“When I went to Aidan [O’Brien]’s, he didn’t have that many Breeders’ Cup horses, he was just really starting to send more over.
A holiday in Barbados and a question about slow starts
“I was on holiday in Barbados with Derek Smith, John Magnier and Michael Tabor, and I happened to be at Michael’s house one morning. He said to me, ‘How come our horses always miss the break? When we go to America, we’re always last away and having to play catch up all the time.’
The starting bell American horses are trained to hear
“I said, ‘The problem is we don’t have the bell at home and when the gates open and the bell goes, our horses get a fright before they jump out. The American horses, they’re so used to the bell, that they’re away and gone as soon as the gates open.’
“He said to me, ‘What bell?’, and I said, ‘Give me one of your videos there’. He got a big video player out and I said, ‘Turn it up and before the gates open, just listen’.
“American horses explode when they hear it, whereas our horses, unless you get them used to it, they actually get startled.
“Anyway, he looked at me like I was after discovering fire or something like that! He couldn’t wait to show it to John Magnier and the lads.
American stalls at Ballydoyle within a week
“Within a week, there were American stalls – which are much bigger – with the bell at Ballydoyle. That’s why you now see Aidan’s horses leave the stalls at the same time as the Americans.
Aidan O’Brien’s attention to detail at the Breeders’ Cup
“It’s their attention to detail. When you say something like that to Aidan, or to the lads, it’s happened even before you’ve finished telling them. That’s why Aidan is now so dominant at the Breeders’ Cup.
“That’s one of the little things I think I helped Aidan with, and little things are big things at that level.
“If horses leave the stalls on time, it makes a jockey’s life much easier, as they’re tight races over there and you can’t be sitting at the back unless they’re going too quick. But if you can’t get the position you want, you’re always playing catch up and then it makes life difficult.”
More on the people in this story
- Aidan O’Brien trainer profile: the Ballydoyle trainer’s runners, winners and strike rate in Britain over the last 12 months.
- Saeed bin Suroor trainer profile: form for the Godolphin trainer Fallon has ridden work for in Dubai.
- Derby Festival betting guide: odds, trends and free bets for the Classic Fallon won three times.
