Royal Ascot 2025: Aidan O'Brien's net worth, 'nowhere near' criticism and superstar sons

Wales Online

5 hours ago

Royal Ascot 2025: Aidan O'Brien's net worth, 'nowhere near' criticism and superstar sons
Since claiming his first classic victory in 1997, Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien has established himself among the elite of flat racing, and he approaches Royal Ascot with a formidable team yet again
Aidan O'Brien has often enjoyed his visits to Royal Ascot
(Image: Getty Images )
Ballydoyle's maestro Aidan O'Brien is eyeing a triple-figure tally as he returns to his favoured stomping ground of Royal Ascot.
The esteemed Irish trainer has won everything there is to win in flat racing, earning him global recognition, and it's at the five-day Royal meeting where he often shines brightest. O'Brien has an impressive 91 Royal Ascot victories under his belt to date, and with a current stable bursting with talent, reaching the hundred mark seems all but guaranteed.
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In 2025, he holds strong prospects for many of the renewal's Group 1 events, despite the fact that Gold Cup holder Kyprios and Coronation Stakes hopeful Lake Victoria will be absent from the meet, with the former now retired.
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Nonetheless, many of O'Brien's contenders are still expected to triumph throughout the week, as we delve into the trainer's net worth, remarkable sons and his sharp critique of the Ascot turf.
What is Aidan O'Brien's net worth?
With over 400 Group 1 winners worldwide, O'Brien has raked in millions for his associates at Ballydoyle and Coolmore, amassing a substantial personal fortune in the process.
He also made his mark as a legendary trainer in the National Hunt sphere, most notably with star hurdler Istabraq, a three-time Cheltenham Champion Hurdle victor.
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O'Brien has won countless Group 1 affairs
(Image: Getty Images )
It's estimated that O'Brien's net worth stands at around £34million after his years at the pinnacle of the sport, a figure likely to increase should he enjoy further success at Ascot.
In 2024, O'Brien was crowned British Champion Flat Trainer for an astonishing seventh time. With his colt Lambourn already securing an 11th Derby victory this year, he seems well-positioned to retain the title.
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Who are Aidan O'Brien's sons?
O'Brien has not only built a legendary legacy at Ballydoyle but also fathered a new generation of talent in the horse racing world. His eldest son, Joseph, born in 1993, is one of four children he shares with his wife Anne-Marie, alongside Sarah, Anastasia and Donnacha.
Each of O'Brien's children has ridden to victory for him as a jockey at some point. However, it was Joseph who garnered significant praise, winning the 2012 Derby on Camelot. After being named Irish Champion Jockey in 2012 and again in 2013, Joseph retired from riding three years later to focus on training.
Both Joseph and Donnacha are now trainers
(Image: Getty Images )
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His younger brother, Donnacha, rode some winners for Joseph, who has since celebrated notable victories both over jumps and on the flat, including King George Chase winner Banbridge and Irish Derby champion Latrobe.
Donnacha has also transitioned into training after ending his riding career, achieving his first Royal Ascot win in 2023 with star filly Porta Fortuna, who also claimed the Coronation Stakes a year prior. Both of O'Brien's sons will be sending their horses to the Royal meeting this year, hoping to outshine their illustrious father.
What did Aidan O'Brien say about the ground at Ascot?
O'Brien's outings to Ascot haven't always been smooth. In 2024, the celebrated colt Auguste Rodin, victor of the 2023 Derby and the Breeders' Cup Turf, came to the course eyeing the prestigious Group 1 King George.
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Ryan Moore, Ballydoyle's first-choice jockey, was in the saddle of the four-year-old, who was the favourite for the second consecutive year, but O'Brien's charge was once more outpaced, ending up fifth, a significant 11-and-a-half lengths adrift of the victor Goliath.
Auguste Rodin failed to win the King George in 2024
(Image: Getty Images )
Following the £700,000 race, the progeny of Deep Impact's trainer didn't mince words about the condition of the Ascot track, asserting that the declared good to firm going was inaccurate.
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"When we walked the track, we were very worried," O'Brien remarked. "It was good, good to soft in places. It was nowhere near good to firm anywhere. It was cut up on the rails and full of sand.
"We knew we had no choice, and we had to go down there. With the benefit of hindsight, we should have kept out of the bad ground and on the quicker ground. That's the way it is, and that's the way it fell for us today. There will be other days."