We got the latest from Joseph O'Brien on the horses he's looking forward to running on the Flat throughout 2026, including some eyecatching new recruits.
He’s come back with us this year and could be a good horse to have again.
He’s a horse that we have this year who hasn’t run for us yet. He’s quite an interesting horse and he looks like a miler, maybe he’ll go past the mile. We were looking at maybe the Heritage Stakes (Leopardstown) to start him off in. But whether he makes it to that, he might start off in May instead. He probably likes going around a turn and likes going left, but he is a talented horse when he puts it together.
It didn’t happen for Al Riffa on the day in the Dubai Gold Cup but there’s a nice Group 1 in France next month that he could turn up in.
He runs in Newcastle on Good Friday and he ran a really good race in Qatar last time. He was a bit unlucky not to win to be honest, he just got head-bobbed in a Group 2 over there and he’s won on the all-weather so it’s an obvious spot for him given he won’t be turning up on soft ground anywhere.
He ran a good race in Dundalk the last day and I thought he’s coming back to himself. The ground might be slow for him at the Curragh on Friday but there’s something there to work on.
He runs at the Curragh on Friday and we think he has the makings of a nice stayer. He’s by Ghaiyyath so could start off around nine or 10 (furlongs) but we’ll be hoping they can go a bit further as the year goes on.
He’s a three-year-old colt by Sea The Stars and another nice middle-distance and staying type for the year. He could start over 10 furlongs.
She ran a good race when third at Gowran and she runs at the Curragh. She’ll handle soft ground, so we’ve plenty of nice maidens there from last year.
He’s an interesting horse that is new to us and he was trained in America. He only ran three times but he looks very talented and I’d say he could be quite a good horse if we get things together. He’ll be a mile and 10-furlong horse.
He finished off the year well last year and starts off at the Curragh on Friday. He probably goes down the staying route, he’s 111-rated now.
He’s three from three in Poland and we asked Gary O’Gorman to give him a rating and he got a mark of 90. So I don’t know, he’s working like he’s in around that zone anyway. He’ll probably go to the three-year-old handicap in Naas over a mile later this month. He’s a Starspangledbanner and a good physical so you could see why he’d be a nice horse on looks.
He ran great in Hong Kong, ran well in Bahrain and then below-par in Saudi Arabia. He’s had a rest and will come back for the Wolferton. He just got beat in it last year. He’s better right-handed, there’s no reason he should be but if you look at his form it’s very clear.
She’s had a break, she went to Saudi but was sick so she didn’t run. She’ll have a break and will be mapped back towards Melbourne. She’s back cantering and seems well.
Like Yaupon De Replay, she’s another nice filly for Simon Munir and Isaac Souede. She won the Prix Robert Papin last year and she’s in a tough spot as she’s heavily penalised in Listed and Group 3 races for being a Group 2 winner. So we’re going to try going out in trip a little bit. I wouldn’t be surprised to see her in a French trial or something.
We’re just toying with where he goes next (after winning at Naas on seasonal debut). We thinking that he could potentially be a horse for an Irish or German Guineas, with one more run between now and then. He was obviously good on his reappearance in what I think will turn out to be a decent race. I like the horse who was second of Johnny Murtagh’s. He’ll go out past the mile as well as the year goes on.
He’s a good horse, a son of Zarak and he obviously won on soft ground (last autumn, replay below). He’s going start off in Leopardstown in a couple of weeks. We’ll see how he handles better ground as we get to the summer.
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She’s a nice maiden and ran a good race in Thurles in October. She’s a Sea The Stars filly and will start off in a maiden in the next few weeks.
She’s a filly who ran at Leopardstown in October, she was placed in a maiden. She’s a Camelot filly and that was a nice run.
He’ll probably go for the Saval Beg and down that route, he’s rated in the 100s and a very solid Group horse.
She ran a nice race in Gowran one day. She’s a Sioux Nation filly and will start off in a maiden soon.
He’ll have no problem going the mile and we’d be hopeful he’ll be going beyond that as the year goes on. He’s a horse that we think we might be able to travel a bit with later in the year.
She was placed in the German Oaks last year and she was bought in Arqana.
He’ll go to the Alleged Stakes at the Curragh this month and maybe there’s a race on Guineas weekend too. He’ll probably be programmed towards Royal Ascot again. I think he could be a Caulfield Cup horse this year, that’ll be the long-term goal.
She ran well enough in the Gladness, it was a messy enough race and she just got caught without cover. It’s a bit soon to run her back but there isn’t much for her until that Ballycorus (Group 3 at Leopardstown). So we’ll let her take her chance at the Curragh, every year she keeps getting better.
Similar to Thundering On although she’s obviously just had the one run, I can see her going past a mile as well in the summer. They’re two nice fillies.
He won in Saudi and ran alright (fourth) in Meydan. He could turn up in something like the Belmont Gold Cup or there’s a nice race in Kentucky Downs, some good American staying races that he could be suited to.
He’s another in at the Curragh although he’s drawn 19 of 20 so it will be tough for him. He’s still probably a horse to be on the right side of.
I know he ran below par in Saudi Arabia but it didn’t really suit him. He’ll be an obvious horse to go down that (Melbourne Cup) kind of route and he’s probably going to head on to her Majesty’s Plate and he’ll head for those Listed and Group races through the summer rather than Group 1s.
He’ll probably come back for a maiden, unless the ground happened to dry out a lot and then he could go to one of the stakes races. The ground will really dictate.
She’ll be returning in a maiden in the next few weeks and you could see her making it into stakes races later. She’s Group-placed already and she has the pedigree.
He’s quite a nice horse and he’s going to start off in Chester maybe. I think he might start there, in the Ormonde Stakes over 1m5f. He has a very high rating and if we can get him back to that sort of level he’ll be a smart horse.
He seems to like the Curagh so he’ll probably go back to every Curragh race he can run in! He might go elsewhere too obviously but he’ll keep going back to the Curragh hopefully.
She’s entered on Saturday in Cork and you’d hope there’s a chance that she can win a Group 1 this year, that would be her objective. She won a maiden in Cork so that’ll be a nice starting point for her.
She’s another nice filly and she probably won’t go that far, she’ll stick to sprinting but she’s a nice filly.
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