Unquestionably pride of place this week goes to Aidan O’Brien who finally surpassed Bobby Frankel’s long standing record for Group 1 winners on the flat in a calendar year when Saxon Warrior struck gold in last Satuday’s Racing Post Trophy.

O’Brien’s quest to better the late Frankel’s record has garnered many column inches over the last six weeks and deservedly so because it is hard to quantify the magnitude of this achievement. From the moment Churchill bagged the trainer’s first top level success of the season in the English 2000 Guineas, O’Brien has secured one major prize after another.

REMARKABLE FEAT

What makes this landmark of 26 Group 1 succcesses all the more remarkable is that it has been achiveved despite a series of notable setbacks over the course of the season.

The seven-times Group 1 heroine Minding was sidelined shortly after her victorious return to action in May. Alice Spring, a triple winner at the highest level, didn’t get to run again after a comeback in early April. Furthermore Epsom Derby hero Wings Of Eagles suffered a career ending injury when reaching the frame in the Irish Derby during the summer.

That O’Brien was able to achieve the record despite such high profile casualties is testament to the talent at his disposal but that level of quality alone doesn’t even begin to describe what the trainer has achieved. Quite simply the man is a singular and extraordinary talent.

In terms of Saxon Warrior there was a lot to like about the manner in which he pulled victory from the jaws of defeat in the Racing Post Trophy. Furthermore he appeals as one who is well equipped for both the Guineas and the Derby next year.

Oversupply puts pressure on at Goffs open yearling sale

On the sales front Goffs played host to an enlarged two day Open Yearling Sale last week. Previously a one day auction, the sale increased substantially in size and this was always going to put considerable pressure on the final figures for a sales which caters for the lower end of the market.

Over the two days the sale acheived a respectable clearance rate of 72% which was down five points from last year. The average of €6,791 represented a drop of just two points on last year’s figure while the €4,700 median improved by 4%.

A cursory glance at this figures will immediately reveal that many of those came under the hammer failed to cover their production costs. Unfortunately the market place has become oversupplied over the last few years and the demand simply isn’t there to absorb the increase in numbers.

In 2012 the Irish foal crop size came in at 6,884 but this figure had climbed up to 9,044 for 2017 following the release of figures last week. For the overall well-being of the entire industry is it crucial that these figures don’t climb any higher in the coming years.

All eyes on the Breeders Cup

On the racing front the National Hunt season is now in full swing but the coming days are hugely significant ones on the flat. Firstly all eyes will be on Del Mar in California this weekend for the Breeders Cup where Aidan O’Brien will field a host of lively challengers.

The focus then switches to Australia on Tuesday for the Melbourne Cup where a strong Irish raiding party will look to bring back the iconic prize to these shores for the third time. In recent years Irish-trained runners Max Dynamite and Heartbreak City have endured near misses. Max Dynamite is back for more this time and he will be joined by his Willie Mullins-trained stablemate Thomas Hobson while one that makes a lot of appeal is Joseph O’Brien’s Rekindling.

A mere three-year-old, he is already a Group 3 and Group 2 winner this year and he isn’t all that far off some of the luminaries of his generation. He might just be the answer to this year’s puzzle.