MARK Twain popularised the well-known phrase that “There are three kinds of lies; lies, damned lies and statistics,” though he did attribute the origin to the British Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli.

However, there are some statistics that do not lie and one of these concerns the enduring success of Aidan O’Brien. While the man himself deflects any personal glory, inevitably paying tribute to the team, he has overseen a training operation the likes of which we have never seen.