Jockeys & Trainers / Wayne Bailey / 31 July 2008 / Leave a comment Free £25 Bet

Our Irish correspondent Wayne Bailey considers the pros and cons of a single yard dominating all the big races...

Have you ever noticed that when someone becomes successful, there's always someone out there to knock them?

While most people agree that Aidan O'Brien is an absolute genius at what he does, in recent weeks there's been a growing, but vocal, minority that are labelling his dominance as, well, slightly predictable and boring. He regularly enters four or more horses in a race, and his pacemakers dictate how a race will be run. So then does this make racing dull?

In my opinion, absolutely not.

Anyone who watched Henrythenavigator yesterday notch up O'Brien's 16th Group One race of the season, and wasn't impressed must lead a dull existence. Horses like this raise the bar for the likes of Raven's Pass, and make other trainers and jockeys work even harder - ensuring racing is more exciting for us, the punter. Ok, it probably wasn't Henry's greatest run ever, but surely it's immensely exciting for all of us to watch Raven's Pass get closer each time?

It's not unusual for a single trainer to dominate. In the 80s, we had Henry Cecil, the late 90s gave us Saeed Bin Suroor, and in the early part of this century, Sir Michael Stoute could do no wrong. Of course, at the time - each had plenty of criticism as well as praise levelled at them. So then, how did a quiet, shy man from Wexford become one of the most successful trainers since his namesake Vincent?

No doubt, those that wish to knock him will point to the tens of millions at Coolmore's disposal and that is a fair point. The local guy with a small yard simply cannot head off to the Keenland yearling sales in September with a few million quid in his back pocket. But having such expensive horses brings its own pressures too. What if they don't perform? Who's head has to roll? Money doesn't necessarily buy success each year, as Godolphin have been finding out recently.

It's also a big help that the Irish government are still pouring bucket loads of cash into Irish racing - something that's attracting significant criticism in the press here, considering they've made €500m in general cutbacks as we all tighten our belts to weather the economic storm.

To put this funding into perspective, the Irish Sports Council, which represents over 60 sporting organisations got a total grant of €57m to cover the year - whereas the horses and greyhounds, which are funded separately, got €76m. That's two sports getting €20m more than more than 60 other sports combined.

With that amount of funding, well-bred Irish horses can be kept here in this country, and the dismal 1980s practice (from our point of view) of selling them to the UK as soon as they show some potential has all but ceased. Places like Ballydoyle are now allowed to flourish in today's climate.

There's another reason why I enjoy O'Brien's success too...for once, Ireland can claim to be great in some sort of sport!

Our soccer stars were treated to a hero's welcome when returning home from 1990 World Cup, and no-one begrudged the money spent on that (during a recession no less). It gave the country a lift. With an apparent recession looming, we need to hold on to our racing success even tighter. Ireland is responsible for a massive 42% of the top thoroughbreds in Europe - something we can be immensely proud of.

But no-matter what country you are from, if you appreciate watching good horses, you should appreciate O'Brien. If unconvinced, look back on races involving Henrythenavigator, Yeats, Duke Of Marmalade, Mount Nelson and Mastercrafsman. If you watch these races and can't muster up any sort of excitement - then I'd suggest you are following the wrong sport.

True, O' Brien is winning everything this year, and if that becomes predictable, so be it. A good trainer raises the bar for everyone else, and his dominance can't last forever - so let's just sit back, take the frown off our faces, and enjoy these amazing animals at work.

* * *

Indecently, for those of you interested in backing O'Brien's horses, an article I wrote last May contains strategies that have shown a profit of £420 to £10 stakes since published.

Tags: Aidan O’Brien, Ballydoyle, Coolmore, Duke Of Marmalade, Godolphin, Henry Cecil, Henrythenavigator, Mastercrafsman, Mount Nelson, Raven’s Pass, Saeed Bin Suroor, Sir Michael Stoute, Yeats