Irish Champions Weekend 2026 News - Aidan O'Brien Stable Tour
On the eve of Irish Champions Weekend 2025, legendary trainer Aidan O'Brien provided an in-depth stable tour, discussing his key runners in the upcoming Group One races at Leopardstown and the Curragh. O'Brien highlighted Delacroix's versatility and importance, shared candid reflections on training changes for January, detailed tactical assessments for Jan Brueghel and Illinois, and showed high hopes for juveniles Composing and Gstaad. The focus is on fine-tuning strategy and preparation to optimize results across prestigious races.
- Key quotes from Aidan O'Brien ahead of the Irish Champions Weekend 2026
- O'Brien ran through his Group One runners this weekend
- Read quotes on Constitution River, Precise, Scandinavia and more
- Aidan O'Brien Stable Tour - Irish Champions Festival 2026
- Day One Runners at Leopardstown
- Constitution River (Irish Champion Stakes)
- Precise and True Love (Matron Stakes)
- Darkness Falls (Golden Fleece)
- Isaac Newton (Solonaway Stakes)
- Day Two Runners at the Curragh
- Scandinavia (Irish St Leger)
- Alpha and Sun Goddess (Moyglare Stud Stakes)
- Mission Central (Flying Five Stakes)
- Giant Sequoia and Florida Bay (National Stakes)
On the eve of Irish Champions Weekend 2026, Aidan O'Brien has provided quotes on the horses he'll be running in the Group Ones at Leopardstown and the Curragh.
Here's the Aidan O'Brien Irish Champions Weekend stable tour in full. All quotes are attributed to Racing TV.
Aidan O'Brien Stable Tour - Irish Champions Festival 2026
Day One Runners at Leopardstown
Constitution River (Irish Champion Stakes)
York was a bit of a disaster for us. I ran the wrong pacemaker, who wasn't able to get forward and make the running and we ended up our own horse Hawk Mountain making the running and he's not a horse that is a natural leader doesn't like being in front.
Ryan (Moore) asked him (Constitution River) to come out and he hit the road a funny stride and he just went into top gear and he couldn't get him to gear down.
He ended up getting there too early on him after a very strong hard pace and he could do nothing about it. It was the way the race worked really, everything went wrong, but we thought considering that he ran a very big race.
We have to try and put it right. We think he's a very good colt. We always did. Leopardstown is going to be very interesting. We think he's a lot of ability, high cruiser, gets the trip well, brave, tough, all the stuff the stuff you need to be a great horse.
Precise and True Love (Matron Stakes)
Two great fillies. Obviously, Precise gets the trip a bit further. She was always crying out to go further but we didn't. We had other fillies for those categories and we left her at a mile and we haven't overtrained her for our last few runs. We were trying to get runs into her without being too hard on her because we always knew come autumn there was going to be a lot of races for her. She's in good shape.
True Love is in very good form as well. She was back at 6 and a half the last day. So a mile is the top of her stamina limit. Obviously two Guineas winners, two very big powerful fillies with good pedigrees and a great constitution. So it will be interesting.
Darkness Falls (Golden Fleece)
I think it's a great initiative to have that race a Group One and have at it nine furlongs. I think it's going to be a race there's going to be a lot of history is going to come from, it's a perfect time of year and it's a perfect track.
I think the gap between the races is OK for Darkness Falls. He'll have one piece of work, or one or two pieces of work in between and we'll see. But he looks very classy.
Isaac Newton (Solonaway Stakes)
We're very happy with him. He's unusual, as he's a Camelot but he's a miler. We thought that he would get nine. We thought he'd get 10. We thought he'd get 12. And he didn't do any of those things. But a mile is his trip. He's a very strong traveler through a race, and could be a very good miler.
Day Two Runners at the Curragh
Scandinavia (Irish St Leger)
He looks exceptional. Probably as a four-year-old stayer, he looks as good as we've had. He has quality in his mind and his movement, his action, his determination, all the things look very exceptional. Everything has been very good with him since Goodwood. He's a very exciting horse.
He won the Ledger as well last year. So, he's a very high class horse. Obviously by Justify and he's a typical one of those. He won't stop, he's very relentless. He gallops and gallops and very genuine.
Alpha and Sun Goddess (Moyglare Stud Stakes)
Alpha has been programmed for it. She's big and we decided not to overwork her at home and rather race her. She's laid back and we didn't want to be forcing her too much at home, so we're giving her little works in between. She's coming on lovely.
She will get a mile. She will get the seven really well and will probably get a mile and a half next year. She'll be ridden forward and it'll take a very good filly to pick her up.
Sun Goddess will be the complete opposite. She'll be ridden to get the trip, whereas Alpha will be ridden to draw them out, so it will be very interesting.
Sun Goddess looks very special. In York, Ryan just kind of decided to take her up through the middle of them. She got completely stopped at halfway, then he edged her out and she took off.
She's got a lovely mind. A big stride and a lot of quality. It looked like in York that she'd get seven every day of the week, but you're never sure until you do it. There's a chance that she could do the two, the Curragh and then go on to the Cheveley Park.
Mission Central (Flying Five Stakes)
Maybe we should have ridden him more forward at York. On the day you couldn't make up a length and we took our time with him a little bit. He ran well but never really got into it.
We think this race will suit him. If they go hard, he'll be happy to take his time and come, but if not, I think he'll be happy to go forward if they're not going too fast.
Giant Sequoia and Florida Bay (National Stakes)
Giant Sequoia looks very special horse. The last day we thought he'd have won easier. He looked a big disorganised and Wayne (Lordan) had to go a little bit earlier than he wanted. But we think he has a lot of quality.
The Mehmas horse (Florida Bay) only just got beat the last day. He's a very straightforward, honest horse.
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