AIDAN O’Brien’s job is to produce world-class racehorses in top shape for meetings like the Irish Champions Festival, but he could well get a marketing job for the two-day extravaganza if he fancied it.

There was plenty of reaction to the record-breaking trainer’s comments earlier this year in response to negativity surrounding Irish Derby day at the Curragh, urging the public to embrace more positivity surrounding the redeveloped track’s marquee day.

If any racegoers are on the fence about making the trip to this year’s Irish Champions Festival, how would O’Brien pitch it to them to make sure they come through the gates at Leopardstown on September 13th and the Curragh on September 14th?

“It’s the easiest thing in the world to be negative - everyone has to be positive,” the legendary trainer said, speaking at a Horse Racing Ireland-led press morning at Ballydoyle this week.

“We’re all in the sport and all want to improve. I can’t understand why we’re all living out of the sport and we love it, then why are we all knocking it? It makes no sense whatsoever. Be positive about it, get everyone in there, atmosphere will come, people will love it.

“Racing is the most brilliant sport to give people enjoyment from the beginning of your life right until your very later years. Everyone goes through bad times in life. This sport takes you out of that and into another place. You can be waiting for it to happen. It’s the best feel-good factor of all. There’s no sport like it.

“So many people speak negatively about it - be positive and more people will go and enjoy it. Then it’s up to the tracks to put everything on for everyone. Use it as a hobby or pastime. The more people that come, the better it will get.”

He added: “This weekend has changed Irish racing totally, because it’s the perfect time of year with the perfect races at the perfect tracks - but we want the best horses here. We want them from everywhere. Wherever you are in the world, the tracks will fund you and help you to come. Everyone needs to know that - ring up the tracks and they will assist you to come over. We’re very happy to get beat, but we’ll do our best to win, as we always do.

“I think this meeting has changed European racing. It’s the perfect weekend for the rest of the season. All the jockeys, trainers and owners want to be there. Come to it, see it, feel it, have a great time. If there’s anything any of us can do for you, let us know and we will do it. We want as many international runners as possible because that makes it for everybody and grows interest around the world.”

Safe to say, passion, and big-name contenders, are in healthy supply at Ballydoyle ahead of the biggest weekend in Irish flat racing.

Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes (Group 1)

“We’re very happy with Delacroix and everything has gone well since York. We’ve always thought he was a good horse and I don’t think the ground matters to him; he’s very happy on quick ground and happy with an ease in it too.

“York was a bit of a non-event for him, really, but he’s very fresh and we’re looking forward to Leopardstown. We had it in our head that what happened at York could happen and we were going to follow the pacemaker, but when the Japanese horse [Danon Decile] got in front ,it kind of changed the whole race.

“Hopefully everyone will come to Leopardstown. We’ll have a good row and see what’s going to happen! Put the pace on and let nobody have any place to hide.

“The horses that want to go forward will do that, and the ones who want to follow can follow. Into the straight, you’ll find out very quick. That’s what we’d all love to happen. You want to find out once and for all.

“Whirl holds an entry and she’s well. She’s a possible for the Irish Champion Stakes, but we have our eye on the Prix Vermeille first. Then she’ll have had her run if she wants to go for the Arc.”

Coolmore America “Justify” Matron Stakes (Group 1)

“Exactly and January are likely to run here for us. Exactly had a very good run over seven furlongs [when sixth] in the City Of York Stakes last time and I think she’ll be very happy at a mile. A fast mile will suit her whenever that time comes.

“January went to go and win the Prix Rothschild and just got beaten [a head in second by Fallen Angel].

She’s a good traveller but doesn’t always find what she looks like she’s going to. She’s a big, classy filly.”

KPMG Champions Juvenile Stakes (Group 2)

“Montreal was very impressive at Leopardstown when he won a maiden [by eight lengths] last month. Benvenuto Cellini, who won at Killarney on his last start, is a possible for this race too. New Zealand, another Frankel horse who won at the Curragh, is in the mix too.

“We’ve also got the option of Action, who won at the Galway Festival, and Isaac Newton, a winner at Glorious Goodwood.”

Comer Group International Irish St. Leger (Group 1)

“I think Jan Brueghel and Illinois will run against each other, they’re two older horses and the lads are very happy for that to happen.

“We mightn’t have seen the very best of Illinois yet because the Gold Cup might have been hard on him and his preparation mightn’t have been brilliant leading up to it. He may have felt that a little bit at Goodwood [when second to stablemate Scandinavia in the Goodwood Cup]. We think he’s in a good place again but it might take until next year to get him back. With Jan Brueghel, we absolutely made a hash of it in the King George [when fourth to Calandagan] but he’s very well. He’s very idle in front and needs something to run at, he stays very well. I think he’s in good shape. There are plenty of days like what happened at Ascot, it’s sport and you have to take the good with the bad. You often learn more from the bad. At least we know what not to do with him anymore, not to ask him to make the running again. He’s lazy but stays well. We did the perfect thing with him at Epsom [when winning the Coronation Cup] then the complete wrong thing at Ascot – that’s very clever thinking!”

Bar One Racing Flying Five Stakes (Group 1)

“Whistlejacket is a possible. He was entered for the Sprint Cup but will miss that to have the option of going here. A quick horse who handles an ease in the ground, he was a fast two-year-old. It’s about getting him back to that. He’s quick and it’s just taken a bit of time to get him back. The last day was a bit of a mess for him [when 12th in the July Cup] but he could be back for this.”

Moyglare Stud Stakes (Group 1)

“Composing is a very straightforward, honest-to-God filly. She doesn’t mind making her own running and you have to follow her because she stays. She’s a good filly who won very well the last day in the Debutante Stakes. This is the plan for her.

