• The week’s significant milestones
800 Andre Fabre
France: Andre Fabre recorded his 800th Group success worldwide with Persian King’s hard-fought success under Pierre-Charles Boudot in the G2 Prix du Muguet at Saint-Cloud on Sunday [June 28].
French champion trainer in 30 of the last 33 seasons, the 75-year-old won his first Group race with Al Nasr, ridden by Alfred Gibert in the Prix La Force at Longchamp in May 1981. Fabre’s first runner – and winner – on the Flat was White Seal at Amiens on September 2, 1978.
14 Aidan O’Brien
Ireland: Aidan O’Brien, responsible for more Irish Derby victories than any other trainer in history, saddled his 14th winner of Ireland’s senior Classic when Santiago led home a 1-2-3-4 for the stable at the Curragh on Saturday [June 27].
The full list of O’Brien’s Irish Derby winners is as follows: Desert King (1997), Galileo (2001), High Chaparral (2002), Dylan Thomas (2006), Soldier of Fortune (2007), Frozen Fire (2008), Fame and Glory (2009), Cape Blanco (2010), Treasure Beach (2011), Camelot (2012), Australia (2014), Capri (2017), Sovereign (2019), Santiago (2020).
Adding Vincent O’Brien’s six, a total of 20 Irish Derby winners have come from Ballydoyle.
100 James McDonald
Australia: Sydney premiership leader James McDonald has completed a century of metropolitan winners, thereby becoming the first jockey since Darren Beadman to record back-to-back 100s in the NSW hotbed.
The New Zealander reached the ton on Kordia in the last at Rosehill on Saturday [June 27]. Mind you, he still has some way to go to match Beadman, who notched the century for five successive years from 2002-07.
Reaching the milestone was a far cry from McDonald’s experiences seven days earlier at Randwick, where he was handed a hefty suspension for a losing ride. Unless he wins on appeal, he’ll be out for three weeks from Sunday.
2,000 Pablo Morales
USA: Peruvian-born jockey Pablo Morales hit the 2,000-winner mark in America when he partnered Jonathan Thomas-trained Sanguine to win on the turf at Tampa Bay Downs on Wednesday [June 24].
A five-time champion at Presque Isle Downs in Pennsylvania, 31-year-old Morales moved to the States in 2005. He has two Graded-stakes wins to his name: The Daddy in the G2 Super Derby at Louisiana Downs in 2005 and the Sam F Davis at Tampa on Well Defined last year.
65 Perry Ouzts
USA: Veteran jockey Perry ‘Ironman’ Ouzts, 65, completed a five-timer from just seven rides at Belterra Park in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Thursday [June 25]. He turns 66 on July 7.
According to Equibase, Ouzts has 7,076 career victories to his name from 51,283 mounts. He stands seventh on the all-time list in North America.
TW3: TRC rankings star: Piere Strydom
Visit the Horse Racing Planet home page for more great horse racing stuff