Of all horse trainers,

Aidan O'Brien's horse trainers 2010 turf campaign is one to savour.

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Part of the answer lies in the quality of horses provided by the owner of the Ballydoyle training yard, John Magnier.

Let's have a look at the cream of the crop for the 2010 season:

Ancient Kingdom

Had just the one outing as a 2yo, staying on well for 3rd behind two more experienced youngsters over 7f at Leopardstown in October.

The runner up was rated 84 and the winner, stable mate Don Carlos, ran in a Group 1 race in France next time franking the form with a good placed fourth.

His pedigree suggests he will come into his own as a 3yo and a step up in trip will not be a problem. While entries in the Irish Guineas, the Epsom and Irish Derby suggest he is destined to go to the top.

Captain James Cook

Made his debut last season at Tipperary as a surefire favourite but did not live up to expectations and came home a poor sixth. However he finished lame that day and this son of Montjeu is likely to put that efffort well behind him this year. After winning his maiden he is sure to climb the ranks.

Sustained a fatal injury in the Totesport Derby Trail at Lingfield May 8th 2010 and had to be put down.

Fencing Master

Won first time out on the polytrack at Dundalk in a race that has worked out well. His next assignment was to contest the Dewhurst and an excellent neck second to stable companion, Beethoven confirmed this son of a Prix Saint-Alary winner as a horse to follow. Could be a nice prospect for the 2000 Guineas and middle distances are likely to prove his forte.

Flying Cross

A son of Ramruna, a champion middle distance filly at three, this fine looking 3yo colt could make up into a top middle distance runner this season with the Ballysax possibly an option.

Winning a Navan maiden at the second time of asking, he looked green in running but still managed to win with plenty in hand. Master horse trainer, Aiden O'Brien is likely to have brought about even more improvememnt.

St Nicholas Abbey

Proved a show stopper in his first season and there are already comparisons with Sea The Stars as they both triumphed in the Beresford stakes as juveniles. His last race in the Racing Post Trophy left his opponents trailing in his wake as he showed a devastating turn of foot to win by a wide margin.

The sky is the limit for his talented horse trainer and the Guineas or Epsom Derby are likely targets this season.

In 2008, the gifted Irish race horse trainer took his already stellar achievements to even greater heights.

His stable stars, Duke Of Marmalade and Henrythenavigator contributed 9 of his 21 Group 1 victories to produce the best ever season in his 14 years at the Ballydoyle training yard.

The 39 year old trainer is reported to have said: " We're talking about two very special horses who,for me, were as good as, if not better than any we've had here at Ballydoyle in my time."

Yeats is another horse worthy of the highest accolades in winning the Ascot Gold Cup for the third time.He remains in training and could achieve an unprecedented fourth victory.

Completing a clean sweep of the Irish classics was a tremendous result for all concerned at Ballydoyleand capped when Septimus won the Irish St Leger at the Curragh. Soldier Of Fortune and Septimus will also be kept in training for 2009.

Aidan O'Brien came into the most coveted position of all horse trainers, that of working for John Magnier, the owner of Ballydoyle, through a series of fortuitous events. His first training job for Jim Bolger took him to Galway races where he met his future wife, Anne-Marie. It wasn't long before he was assisting her father with his successful jumps training yard at Owning. And finally a chance meeting with Paul Shanahan who worked for John Magnier, resulted in an invitation to move to Ballydoyle.

The arrival of Johnny Murtagh as stable jockey to replace the mercurial and ill-fated Kieren Fallon,has been a Godsend. His experience and natural ability as a horseman have endeared him to O'Brienwho feels his contribution to the success of the yard cannot be overstated.

The furore caused by the team tactics employed in the running of the Judddmonte International at Newmarket resulted in a fine from the British Horseracing Association for trainer and jockey.

A contrite O'Brien says: "although we felt we had done nothing wrong in the race, we understand the rulenow and never again will one of our horses move out of the way for another horse of ours."

This row followed him in his quest to win the Melbourne Cup at Flemington, Australia. He was savaged bythe Australian press for his tactics when sending Septimus, Alessandro Volta and Honolulu to the frontin an attempt to burn off the opposition. A ploy that backfired badly as none of his runners made the frame.

It must rankle that the Melbourne Cup is a race that has evaded him in three attempts and a bout of Pommybashing is unlikely to deter him from trying again.

The only other disappointment of the year came in the Breeders Cup Classic, Santa Anita, U.S.A. where Henrythenavigator was runner up to John Gosden's Raven's Pass and in which Duke Of Marmalade finished ninth.

Looking ahead to 2009, his classic aspirations are bolstered by several horses that he believes will improve markedly on their 2008 form. Rip Van Winkle failed to achieve his potential due to ill timed preparations and unsuitably soft ground but Aidan O'Brien thinks: "there could be massive improvement in him and we will start him off at a mile next year, although he should have no problem going a bit further."

Mastercraftsman will benefit from a good rest over the winter as O'Brien feels the hard race he had, to win the National Stakes on very testing ground, probably took its toll and brought an unbeaten run to an end in the Jean-Luc Lagadere.

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