Racing Recap: Three Aidan O’Brien Stars to Watch for 2026 Classics We were blessed with quality racing last weekend and it all kicked off with Group 1 action at Newmarket on Friday. More top-level action followed on Saturday, with the Dewhurst Stakes taking place, and that leaves us with plenty to digest. It was a good weekend for Irish racing and Aidan O’Brien in particular, although he was narrowly denied in Saturday’s big race. We’ve picked out three Irish-trained weekend runners who made an excellent impression and could be worth adding to your notebooks. All three are Aidan O’Brien-trained two-year-olds and one of them looks set to be a major player in Derby trials next season, while one of the fillies has ‘Classics’ written all over her. Precise (Fillies’ Mile, Newmarket) We’ll start with the most obvious one, as the result of Friday’s Group 1 Fillies’ Mile never looked in doubt. Precise went into the race off the back of victory in the Moyglare and took the step up in trip in her stride, seeing out the extra furlong well. Not many daughters of Starspangledbanner go on to be Oaks fillies, as the very talented sprinter rarely produces middle-distance performers. She wasn’t stopping at the end of the race however, so it would be unwise to rule her out. One would imagine the English or Irish Guineas would be at the top of the target list, and rightly so! Ridden by Christophe Soumillon, she was held up in the earlier stages, which wasn’t really the plan, but it made little difference. O’Brien’s filly made smooth headway to hit the front with a furlong or so to go and pulled clear impressively to score by three-and-a-quarter-lengths. The world is her oyster and all being well, she should go right to the top as a three-year-old in 2026. Pierre Bonnard (Zetland Stakes, Newmarket) The Zetland Stakes doesn’t have the best track record in recent years, but if one horse was to break the mould, it would be this year’s winner Pierre Bonnard. He had loads in hand when winning the Group 3 contest at Newmarket on Saturday and is clearly one to watch. Wayne Lordan was reportedly very happy with him after winning nicely over a mile at Dundalk in August and the extra two furlongs facilitated further improvement. Soumillon took over riding duties and he barely moved a muscle on him. This son of Camelot could be one for the Group 1 over the same trip at Saint Cloud later in the year, although it would be no surprise if connections decide to put him away for the year. He will be a major force in Derby trials next season and is already a Classic contender. Cape Cod (Irish EBF Maiden, Naas) One Ballydoyle winner who may have flown under the radar last weekend was mile maiden winner Cape Cod. The son of Wootton Bassett managed to get off the mark at the fourth time of asking and there could be more to come from him. Making all the running under Jack Cleary, he pulled clear with three furlongs to go and managed to hold off the chasing pack. The official winning distance was three-quarters-of-a-length, but he probably had more in hand than that suggests. O’Brien does like to have three-year-old runners in Royal Ascot handicaps and it’s easy to see him running well in something like the King George V Stakes next season. Serious Contender finished second for O’Brien in the race last year and went on to fill the same spot in the Irish Derby. It’s not difficult to imagine Cape Cod doing something similar.
