Horse Racing
Aidan O’Brien Breeders’ Cup Runners 2024 Revealed As Ballydoyle Plans Take Shape
Andy is a horse racing journalist and betting expert who specializes in trends and stats. With his long association with TrainersQuotes and FromTheStables, Andy has also built up solid contacts with some of the best stables in the UK. Has written for GeeGeez and bookmakers Matchbook and BetBright in the past too, plus was the former sports betting editor of odds comparison site Easyodds and Juicestorm. Has also appeared on betting podcasts for MatchBook and has featured in the popular Weatherbys Cheltenham Festival Guide in the past. Andy's also ghost written for former top jockey Richard Dunwoody and continues to have a monthly column in the Racing Ahead horse racing magazine. Now a regular on Sportscasting giving his views, trends and tips mainly on horse racing - if there's a stat to be explored and it's a sport, Andy is sure to find a betting angle to use.
Get to know Andy Newton betterPublished12 hours ago on September 23, 2024
Top Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien has lifted the lid on some of his intended 2024 Breeders’ Cup runners – including his big Breeders’ Cup Classic hope City Of Troy, plus where he intends to run other big names like Whistlejacket and Los Angeles.
Aidan O’Brien Breeders’ Cup Runners 2024 Mapped Out, Including City Of Troy
According to the trusted X account of AidanOBrienFanSite the Ballydoyle maestro Aidan O’Brien is starting to reveal which stable starts will be heading to the Breeders’ Cup at the start of November and in what races.
No prizes for knowing that his current stable star City Of Troy will have the Breeders’ Cup Classic as his target – a horse racing contest O’Brien is still to win.
The Classic last saw a European winner in 2008, with the Gosden-trained Raven’s Pass, who was ridden by a certain Frankie Dettori – with O’Brien going close with the runner-up that year Henrythenavigator.
City Of Troy is currently propping up the market with the best horse racing betting sites in the UK to give O’Brien his first win in the Breeders’ Cup Classic and after a recent racecourse gallop at Southwell the City Of Troy hype-train is in full steam.
This year’s Epsom Derby winner was flown over to Southwell to work on their All Weather track in preparation for his US trip (watch below) – with Ballydoyle even flying over American-style starting stalls to get the full stateside racing experience – albeit in Nottinghamshire.
City Of Troy's gallop in full!
Next stop: @BreedersCup! @Southwell_Races pic.twitter.com/duhPiDcZmi
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) September 20, 2024
What Date Is The Breeders’ Cup 2024?
đź“…Date: Friday 1st November and Saturday 2nd November 2024
🏇Racecourse: Del Mar, San Diego
đź“ş TV: Sky Sports Racing
Other Aidan O’Brien Breeders’ Cup Runners 2024
Diego Velazquez: Breeders’ Cup Mile
Winner of four of his eight career starts and last seen landing the G2 Solonaway Stakes at Leopardstown on Irish Champions weekend.
Before that Diego Velazquez took the Meld Stakes (watch below) – winning by an easy 7 lengths.
O’Brien has revealed his next target will be the Breeders’ Cup Mile on November 2nd – a race Ballydoyle have won just once in the past when Australia landed the spoils in 2020.
Whistlejacket: Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Sprint
Whistlejacket has been a busy Ballydoyle 2 year-old – running six times to date and winning 50% of those outings.
Flopped in the Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot in June (4th) but has since bounced back to run the classy Babouche second in the Phoenix Stakes in August and won the Group One Prix Morny in France last time out (watch below).
O’Brien has never won the Breeders’ Cup Sprint.
Luxembourg: Breeders’ Cup Turf
Now aged 5, Luxembourg has been a Ballydoyle stalwart for the operation for the last three seasons – winning seven times from 18 runs.
Won the Group One Coronation Cup at Epsom back at the end of May and despite running down the field in the King George at Ascot next time, certainly wasn’t disgraced in the Irish Champions Stakes last time – beaten just 2 1/2 lengths to Economics (watch below).
This will be the first time Luxembourg has run at the Breeders’ Cup but is now stranger to running abroad – having been runner-up in the 2023 Hong Kong Cup.
The Breeders’ Cup Turf has also been a top US race for Aidan O’Brien – winning it seven times in total, with his first High Chaparral in 2002 and his most recent Auguste Rodin only last year (2023).
Los Angeles: Breeders’ Cup Turf
O’Brien could also have another runner in the 2024 Breeders’ Cup Turf, with his Irish Derby winner Los Angeles.
This 3 year-old colt also landed the Great Voltigeur Stakes at York in August and has won five of his seven career starts.
His only two defeats came when 6 lengths third in the Epsom Derby to stablemate City Of Troy and last time when just 1 1/4 lengths away from Economics in the Irish Champion Stakes.
Content: Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf
This 3 year-old filly is expected to have the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf as her next engagement.
Content ran second to You Got To Me in the Irish Oaks in July and backed that performance up with a win over the same horse when winning the Yorkshire Oaks at the end of August (watch below).
In total she’s raced 12 times and won three of those, while O’Brien has won this Breeders’ Cup race just once in the past (Tuesday, 2022).
January: Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Fillies
The final Aidan O’Brien Breeders’ Cup runner 2024 at the moment will be January – who will be looking to win in November.
This juvenile filly has only raced five times but has won two of those – including an easy Listed success in the Churchill Stakes at Tipperary in August.
She was last seen running second in the May Hill Stakes at Doncaster in September on her first try over a mile. O’Brien’s only success in this Breeders’ Cup race came with in 2022 with Meditate.
BREAKING NEWS
Some Early Ballydoyle Breeders' Cup Contenders have been revealed
Note – More horses will be added the closer we get to the event this is not a complete team pic.twitter.com/T6hWVcPZSy
— AIDANOBRIENFANSITE (@aobrienfansite) September 23, 2024
Aidan O’Brien Has 18 Breeders’ Cup Winners (and Counting) To His Name
Trainer Aidan O’Brien is the most successful European handler at the Breeders’ Cup – with 18 past wins to his name.
The first of these came in 2002 with his Epsom Derby winner High Chaparral, who landed the Breeders’ Cup Turf.
While his most recent was Auguste Rodin when taking the same race in 2023.
O’Brien’s most successful Breeders’ Cup races over the years have been the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf with six wins and the Breeders’ Cup Turf with seven victories.
Aidan O’Brien’s Breeders’ Cup Winners
- Breeders’ Cup Juvenile – (1 win) – Johannesburg (2001)
- Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf – (1 win) – Meditate (2022)
- Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf – (1 win ) Tuesday (2022)
- Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf – (6 wins) – Wrote (2011), George Vancouver (2012), Hit It A Bomb (2015), Mendelssohn (2017), Victoria Road (2022), Unquestionable (2023)
- Breeders’ Cup Marathon – (1 win) – Man of Iron (2009)
- Breeders’ Cup Mile – (1 win) – Order of Australia (2020)
- Breeders’ Cup Turf – (7 wins) – High Chaparral (2002, 2003 DH), St Nicholas Abbey (2011), Magician (2013), Found (2015), Highland Reel (2016), Auguste Rodin (2023)
Del Mar Racetrack Will Host The Breeders’ Cup 2024
The Breeders’ Cup meeting moves around to different tracks each year and after being staged at Santa Anita in 2023 will head to Del Mar for the next two years – 2024 and 2025.
The California coastal track last held the Breeders’ Cup in 2021 and in total has hosted the event just once prior to that (2017).
Santa Anita holds the record currently for holding the Breeders’ Cup the most times – with eleven.