uh and like if if we we if we fail um we've done
13:27our best and we can accept it but if if we fail and we haven't it's just harder you know so the
13:33time will come I presume when that will happen but at the moment like it's it's full on and it has
13:37been for uh 25 30 years you know so um but listen hopefully there's a I see those places on telly at
13:44the moment. We hear that from trainers all the time over here also like like I remember talking
13:50to Bob Baffert and when he had his unfortunate suspension a couple of years ago a couple of
13:55summers ago he took his family on a big vacation and he said it was the first time he'd ever been
14:01able to do it when's the last time you just went on a vacation left it all behind yes a week two
14:09weeks yes when no so we've never done it really we go to the Breeders' Cup every year and that's
14:15our and then we go from Breeders' Cup we usually go to Barbados for a week to meet the lads in
14:20Barbados and uh but this year we won't be because we have Augustus Rodin the plan is for him to go
14:26to Japan after uh his next run so we'll be trying to get back there as quick as we can so hopefully
14:32sometime we'll see those places I think the Sandy Lane Hotel in Barbados qualifies as a nice vacation
14:41before we let you go I have one last question for you this is the first time I believe that you've
14:45run horses at Kentucky Downs this year and uh you know what are your plans in the future going
14:50forward will we see you participate even more and how much of a buzz is it creating in Europe
14:56with these just unbelievable purses yeah no I think it's it's uh unbelievable really and that's
15:02what the brain horses the purses will bring horses and that's what's happening and I think everybody's
15:06talking about it and I think it's only going to become more popular and more popular everybody
15:12wants to be there um and uh listen obviously everyone knows training horses and is an
15:17expensive uh operation and has to be funded um and for maybe horses that especially geldons or
15:24coals that maybe are not good enough to go to stud it's a big outlet and I think everyone is talking
15:29about all over the world you know so and I think it's gonna get more and more popular really very
15:34good meanwhile I volunteer to take your place at Sandy Lane Hotel next year when you can't make it
15:40okay maybe we can do the podcast from Sandy Lane that's on my bucket list actually
15:49all right well Aidan we want to thank you for joining us today on the TDN Writers Room podcast
15:53best of luck with City of Troy keep up the good work you're having a typical great year
15:58and it was a joy to talk to you and we'll see you at the Breeders' Cup yeah look forward to it Bill
16:02thanks thanks Billy thanks everybody