O'Brien Equals Record With 28 Group 1 Winners
Trainer Aidan O'Brien matched his world record for Group 1 winners in a calendar year, while Chris Waller trails with 27.
Updated on Nov. 8, 2026 in Equestrian
Aidan O'Brien equalled his world record of 28 Group 1 winners in a calendar year when Benvenuto Cellini won the Breeders' Cup Turf on October 31, 2026. Chris Waller's stable has recorded 27 Group 1 winners in 2026, trailing O'Brien's pace.
Why it matters
The matching of a world record for Group 1 wins in a single year underlines the sustained dominance of O'Brien's operation across multiple countries. Waller's total shows a competing trainer closing in on the same benchmark.
O'Brien's 28 Group 1 winners came from sixteen individual runners, eight of which won more than once, while Waller's 27 came from seventeen different horses, six of them multiple winners. All of Waller's 2026 Group 1 winners saluted in Australia.
The players
Aidan O'Brien
Irish trainer whose stable has produced a world-record 28 Group 1 winners in a single calendar year, with winners across England, Ireland, France and the United States.
Chris Waller
Australian trainer whose stable has recorded 27 Group 1 winners in 2026, all in Australia, and who is pursuing further Group 1 wins in Perth and Sandown.
The details
Benvenuto Cellini's Breeders' Cup Turf victory on October 31, 2026 gave O'Brien his 28th Group 1 winner of the year. Waller's stable is focused on Group 1 races in Australia, with his next target the C F Orr Stakes at Sandown on November 14, 2026.
Timeline
October 31, 2026: Benvenuto Cellini wins the Breeders' Cup Turf, O'Brien's 28th Group 1 winner of the year.
November 7, 2026: Autumn Glow wins the Champions Mile and Birdman wins the Champions Stakes for Waller.
November 14, 2026: Waller targets the C F Orr Stakes at Sandown.
Season Trajectory
O'Brien's equalling of his own world record of 28 Group 1 winners places 2026 alongside his prior peak season. Waller's 27 Group 1 winners leave him one behind that benchmark and positioned to challenge it before the calendar year closes.
A Waller win in the C F Orr Stakes would tie O'Brien's world-record total of 28 Group 1 winners in 2026. Waller also has runners nominated for three Group 1 races in Perth that could extend the count before the calendar year ends.
The takeaway
The results show how a single trainer's Group 1 totals can hold a record for years, and how a rival's steady accumulation can put that record within reach in one season.
What happens next
Waller's stable is targeting the Group 1 C F Orr Stakes at Sandown on November 14, 2026, where a win would lock him level with O'Brien on 28 Group 1 winners for the year.
Further reading
For more on the racing circuit behind these results, see Equestrian.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Just Horse Racing 🏇.
