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Aidan O'Brien: the inside track on my leading Glorious Goodwood hopes
By Racing TV
Last Updated: Tue 21 Jul 2026
Speaking to Goodwood Racecourse, the Ballydoyle handler shares his thoughts on his big-race runners at next week's Glorious Goodwood - a meeting he describes as "very special to me".
Glorious Goodwood takes place from Tuesday 28 July to Saturday 1 August and it's a meeting that has provided Aidan O'Brien with many happy memories over the years.
He told the media team at the West Sussex venue: "Goodwood is very prestigious, everybody wants to be there, and the racing is absolutely top class. "It's a very unique track, in very unique surroundings.
"Giant's Causeway has to be a big one, Yeats too. We've had some great fillies, too, including Minding.
"Every year it's very special and when you think back about it, you can't believe it happened really because it's a very difficult place to win and I think it's the whole atmosphere, the uniqueness of it, the weather, the track, it's all very special to me."
O'Brien has happy memories of Giant's Causeway's defeat of Dansili in 2000
As you'd expect, O'Brien has assembled a strong team for this year's extravaganza, with Gold Cup winner Scandinavia hoping to kickstart the meeting on day one with a successful defence of his crown in the feature Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup Stakes.
"Everything's gone well with him since Royal Ascot, he's in good form," he explained.
"He'll never win by very far, he just does enough, so he's very hard to gauge, really, as to how much is in there and that's the way he's always been really. He's very like Yeats in that way, he's a high tempo horse, he finds it very easy to go a high tempo for a long time.
"Whether the trip is a mile and a half, a mile and six, two miles, two and a quarter, two and a half, it's something to look forward to.
"We take one race at a time and it's great to have him really."
Day two sees Gstaad and Puerto Rico bid to give O'Brien a sixth win in the Visit Qatar Sussex Stakes, a race that has seen its prize money increased this year to £1.5 million, making it the richest mile race in Europe.
"I think it's vital," praised O'Brien. "That's what brings good horses to the races and good horses mean the crowds and the spectators. It's such an expensive game just to buy a horse, train a horse and do everything with a horse. Hats off to them and obviously they get it."
Gstaad has twice finished behind Bow Echo this season, most recently when beaten a short-head in the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, and O'Brien is hopeful of turning the tables at the third attempt.
"We are very happy with him, he ran a good race at Ascot and we were delighted with him at the Curragh inbetween.
"He came over very well, we are looking forward to going there with him, and we always thought it was a race that would suit him.
"He is progressive and it didn't really work out perfectly the last day for him and he still ran a great race.
"Hopefully Bow Echo runs and it'll hopefully be a good race.
"In the Guineas, we were very forward and had to do a lot of our own donkey work and Bow Echo had lovely cover and that worked lovely for him, and then we went to Ascot and we felt that maybe didn't go 100% for us either.
"So it's going to be interesting and that's what I think makes these days great."
Watch: Gstaad made no mistake when winning the Irish 2000 Guineas
O'Brien also believes he has a stronger horse as the season progresses.
He said: "He's getting heavier, which is a good sign. His mind is very good, he's coming out of his work very well and coming out of his races very well.
"We always felt that he will have no problem going up [in trip in the future], we always thought that a mile and a quarter wouldn't be outside of his compass.
"It's nice to have a horse like that - you're not minding him through a race and you know that he's going to be finishing for you."
Puerto Rico ran a race full of promise when fourth in the French 2000 Guineas on his return to action, and O'Brien is confident that the son of Wootton Bassett will be much more of a force than when well-held behind Gstaad and Bow Echo last time.
"Obviously Ascot was a complete mess for him, he got taken on for the lead and it just all went out the window," O'Brien explained.
"We had planned on making the running with him, he'd won his two Group Ones making the running and it just didn't work.
"We're very happy with his progress since, and we think and feel that we will see a different horse this time."
Diamond Necklace won the French 1000 Guineas earlier in the season
Diamond Necklace looks to be one of the leading contender of the week for the Ballydoyle team, and the St Mark's Basilica filly heads to Thursday's Qatar Nassau Stakes in good shape.
"She's a lovely, natural filly," O'Brien beamed. "We stepped up to a mile and a quarter the last time, we're very happy with her, she's doing very well physically, she's obviously got a great pedigree and she's exciting."
The unique nature of the Goodwood track holds no fears for O'Brien as he seeks a third successive win in the race, and a seventh in total. Only the late Sir Henry Cecil, with eight, holds more.
O'Brien said: "I think she'll be fine, she's well balanced, she's a medium-sized filly with a good stride. She's been around Longchamp and Chantilly, both right-handed tracks, so I don't think that should be a problem.
"She looks very good at the moment, everything she's been asked to do she's done very easily, very comfortable.
"She is in that 'could be anything category', she looks really special at the moment and we're very excited to have her."
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