Is the master of Ballydoyle facing his toughest challenge yet in 2022?
A Big Year For . . . is a four-part series exploring some likely major themes during the Flat season
A big year for Aidan O'Brien? Of course. For more than a quarter of a century every year has been a big year for the man John Magnier selected to follow in the footsteps of his father-in-law Vincent O'Brien at Ballydoyle.
In all those years O'Brien has sat at the pinnacle of his profession. In 2021 he was champion Flat trainer in Ireland for the 22nd consecutive season. He orchestrated a brilliant unbeaten three-year-old campaign for star colt St Mark's Basilica, who sets out on a stud career guaranteed a first-rate book of mares in two hemispheres.
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Copy- We believed Dancing Brave could fly - and then he took off to prove it
- 'Don't wind up bookmakers - you might feel clever but your accounts won't last'
- 'There wouldn't be a day I don't think about those boys and their families'
- 'You want a bit of noise, a bit of life - and you have to be fair to punters'
- 'I take flak and it frustrates me - but I'm not going to wreck another horse'
- We believed Dancing Brave could fly - and then he took off to prove it
- 'Don't wind up bookmakers - you might feel clever but your accounts won't last'
- 'There wouldn't be a day I don't think about those boys and their families'
- 'You want a bit of noise, a bit of life - and you have to be fair to punters'
- 'I take flak and it frustrates me - but I'm not going to wreck another horse'