Just started to get interested in racing when Stoute burst on to the scene about 1975 seem to recall listening to Blue Cashmere win  the Temple Stakes @ Sandown on radio.  Just read he was his 1st group winner in previous years Nunthorpe.

some favourite trainers of mine were Alec Stewart, Thommpson-Jones in that period

Mr Stoute is a great trainer. He's been training horses for a long, long while now. I think he's right up there with Sir Cecil and Harwood. I think to retire when he's not enjoying the training as much as he used to is the correct decision; life is too short, and many other things to do post retirement.

Another legend away from the racing scene. Sad, but inevitable.

Oh yes! Cecil, Stoute, Harwood and Cumani were no fan of multiple runners in a big race. Also, no team tactic deployed either.

Crikey they should be so lucky impossible , the comparative quality of depth between Aidan vs those other four is off the charts   

2009 King George 1 Conduit
                 2 Tartan Bearer
                 3 Ask

i recall cecil having tenby and the actual winner, tenby was fav, but i do remember henry saying he was running tenby but with a massive doubt for the trip, as usual he was correct.

Multiple runners isn't just about winning races it's a strategy for progressing horses throughout the campaign , Aidan has no other option with such numerous quality in practically every distance , for those nostalgia trainers mentioned they'd have to be running horses over the wrong trip/ground to be getting more than two to post in any top class race.

Just a reminder you can appreciate how good the last millennium trainers were without continually needing a pop at the best of the modern era as racing is different now in so many ways , so running more than one horse in a top class race is nothing to do with being short on confidence.

Good luck tonight chaps   

There were two pacemakers for Bustino in the King George , can't quite remember their names though albeit 200/1 chances i think so in the race for a purpose , you can easily class that as part of a team tactic.

Don't get me started on Pitman with Golden Freeze   

Extrordinary transition

June 1987 Epsom Derby 12f
July 1987 July Cup     6f

Dark  Top-rated European Sprinter (1987)
Timeform Best Sprinter (1987)
Timeform rating: 130 in 1986 and 1987
Ajdal (2 April 1984 – 19 August 1988) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He was one of the leading European two-year-old of 1986, when he was unbeaten in three races including the Dewhurst Stakes. In the early part of 1987 he was aimed at the classics but after winning the Craven Stakes on his debut, he was beaten in the 2000 Guineas, Irish 2,000 Guineas and Epsom Derby. He was then switched to shorter distances and emerged as the best European sprinter of the year, winning the July Cup, William Hill Sprint Championship and Vernons Sprint Cup.

Background
Ajdal was a bay colt with three white socks bred in Maryland by Ralph C. Wilson Jr. He was from the nineteenth crop of foals sired by Northern Dancer, the winner of the 1964 Kentucky Derby and one of the most influential sires of the 20th century. Ajdal's dam Native Partner was a half sister of Jim French and a top-class racemare whose wins included the Maskette Handicap in 1970. Apart from Ajdal she produced several other winners including (Formidable), Flying Partner (Fantasy Stakes) and Fabuleux Jane (Prix de Pomone).[2]

The yearling was consigned by Wilson's Oxford Stable to the Keeneland Sales in July 1985 and attracted strong interest. The bidding reached $7.5 million before Sheikh Mohammed dropped out when he realised that he was bidding against the colt's breeder. The price set a record for a breeder "buying back" his own horse which stood until 2008 when Michael Paulson went to $7.7 million to retain Vallenzeri, the horse later known as Take Control.[3] The Sheikh later purchased the yearling privately for an undisclosed sum and gave him the name Ajdal, an Arabic word meaning "handsome".[4] Ajdal was sent into training with Michael Stoute at Newmarket, Suffolk and was ridden in most of his races by Walter Swinburn.

Racing career
1986: two-year-old season
Ajdal began his racing career by winning a race over six furlongs at Doncaster Racecourse in September. Later that month he was moved up in class and distance for the Mornington Stakes over seven furlongs at Ascot Racecourse and won impressively. In October the colt was again stepped up in class to contest Britain's most prestigious race for two-year-olds, the Group One Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket. Despite never having run in a Group race, Ajdal was made the 4/9 favourite against four opponents which included the Middle Park Stakes winner Mister Majestic (20/1). Swinburn positioned the colt just behind the leaders before taking the lead a furlong from the finish. Ajdal quickly accelerated clear of the field and seemed poised to win easily, but in the final strides he began to slow down and won by only three-quarters of a length from Shady Heights. Some observers felt that Ajdal was tiring in the closing stages, while others, including Timeform, felt that the colt was merely showing sign of inexperience. He looked likely to be named the year's leading two-year-old but his performance was surpassed eight days later when Reference Point won the William Hill Futurity.[2]

