Unstoppable Aidan O’Brien Climbs to 400 Wins Ahead of Royal Ascot Gold Cup Clash with Willie Mullins Legendary Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien has reached a remarkable milestone, notching up his 400th win at Royal Ascot with the victory of State Of Rest in the Gold Cup on Thursday. O’Brien’s triumph comes just days before the much-anticipated clash with fellow trainer Willie Mullins in Sunday’s Gold Cup, where Mullins will field last year’s winner, Al Boum Photo. O’Brien has dominated the Ascot meeting throughout his illustrious career, with State Of Rest’s victory marking his 82nd in total. It was also his 10th win in the Gold Cup, a record he now shares with the late Henry Cecil. The Irish master trainer praised his team for their unwavering support and expressed his gratitude for the horses he has been fortunate enough to train. “It’s an unbelievable number. The horses are the most important thing. You have to have the horses,” O’Brien said. Mullins, who has won four Gold Cups himself, paid tribute to O’Brien’s achievement and acknowledged the fierce rivalry that exists between them. “I’m delighted for Aidan. He’s an inspiration to us all. It’s a healthy rivalry and long may it continue,” Mullins said. Sunday’s Gold Cup promises to be an epic battle between the two titans of Irish racing. Al Boum Photo will be bidding to become the first horse since Yeats in 2009 to win the race three times in a row, while O’Brien will be determined to add to his already impressive collection. O’Brien has a formidable team of stayers assembled for the race, including Kyprios, who won the Ascot Gold Cup Trial Stakes at Goodwood earlier this month. With the stage set for a thrilling showdown, all eyes will be on Royal Ascot on Sunday as O’Brien and Mullins go head-to-head for one of the most prestigious prizes in British racing.Auguste Rodin Claims Group One Victory in the Prince of Wales’s StakesAuguste Rodin Claims Group One Victory in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes Trained by Aidan O’Brien and ridden by Ryan Moore, Auguste Rodin secured a hard-fought victory in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot, edging out Zarakem and Horizon Dore in a thrilling finish. Despite a subpar season prior to the race, O’Brien praised Auguste Rodin as a “very special horse” and attributed the win to a change in strategy, with Moore riding him more aggressively. Moore acknowledged that Auguste Rodin has underperformed at times, but maintained that “he’s a Group One winner at two years old, he won four Group Ones last year.” O’Brien and Moore Secure Double Victory The day proved fruitful for O’Brien and Moore as they also teamed up with Illinois to win the Queen’s Vase. Irish jockey Oisín Murphy also celebrated a 44.5/1 double with Running Lion and Wild Tiger. Willie Mullins Eyes Ascot Gold Cup Triumph Attention will turn to Irish trainer Willie Mullins today as he seeks to add the prestigious Ascot Gold Cup to his already impressive list of achievements. Mullins has an exceptional chance of success with Vauban, the 2022 Triumph Hurdle winner at the Cheltenham Festival, who will face off against defending champion Kyprios, trained by Aidan O’Brien. Despite Kyprios’s past injuries and recent resurgence, Vauban is considered a strong contender due to his “great form” and impressive victory in the Triumph Hurdle. Other Notable Races While the Ascot Gold Cup is the only Group One race scheduled for today, there will be plenty of quality racing throughout the day. O’Brien and Moore are favored to win the opening Group Two Norfolk Stakes with Whistlejacket, a recent listed winner.Aidan O’Brien is just one win away from reaching 400 career victories at Royal Ascot after saddling Berkshire Rocco to win the King George V Stakes on Wednesday. The victory was O’Brien’s 399th at the Royal meeting, and he will be looking to reach the milestone in Thursday’s Gold Cup, where he will saddle two of the favorites in Stradivarius and Kyprios. O’Brien’s closest rival in the all-time winners’ list at Royal Ascot is Willie Mullins, who has 77 wins. However, O’Brien has been in unstoppable form in recent years, and he has now won more races at the Royal meeting than any other trainer in history. O’Brien’s success at Royal Ascot is a testament to his exceptional training skills and his ability to produce horses that are at their best on the big stage. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest trainers in the world, and his horses have won some of the biggest races in the sport, including the Epsom Derby, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, and the Breeders’ Cup Classic. O’Brien will be hoping to add to his impressive tally of Royal Ascot wins on Thursday, and he will be confident that Stradivarius or Kyprios can give him the victory he needs to reach 400.