Aidan O'Brien closed the French season with a G1 double and now totals 25 for the year
Drumbeat dominated the Critérium de Saint-Cloud and projects as a candidate for the 2027 Derby, while Queenstowncaptured the Prix Royal-Oak. The upset came with Master Man, who defended local honor in the Critérium International
SAINT-CLOUD, France (Special for Turf Diario).— Aidan O'Brien once again demonstrated why he is the most dominant trainer in European horse racing. On the day that brought the G1 season in France to a close this Sunday at Saint-Cloud Racecourse, the Irishman achieved two new top-level victories with Drumbeat and Queenstown,bringing his tally to 25 G1 wins during 2026 and closing in on the record of 28 he established in 2017.
The double also carried special value for Ryan Moore, who rode both winners, while Ballydoyle's only defeat in the feature races came at the hands of the French-trained Master Man, star of an upset in the Critérium International (G1).
The first major joy for Aidan O'Brien came with Drumbeat, who confirmed his huge potential by winning the Critérium de Saint-Cloud (G1) over 2,000 meters.
The son of Wootton Bassett, who was coming off an easy win in the Zetland Stakes (G3) at Newmarket, started as the 9-10 favorite and responded with a performance that installed him among the major contenders for the 2027 classics.
Ryan Moore had to wait to find room at a decisive moment, but when an opening appeared, Drumbeat accelerated with authority, took the lead about 300 meters from the wire, and ended up beating his stablemate Shakespeare(Dubawi), ridden by Christophe Soumillon, by 2 lengths.
Third, another length back, came Jesus Green (Ghaiyyath), trained by Joseph O'Brien.
“He showed a lot of quality and is a very straightforward horse to ride. He had the speed to take advantage of the space and accelerated very well,” commented Ryan Moore, who achieved his first victory in this race.
For Aidan O'Brien, it was his seventh triumph in the Critérium de Saint-Cloud.
“He is a lovely horse. He handled the ground and responded perfectly to the distance. He surely learned a lot today, and he is very interesting thinking about next year,” explained the trainer.
Bookmakers reacted immediately and began offering Drumbeat at 14-1 for the 2027 Epsom Derby (G1).
Queenstown, an Iron Stayer
The second victory for Aidan O'Brien came in the Prix Royal-Oak (G1) over 3,100 meters, where Queenstowndelivered another display of stamina.
Just eight days after finishing second to Mount Atlas (Masar) in the British Champions Long Distance Cup (G1),the 6-year-old gelding returned to the track and won wire-to-wire under a precise ride from Ryan Moore.
The Ballydoyle representative held off the late surge of Consent (Lope de Vega), trained by Sir Mark Prescott and ridden by Luke Morris, to preserve a 3/4-length margin.
Consent found favorable conditions on the soft turf and produced a strong late run, though she never managed to break the winner's resolve.
“I thought I could catch him, but when I got alongside, he responded again. It was a very brave performance by the winner,” admitted Luke Morris.
The runner-up could race again on November 10 in the Grosser Allianz Preis von Bayern (G1) in Munich.
Master Man Defended Local Honor
The only G1 event that escaped Aidan O'Brien was the Critérium International over 1,600 meters, where Master Man achieved a victory of huge significance for local racing.
Trained by Richard Chotard and ridden by Anthony Crastus, the son of Goken dominated from the break and resisted the attacks from Ballydoyle's representatives, Capability Brown (Dubawi), the race favorite, and Aix La Chapelle (Justify).
The colt was coming off a win in a conditions race at ParisLongchamp during the Arc de Triomphe weekend and confirmed his remarkable affinity for heavy tracks.
“I was very confident because he had won easily at Longchamp and I knew he would like this ground. He is improving and will be even better next year,” explained Anthony Crastus.
For the jockey, it was an especially emotional victory: “I had finished second in the Prix du Jockey Club and in the Grand Prix de Paris, but I had never won a G1 in France. I am very happy,” he acknowledged.
The success of Master Man also ended a long drought for French trainers in this race, who had not won it since 2013.
