John Ingles looks at the best and most promising of Aidan O'Brien's horses on Timeform ratings at the start of the turf season.
There was no stand-out colt on ratings among Aidan O’Brien’s two-year-olds in 2025 but several showed smart form to put themselves forward as leading contenders for the classics. One of the very best was Hawk Mountain (117p), by Wootton Bassett out of the stable’s Fillies & Mares Stakes winner Hydrangea. He improved with each run and ran up a hat-trick over a mile in his last three starts, including the Beresford Stakes at the Curragh and the Futurity Trophy at Doncaster, making all the running each time. The ground was heavy when he won at Doncaster, and he’ll stay further this year.
Stablemates Action (116p) and Benvenuto Cellini (109p) made it a one-two-three for Ballydoyle in the Futurity Trophy. Action, third in the Royal Lodge Stakes, is a Frankel close relative to last year’s Derby winner Lambourn, while Benvenuto Cellini, winner of the KPMG Champions Juvenile Stakes at Leopardstown beforehand, started favourite at Doncaster but probably wasn’t as suited by the ground as his stablemates.
Puerto Rico (117) had a busy campaign and didn’t look anything out of the ordinary when beaten in his first five starts over six furlongs, but he too ended the year with a hat-trick, stepping up in trip to reel off wins in the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster, the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere at Longchamp and the Criterium International at Saint-Cloud. Puerto Rico and Hawk Mountain ended the campaign rated only 1 lb behind leading juvenile Gewan, who put up the best performance in the division when winning the Dewhurst Stakes for Andrew Balding.
Gstaad (116) had the speed to strike in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot, but after finding one too good when beaten three-quarters of a length at most in the Prix Morny, National Stakes and Dewhurst Stakes, he got his head in front again with a ready win in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf without needing to improve on his European form.
The imposing Pierre Bonnard (112p) showed plenty of stamina at two and heads the Derby betting after he too won his last three starts, including the Zetland Stakes at Newmarket and, on much softer ground, the Criterium de Saint-Cloud.
Despite several higher-rated stablemates, it’s the very highly regarded Albert Einstein (107p) who heads the 2000 Guineas betting. Another son of Wootton Bassett and from the family of Giant’s Causeway, he didn’t even make it as far as Royal Ascot before missing the rest of the year through injury, but made a good impression in winning both his starts in May, including the Marble Hill Stakes at the Curragh in ready fashion. Charles Darwin (109p) looked very speedy but wasn’t seen out after Royal Ascot where he completed a hat-trick in the Norfolk Stakes when beating the subsequent Middle Park Stakes winner Wise Approach.
Sea The Stars colt Montreal (95p) could enter the Derby picture if building on his two starts in maidens at Leopardstown in the summer and very much looked destined for better things when winning the second of them by eight lengths after making all the running.
Focus on the fillies
A trio of Ballydoyle fillies sewed up the big autumn races between them, headed by Precise (113p), who ended the campaign at the head of the division. By Starspangledbanner, but with stamina on her dam’s side, she won her last four starts, notably achieving a Group 1 double in the Moyglare Stud Stakes and Fillies’ Mile as Minding had done for O’Brien ten years earlier. Precise wasn’t her stable’s main hope in the Moyglare but she ran at least as well when a ready winner of the Fillies’ Mile (replay below), while an infection ruled her out of contesting another major prize at the Breeders’ Cup.
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Ballydoyle’s other leading classic contender among the fillies is Diamond Necklace (109p) from the first crop of the stable’s top-class colt St Mark’s Basilica. She is unbeaten in three starts and followed a listed win at Leopardstown with victory in the Prix Marcel Boussac at Longchamp where she impressed with her turn of foot.
True Love (111) is a speedier type than those two fillies so it remains to be seen if she can stretch to a mile, but she ran her best race when winning the Cheveley Park Stakes, having already landed the Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Railway Stakes at the Curragh when beating Puerto Rico.
Less highly tried at two but with the potential to be an Oaks filly is Amelia Earhart (88p) who took five races to get off the mark but impressed when doing so on her first try at a mile on her final start at Leopardstown when winning by seven lengths.
Drop Dead Gorgeous didn’t run at two but is one to look out for as the daughter of Dubawi is the latest three-year-old out of outstanding broodmare You’resothrilling whose eight runners by Galileo all achieved Timeform ratings of 110 or more, headed by 2000 Guineas winner Gleneagles.
Returning stars
Among the older brigade, Jan Brueghel (128) risks being a forgotten horse from last year as he wasn’t seen out after disappointing when unexpectedly making the running in cheekpieces in the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes. However, the 2024 St Leger winner had run a career best when outpointing the King George winner Calandagan in the Coronation Cup the time before and he remains with few miles on the clock for a five-year-old.
Minnie Hauk (127) should do very well again in the top middle-distance contests, and not just in those confined to her own sex. She ran up an Oaks treble at Epsom, the Curragh and York last season but ran her best race in defeat, collared only late on when beaten a head by Daryz in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. It was easy to excuse her subsequent sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf.
Scandinavia (123) was another of his stable’s classic winners, adding the St Leger to previous wins in the Bahrain Trophy at Newmarket and the Goodwood Cup where he got the better of older stablemate Illinois (122) who had also been runner-up in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot. Cheekpieces seem to have made all the difference to Scandinavia who looks the natural successor to Kyprios for his stable on the staying scene.
Despite winning the Derby and Irish Derby, Lambourn (121) was down the pecking order among his stable’s best three-year-olds last year and could finish only fourth behind the shorter-priced Scandinavia in the St Leger. Also beaten in the Great Voltigeur Stakes at York before going to Doncaster, he’ll have a bit to prove when returning this year.
The Lion In Winter (118) began 2025 with classic aspirations but failed to win at all during the year, though he did string together three good placed efforts in the autumn over a mile in the Prix du Moulin, Queen Elizabeth II Stakes and Breeders’ Cup Mile and shouldn’t be too hard to place to win races this season. Twain (114p) wasn’t seen out all last year but had looked a potential Guineas colt when winning both his starts late on at two, notably the Criterium International, and he’s another possible for the top mile races with the potential for better to come.
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