“Beautify won the Group 2 Airlie Stud Stakes at the Curragh back on Irish Derby weekend and she couldn’t run since because she’d have had penalties in other races as a result. She’d be very happy stepping up to seven furlongs and could run here as well.

“We’ve also got Precise as a possible. She won [the Group 3 Prestige Fillies’ Stakes] at Goodwood the other day, she might go or might wait.”

Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes (Group 1)

“Gstaad will love stepping up to seven furlongs. He went to France for the Prix Morny last time [when beaten a short-neck in second by Venetian Sun] and that probably arrived a little bit early for him – he came back heavier than he went. He’s going to be very comfortable at this trip. The original plan was for him to go to Curragh for a stiff six furlongs [in the Phoenix Stakes] and True Love was due to go to Deauville for the Morny, but they had to swap around. The way it worked, it didn’t suit either. True Love would have been better on a quick six furlongs, whereas Gstaad would have preferred the more stiff six. That’s the way it was.

“Italy is a strong possible for the National Stakes. He ran well in the Acomb Stakes at York [when second] and he probably got back a little bit; he was still a bit immature mentally. We’re happy with him since.”

Delacroix’s importance as a stallion

“He’s vital. He’s the horse that everyone wants this year. He’s an outcross, being by Dubawi and out of a Bernstein mare. He’s big and powerful, a big walker with loads of power. Everything about him is what you really want. We’ve been waiting on a Dubawi to come along all the time and here he comes. He has everything and we can’t wait to get him off to stud.”

Wootton Bassett’s remarkable run

“He’s just the most incredible stallion. He looks an absolute freak. Where it’s coming from, it’s hard to know, they’re all big, they’re all black. It doesn’t matter what kind of a body they have; they’re quick and they stay. Like, we’ve never seen anything like him. You can see it day in, day out - no matter whether the ground is soft or fast they perform.

“They’re easy to train. All you have to do is not over-do them, because they try very hard. You’re trying to slow them down all the time because they have speed already. He’s something very unusual and we see them one after another.”

St Leger plans for Doncaster

“At the moment, we’re thinking of three horses: Lambourn, Scandinavia and Stay True.”

Whether Gstaad is a 2000 Guineas type?

“Yes, he’s a fair horse. He stays and he’s quick, a big, hardy horse. You could see him going to the line at Deauville last time.”

A horse to follow in the Irish Champions Festival handicaps

“If Light As Air gets an ease in the ground, we’re looking forward to him in the Petingo at Leopardstown. We were originally minding him for Royal Ascot and he looked unlucky at Leopardstown on his first start of the season, he looked very good there. Then we gave him another run at Navan and he got beat, so we were a bit wary. He ran a good race in the King George V Stakes at Ascot [when down the field after not having the clearest of passages] but he needed an ease in the ground. He won a maiden at the Curragh last time.”

Leopardstown’s 10-furlong track

“What makes it very simple is when there’s pace on, in every race - but you need a good horse. Pace is the key always. That’s why if you have horses to go forward, everyone gets a shot. Everyone is happy getting beat if you get a clean shot at it. It simplifies it for everyone, really. In those messy races where they’re on top of each other, you can’t have an opinion of what’s best and what’s not. They’re the ones that can be a bit frustrating. You have to find out. Let there be nowhere to hide.”

Los Angeles

“We’re very happy with him. He was only starting back at the Curragh [when fourth in the Royal Whip Stakes] and had an easy time with it being his first run back. Then the plan was for him to go to France for his next one [in the Prix Foy], which will be a bit harder. Now, he’s still not all out and hopefully he’ll have more to come. Then hopefully he’ll arrive for the Arc, that’s the plan. The season went down the hill at Royal Ascot this year [after finishing fifth in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes], we stopped and gave him a break. It was always the plan to prepare him for the autumn and the Arc. If an ease in the ground comes for him, he’ll grow another leg.”

Minnie Hauk

“We haven’t seen the best of Minnie Hauk at all and we won’t until the tempo is very strong all the way. Physically, she’s getting bigger and stronger. We weren’t sure what she was, and we still don’t - even though we thought we would by this stage. She’s relentless, a big mover who travels. She’s on the Arc programme at the moment. The last day in the Yorkshire Oaks was lovely. We didn’t really find out because the second horse pulled back off Wayne [Lordan]a little bit, so for half a furlong or a furlong she was a little bit in limbo.

“We’d have preferred if she was behind the pacemaker, we’d have really seen her there, but maybe that was for the best because she had a very easy race and we don’t think she does much in front; that’s the way she is at home. The Arc will hopefully be a strongly-run race and we’ll find out. She looks very exciting and falls into the ‘could be anything’ category. It will be very interesting to see. I’d say it’s very possible she could stay in training next season. The lads love racing and if everything is well with her, and everyone is happy, that will be the plan because she’s a fresh filly.”

Riding arrangements following Ryan Moore’s injury

“Wayne has his appeal against a suspesnion this week [speaking before the outcome] and obviously Christophe [Soumillon] has ridden a lot for us through the year. All those things are changing at the moment. I don’t know how long Ryan is going to be out for but we will tell him to take as much time as he wants.

“Christophe has always been part of the plans with us. He’s not tied down to anybody now. He’s a world-class jockey, everywhere. He’s been riding for us a lot since he’s been released. It’s very possible he’ll come over here plenty but we’ve been using him all the time, all the way. He’s very experienced, a very uncomplicated fella who isn’t tied down in any way. I can’t see why not, but we’ll take it one step at a time.”