Ahead of the highly anticipated Guineas Festival at the Curragh, Betway has taken punters behind the scenes at the famous Ballydoyle training centre.
Founded in 1951 and located in County Tipperary, Ballydoyle has become one of Ireland’s most famous and widely recognised horse racing centres, training multiple champion racehorses including Alleged, Ballymoss, Nijinsky, Ballymoss, Sir Ivor, and Roberto.
urrent trainer at Ballydoyle, Aidan O’Brien, who assumed the position in 1995, has worked with a number of famous horses at the centre, including 2000 Guineas and Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Rock of Gibraltar and Epsom Derby, Irish Derby Stakes, along with King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner Galileo.
Speaking to O’Brien, Betway were given an inside look into how the world class stable operates, as the trainer and his staff prepare for one of Ireland’s most highly prized horse racing trophies.
Describing this year as ‘an exciting time’ to be training race horses due to the upcoming series of Classic fixtures, O’Brien went on to discuss the dynamics of training thoroughbreds, saying: “There’s a lot stuff to be thought about, you need all the hours of the day to think about it, and it is a big help when you love what you’re doing and you’re interested, and a have a great team around you and a team of horses.
“It’s a big team effort – everyones pulling together, trying to sort out those puzzles all the time, and that’s what they are, they’re puzzles, they’re riddles, you have to keep adjusting and changing really.”
When quizzed on whether he ever feels pressure from his team or from the Ballydoyle ownership, O’Brien replied that he actually feels most pressure in ensuring the centre gets results and continues to operate smoothly due to the many livelihoods that depend on it.
“There’s no pressure really,” he added. “The pressure is to get results really, because there’s so many people employed, and the harsh reality of life is that we do depend on the results to keep the business going.
“There’s a lot of people working here together and a lot of families working on this place, so we have to get results to encourage the lads to go and invest money every year, and they do invest big every year, and I suppose that’s where the pressure comes from really.”
Source – Betway YouTube Channel
