Aidan O'Brien moves closer to own world record with 22nd Group 1 winner of 2025

Aidan O’Brien moved closer to his own world record when he captured his 22nd Group 1 race of 2025 on Friday. The Ballydoyle trainer set a world’s best when he registered 28 Group/Grade One winners in a calendar year in 2017.

With British Champions Day on October 18 still to come and a large contingent of horses likely to run at the Breeders’ Cup in November, he could end the year with a new benchmark. At Newmarket his filly Precise was a hot favourite to record her second Grouop 1 victory in the bet365 Fillies’ Mile under France’s ten-time champion jockey Christophe Soumillon.

The daughter of Starspangledbanner scored with plenty in hand as she was ridden to the front with a furlong to run and stretched three and a quarter lengths clear of her rivals.

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The response from bookmakers was decisive with Coral cutting the filly to 5-2 favourite for next year’s fillies’ Classic, from 8-1. Ballydoyle stablemates, Diamond Necklace and True Love, are the 8-1 joint second favourites.

"Although Diamond Necklace and True Love have won Group Ones this season, their stablemate Precise has won twice at the highest level, and after an impressive Fillies' Mile success, she's now clear favourite for next year's 1,000 Guineas," said Coral's David Stevens.

O’Brien, whose daughter Ana bred Precise, said: “She is incredible really. We ran her over six the first day and Wayne (Lordan) said she just drifted out in front and other than that she would have won.

“She would be unbeaten otherwise and when you see a filly like her do that over six on a sharp track like Fairyhouse you know they are very special.

“On her pedigree she is out of a very good Galileo mare and will stay. I think she is a Classic filly. We saw today she got the mile on her ear and Christophe was super confident on her. She cantered at all stages through the race and Christophe said if he knew her better he would have waited longer but she got there.

“She looks very, very serious. I’d say there is a lot more to come from her. She is only a baby really and is going to mature a lot."

Comparing Precise with last Sunday's Group One Prix Marcel Boussac heroine Diamond Necklace, the trainer added: “They will be trained for the Classics, and I’d imagine they will be trained for the Guineas.

“I don’t think Precise or Diamond Necklace will run again this season. When these special ones come along you have to look after them, give them a chance and let them mature over the winter. You race them at two to teach them.”