Aidan O’Brien has been praised for breaking away from celebrating his record-breaking Royal Ascot success to express his sympathy for families of those who lost loved ones in one of Australia’s worst road accidents.
Ten people were killed and 25 were taken to hospital when a bus full of wedding party guests overturned in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales on June 11. It was the country’s worst road crash since 12 people died in 1994.
The bus driver has been charged with ten counts of dangerous driving occasioning death and one count of negligent driving occasioning death.
The bride and groom were members of an Australian rules football club, a number of whom died in the crash including husband and wife Andrew and Lynan Scott who had two young children.
It is understood the victims of the crash had connections with Coolmore’s Australian stud farm, which is also located in the Hunter Region.
O’Brien, Coolmore’s number one trainer, clinched his 83rd Royal Ascot success on Tuesday with Paddington in the St James’s Palace Stakes to become the meeting’s all-time leading trainer.
His thoughts quickly turned to the tragic events in Australia when he was being interviewed afterwards by ITV Racing.
“There was an accident down in the Hunter Valley and there was a lot of people lost their lives. Our thoughts are with all those people’s families.
“The Muldoon family and the Scott family and a lot of other families lost their loved ones. So, thinking of you all.”
Tom Magnier, Coolmore Australia principal, tweeted: “Such a special tribute to a tragedy that affected so many people at the farm in Australia and our special community.”
Another reacted: “Always thinking of others, Aidan O’Brien pays tribute to those who lost their lives in the Hunter Valley bus crash known to some of the @CoolmoreAus team @Ascot True gentleman.”
