Aidan O’Brien Sandy Lane Barbados trip after Breeders’ Cup, Digi Mart USA News: Even Aidan O’Brien needs to take a holiday now and again, and when he does, he does it in style. Long established as flat racing’s dominant trainer, O’Brien has enjoyed another memorable season, racking up an astonishing 28 Group 1 victories this year.
Benvenuto Cellini’s sensational victory in the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Keeneland brought up number 28 for the 57-year-old and his Ballydoyle operation. It also gave the O’Brien family every reason to continue a tradition of flying from the Breeders’ Cup to the five-star Sandy Lane resort in Barbados.
Aside from being a slice of paradise and an enviable choice for a getaway, the hotel is owned by Irish businessmen the O’Briens know very well: John Magnier, JP McManus and Dermot Desmond. Magnier is the driving force behind Coolmore Stud, one of the world’s leading thoroughbred breeding operations and the source of many of the horses O’Brien has trained to success on the racecourse.
When O’Brien and his family visit the hotel, it also provides an opportunity for the hard-working trainer to catch up with the Coolmore hierarchy and discuss plans for the future. The hotel is one of the most luxurious resorts in the Caribbean, with room rates starting at $1,900 (€843) per night.
Over the years, the resort has welcomed some of the world’s most famous faces, from Hollywood stars to sporting icons and business magnates. Tiger Woods, a close friend of McManus, married his ex-wife Elin Nordegren at the resort in 2004, with the ceremony reportedly costing more than €1.2 million.
Wayne Rooney has also stayed at the resort and was pictured with his eldest son Kai on a jet ski there in 2019.
The hotel has 113 rooms and suites and is described as having “stunning private villas, exceptional golf, gourmet dining, an outstanding spa, superb sports facilities and finally, an exceptional level of warm Barbadian hospitality.”
