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'Everything is in the system, even my exercise' - Aidan O'Brien guides you through the inner workings of Ballydoyle
Colm Greaves has the pleasure of a guided tour of the most successful yard in Flat racing history
Colm GreavesFeatures writer
Some of the gallops at Ballydoyle, with its castle in the distanceCredit: Patrick McCann
Even the tractors are shining.
Not because they are work-shy, lazy tractors like those that lounge in pristine sales showrooms, dreading the day a farmer will take them home and give their life some purpose.
No, the tractors here are grafters; hard-working and conscientious, they spend long hours chasing speedy racehorses up and down steep gallops at Ballydoyle, Aidan O’Brien’s fabled stable near the tiny village of Rosegreen in the fertile heart of County Tipperary.
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more inGreat Racing Yards
- 'You don't want to be the one who lets the place down' - inside Newmarket’s very own Russian empire
- 'The challenge is getting people to realise how special it is' - 200 years of history but only success will protect Beckhampton's status
- 'It's a fascinating, historic place to train - but in this modern era you'd have to be careful it didn't break you'
- Nicky Henderson: ‘It’s a nightmare to maintain - it has to be chock-a-block to make it pay, it wouldn’t work half full’