1987: three-year-old season
Ajdal began his three-year-old season as favourite for the 2000 Guineas and made his first appearance in the Craven Stakes over the Rowley Mile at Newmarket on 16 April. He started the 6/5 favourite and won by three-quarters of a length from the Richard Hannon Sr.-trained Don't Forget Me with Most Welcome in third place. Sixteen days later, over the same course and distance, Ajdal started 6/5 favourite against thirteen opponents in the 181st running of the 2000 Guineas. Swinburn settled Ajdal just behind the front-running Don't Forget Me, before attempting to challenge for the lead in the last quarter mile. He was unable to overtake the leader, and after being bumped by the subsequently disqualified Most Welcome in the closing stages, he finished fifth behind Don't Forget Me, beaten two lengths.[5] Ajdal reopposed Don't Forget Me in the Irish 2,000 Guineas at the Curragh on 16 May, with the two colts starting joint-favourites on 6/4. Ajdal finished third to his rival, but was disqualified after Swinburn failed to weigh in after the race.[6][7]

On 3 June, Ajdal was moved up in distance to contest the 208th Epsom Derby over one and a half miles at Epsom Downs Racecourse. He was considered unlikely to stay the distance[6] and started at odds of 25/1, with Swinburn opting to ride his stable companion Ascot Knight. Ridden by Ray Cochrane, Ajdal was reluctant to enter the stalls but ran prominently for much of the race before fading in the final quarter mile to finish ninth behind Reference Point. After running over one and a half mile, Ajdal was brought back to six furlongs for the Group One July Cup at Newmarket on 9 July. This required a change in the horse's training regime: after spending most of the year teaching the horse to relax and settle in a race, he now required "sharpening" to compete against specialist sprinters.[8] He started the third favourite behind the Vincent O'Brien-trained Bluebird, who had been an impressive winner of the King's Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot. Ajdal was among the leaders from the start before taking the lead approaching the final furlong and won by a head from the filly Gayane, with Bluebird in third. Stoute later admitted that it had taken him a long time to find Ajdal's best distance and described the early part of the colt's three-year-old campaign as "one of the biggest ****-ups".[8] In August, Ajdal raced over five furlongs for the first time when he contested the Group One William Hill Sprint Championship at York Racecourse and started 2/1 second favourite behind Bluebird. Swinburn sent the colt into the lead from the start and set a strong pace before pulling away in the last quarter mile to win by three lengths from Sizzling Melody in a time of 58.48 with Bluebird in fourth.[6]

In September at Haydock Park Racecourse, Ajdal started 8/11 favourite for the Vernons Sprint Cup, which was the most valuable sprint race in the United Kingdom despite only carrying Group Two status. Ajdal took the lead two furlongs from the finish and won decisively by two lengths from the five-year-old Sharp Romance. Ajdal's final race was the Prix de l'Abbaye over 1000 metres at Longchamp Racecourse in October. He started the 3/10 favourite but was poorly drawn and seemed unsuited by the firm ground, finishing seventh of the nine runners behind the Irish-trained filly Polonia.[6]

Just Checked my memory has failed Barathea did not run, let alone win at Haydock over 6f

ven Swinburn knew that Ajdal shouldnt be in the derby. On 3 June, Ajdal was moved up in distance to contest the 208th Epsom Derby over one and a half miles at Epsom Downs Racecourse. He was considered unlikely to stay the distance[6] and started at odds of 25/1, with Swinburn opting to ride his stable companion Ascot Knight. Ridden by Ray Cochrane, Ajdal was reluctant to enter the stalls but ran prominently for much of the race before fading in the final quarter mile to finish ninth behind Reference Point.

Carried on too long, seemingly looking for that last hurrah which never came.

arguebly that why Henry was the greatest trainer ever, he was finished and then came Frankel , and he knew straight away and it seems everyone knew that he had a real champion, and he trained it to be arguebly the best racehorse  of all time

Didn't Stoute forfeit a load of cash he had in a case at an airport in Barbados many years ago?

Flat racing has changed, sadly for the worse since the glory days of Stoute, Cecil et al. I think the main issue people have with AOB is his total monopolisation and the way he'll happily run 5 or 6 in a classic and it often looks like they are being ridden according to team instructions. I thought that was supposed to be outlawed according to the official rules of the sport. No one withing the racing media is brave enough to ever pose that question. He often doesn't seem to know or care which one wins as long as one of them does win. Most of AOB's Classic winners are instantly forgettable for that reason.

Totally agree with Johnny. Aiden has five in the Leger, half the field. Doesn't that shout that he can't judge the best? If he was the greatest he would know the relative merits but as past results have shown he doesn't.

No DG it doesn't to me , it smacks of loving to run his horses without shying away from challenges like many and strategizing the season to keep them all match fit , the huge difference is the depth of quality which has never been rivalled.

The nostalgia trainers always mentioned from the eighties/nineties may have occasionally had two or rarely three in a race ( THE bustino race for example ) but they were largely pacemakers , difference with Aidan's so called pacemakers is they generally have a chance in the race such is the depth in stable quality.

As stated earlier though we can all love the nostalgic trip back to Hern , Cecil , Harwood etc but you don't have to be negative about the greatest modern day trainer in an attempt to elevate them any more than they are , that said nostalgia influences us all to wear rose coloured spectacles on occasions when looking back at the seemingly good old days , it's an age thing guys.

So why don't we all use common sense and concur that Aidan , Henry , Dick , Guy and Luca are all great trainers without an never ending obsession to keep comparing their greatness like some cheap competition that can and will never be proven.


Good luck today all , it's all about opinions