What makes a horse trainer great? Of course, there is much to be said for a trainer’s ability to get a horse to listen, follow instructions, work hard under pressure, and for their special knack of picking out a winner amongst a large selection. However, there is more to the business than just the horses, and one of the greatest, if not the greatest of all time, trainers, Aidan O’Brien recently shed some light on what he believes to be the key to every horse’s success, especially as the Del Mar season is underway.
In a podcast interview with Matt Chapman, O’Brien is asked how he thinks and what he’s looking for when he’s getting his horses into shape. O’Brien gave an interesting answer, and not one that everyone might have assumed. Rather than placing the onus on the horse, O’Brien insists that it’s the people on the team that he continuously checks on.
We’re back with another episode of the Road to Del Mar!
Matt Chapman (@MCYeeehaaa) takes you to the home of racing royalty with legendary trainer Aidan O’Brien, while Britney Eurton (@BritneyEurton) gives us updates on the #WinAndYoureIn happenings in the states!
Produced with… pic.twitter.com/lrf9kWXTRr
— Breeders’ Cup (@BreedersCup) August 8, 2025
“I suppose really it’s all about the people, that are riding the horses, looking after the horses, the people that are in charge of the yards.” O’Brien said, shedding light on all the behind the scenes work that goes into the care of these racing champions. The legendary trainer then shed some light on how he ensures he is on top of this part of the game everyday by adding, “Really, what I do everyday is just observe and then talk to the people. If you knew somebody from meeting them everyday, the minute you meet them in the morning, you’ll know whether they’re in good form mentally, and then you’ll know whether they’re moving properly physically. So horses are the same, but it’s all about the people, really. So I always talk to everybody as much as I can, and connect everybody together.” With this sort of insight and inclusive as well as holistic mindset, it’s no wonder that O’Brien has won the Breeder’s Cup over 20 times!
Aidan O’Brien and his secret to all those Breeder’s Cup wins
Ah, the Breeder’s Cup, the most elite of horse racing championships, so elite that horses are enrolled in other races just for the chance to win and win a spot in the Breeder’s Cup. Horses are handpicked for this race, and only the best of the best make it, so the fact that Aidan O’Brien has won it not once, or twice, but 20 times, speaks volumes.
It was just last year, with O’Brien’s seventh win in the Juvenile Turf, that he marked his 20th Breeder’s Cup win, tying with legendary US trainer D. Wayne Lukas. Of this feat, O’Brien humbly said, “It’s incredible. We all know what a special man Wayne is, and it’s an honour to be anywhere close to his record.” To give us a sense of the rapport O’Brien maintains with the people around the horse, the jockey during that race, Ryan Moore, also shared some insight into a conversation he and O’Brien had before the race about the horse Henri Matisse.
“I said to Aidan beforehand I felt he was by far the best horse in the race.” Moore said, “He just travelled into it and I was wide on the bend, but he took me there very comfortably. He won without even knowing he was in the race.” Keeping these lines of dialogue constantly open and keeping the team feeling confident in themselves and the horse, is obviously part and parcel of the wins! It is a multifaceted sport, and winning is a multifaceted feat, something Aidan O’Brien has no trouble with!
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