The first Classic of the season takes place this weekend at Newmarket, so how many times has Aidan O’Brien won the 2000 Guineas?
Aidan O’Brien 2000 Guineas Winners: How Many Has He Had?
Despite not winning the race since 2019, there has been 10 Aidan O’Brien 2000 Guineas winners – could he get an 11th this weekend?
Whilst it’s been a while in-between drinks for O’Brien, he supplemented Gstaad for the race earlier this week.
This can give him a stronger hand in the race, and he now has four horses entered.
King Of Kings Was O’Brien’s First 2000 Guineas Winner In 1998
Winning the 1998 2000 Guineas with King of Kings was a milestone in O’Brien’s career given it was the first time he had won the Newmarket Classic.
King of Kings was a classy two-year-old and the world was at his feet when bolting up in the 2000 Guineas. He would head to the Epsom Derby next time out, but unfortunately suffered a career-ending injury and was retired to stud.
WATCH: King Of Kings Wins Aidan O’Brien His First 2000 Guineas
All 10 Aidan O’Brien 2000 Guineas Winners
- King of Kings – 1998
- Rock of Gibraltar – 2002
- Footstepsinthesand – 2005
- George Washington – 2006
- Henrythenavigator – 2008
- Camelot – 2012
- Gleneagles – 2015
- Churchill – 2017
- Saxon Warrior – 2018
- Magna Grecia – 2019
Aidan O’Brien 2000 Guineas Runners 2026
Despite GSTAAD being supplemented for the 2000 Guineas, he still may not run at Newmarket – and could head to the French equivalent instead.
Coolmore paid £30,000 to get him in the race, but a final decision will be made on Thursday when final declarations close.
Gstaad was a solid two-year-old and earned £786,053 as a juvenile.
He made a successful debut at Navan last May, and followed up that success with an easy win in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot.
The son of Starspangledbanner was then a beaten favourite in Group 1 company in his next three races. However, he would head to Del Mar next and end his two-year-old campaign with a victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.
WATCH: Gstaad Wins Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (1m)
PUERTO RICO is O’Brien’s better chance in the race and is marginally shorter in the 2000 Guineas betting odds, with Gstaad slightly bigger.
It actually took the Wootton Bassett colt until his sixth start to record a first win, but once he got off the mark in a Doncaster Group 2, he didn’t look back.
He would go on to win two French Group 1s after at Longchamp and Saint Cloud and looks a bright prospect for his Classic season.
The manner in which he won those races at the backend of last year always suggested he’d be better over 1m and further. He’s also entered in the Derby, like Gstaad.
O’Brien also has Causeway and Flushing Meadows entered, but they wouldn’t be an obvious Guineas type on paper and are hardly worth a mention. Both probably won’t even run.
2000 Guineas Betting Odds
- Bow Echo 11/4 (George Boughey)
- Distant Storm 4/1 (Charlie Appleby)
- Puerto Rico 7/1 (Aidan O’Brien)
- Gstaad 8/1 (Aidan O’Brien)
- Oxagon 10/1 (John & Thady Gosden)
- King’s Trail 10/1 Charlie Appleby)
- Avicenna 14/1 (Roger Varian)
- Samangan 14/1 (Francis-Henri Graffard)
- Alparslan 16/1 (Karl Burke)
- 20/1 BAR
- Causeway 80/1 (Aidan O’Brien)
- Flushing Meadows 100/1 (Aidan O’Brien)
