JONJO O'NEILL RACING
​★  ★  ★ ​ ★  ★​
NEWSLETTER
MARCH 2020

​
​THE ROAD TO CHELTENHAM!

Early March is always an exciting time with the Cheltenham Festival just around the corner.

Our festival week is once again kicking off with TalkSport taking over the Owner's Suite for The Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast Show on Monday. Last year was great fun so make sure you're tuning in!

With so much rain around putting a stop to lots of racing, it's nice to see a bit of sunshine and dry weather so we can send out lots more runners

We are delighted with the way the horses are running and enjoyed a very healthy 28% winning strike rate in February.

It was great to see Bean In Trouble winning  nicely on his handicap debut at Ludlow for owners Heather Haddock, Neal Griffith and Oisin Fanning.

We had a great day a couple of weeks ago with an across the card double at Exeter and Warwick with Ashfield Paddy and Hang Tough for The Honourable Elizabeth Wills and The Tough Troop Partnership respectively.  It was brilliant to give Lizzie another winner and equally great to see Hang Tough cross the line in front at the sixth time of asking. 

Flight Deck stayed on really well to win at Newbury in the colours of JP McManus after 404 days off the track. Congratulations to the breeder Noreen McManus.

​It was good to pass 60 winners (taking us past last year's total) for the season with Tegerek winning at Huntingdon last Sunday for Richard and Donna Evans. It was an impressive performance in the hands of Jonjo Jr. 

We took an informative video of Ben Brain, our Wind Surgeon, at work earlier this week. It's a fascinating insight into the process involved when diagnosing our horses with any issues. Please scroll down to watch the film. 

There is a Tattersalls sale at Cheltenham on Thursday 12th March during the Festival. This is one of the sales of the year to watch, Minella Rocco and Palmers Hill both came from the sale. I've had a peep at the draft catalogue and there are some exciting lots. The lots go live at 2pm on Monday and if there's anything that catches your eye, please get in touch.

If you are interested in getting involved in ownership in any capacity, please do get in touch as we have lots of exciting opportunities!

So here's wishing you all a wonderful Festival and fingers crossed for a winner or two!

​Best wishes, and don't forget your hand sanitiser!

​RECENT WINNERS

Bean In Trouble winning well at Ludlow for owners Oisin Fanning, Heather Haddock and Neal Griffith
​

Ashfield Paddy winning handsomely at Exeter in the colours of The Honourable Elizabeth Wills.
​

Tim, Eric, Steve and Shirley Ann from The Tough Troop Partnership after his win at Warwick.
​

Jonjo Jr. riding Flight Deck to victory at Newbury in the colours of JP McManus.
​

Tegerek bringing up our 60th winner of the season!

Richard and Donna Evans with Tegerek after winning at Huntingdon. An early birthday present for Richard!

​AND A FEW MORE WINNING MOMENTS!

AN AFTERNOON WITH BEN BRAIN

We spent the afternoon with Ben Brain this week, just down the road in Bourton on the Water.

​Ben is the best Wind Surgeon in Great Britain and has been practicing for over 20 years since taking over the business from his father. 

Jonjo works very closely with Ben when he feels a horse has something wrong with its wind. 

​We thought we would visit Ben's practice and show you the process that he takes in finding the problem and how he operates on the horses.

Please click on the video below to watch Ben in action. 

EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH

Georgia collecting her Champagne from Jonjo

Georgia with Soaring Glory, Jonjo, Jonjo Jr.  and owners Pat and Nan Hickey

Congratulations to Georgia who is February's Employee of the Month. 

Georgia is an integral part of the team as a work rider, driving the horse box and looking after her horses. 

We asked her few questions.

How long have you been at Jonjo O'Neill Racing?
I have been here for a year.  I have completed my Level 2 Racehorse Care and currently studying Level 3 Racehorse management. 

How did you get into racing?
My parents aren’t into horses, but I was lucky there was a family run livery yard just down the road from me, which is where I spent my childhood. I retrained racehorses prior to working for Jonjo, I got into this by having my own ex racehorse. Whilst studying Equine Management I was intrigued to know the training regimes of racehorse, along with the thrill of the sport making me keen to get into it. This aided my decision to go to the Northern Racing College. 

What is your favourite part of the job?
Obviously working for the successful racing legend Jonjo! Also, getting to ride alongside our knowledgeable team of professional jockeys, which is a great help to all of us wanting to improve. It is also great to see the improvement of our young and upcoming horses, which is very rewarding seeing your hard work paying off. Overall, being part of a team at Jackdaws is great. 

What is your best moment in racing so far?
Seeing the most exciting young horse Soaring Glory make it 2 out of 3 in competitive bumpers, which have provided some strong form. I have the pleasure of looking after and riding a horse with such potential, who is nicknamed "Aeroplane" at home! 

What do you hope to achieve in racing?
I am really enjoying working here and learning about all aspects of the job. Once I have gained more experience I would love to become pupil assistant or something like that, this is to gain more experience. I also think it would be super fun to have a go at point to pointing!! ​

TATTERSALLS CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL SALE

The next Tattersalls Sale at Cheltenham is during the festival on Thursday 12th March. The lots go live at 2pm on Monday.

Click HERE for the catalogue and please get in touch if you would like any further information on any of the horses listed.

The Cheltenham Festival sale is always an exciting event!

JONJO'S FESTIVAL FIVE TO FOLLOW

​Ravenhill
National Hunt Chase - Tuesday 5.30pm

Looks like being the mount of Jamie Codd and is likely to improve plenty now going up to this trip. Gordon Elliott has won this race 3 times and twice in the last 5 years and I can't see why he can't make it 4 out of 6 here. 

Copperhead
RSA Chase - Wednesday 2.10pm

Was very impressive with both his jumping and the way he galloped at Ascot when winning under Jonjo Jr. in the Reynoldstown last time. Connections have wisely chosen this race over the National Hunt Chase and I think their decision will be rewarded.

Apprieciate It
Champion Bumper - Wednesday 5.30pm

The way this horse powered home at Leopardstown last time in what looked a competitive Grade 2 bumper was something else. He travelled like a dream there and we know he stays well and can quicken.  The trainer knows a thing or two about winning this race too!

Goshen
Triumph Hurdle - Friday 1.30pm

This is Gary Moore’s big hope for the week. Unbeaten in his last 6 races, 3 staying handicaps on the flat and his 3 juvenile hurdles, the latter he has won  by a combined total of 68 lengths! Has attacked from the front in those but I think he will be fine taking a lead from the likely pace setters in this race.

Thyme Hill
Albert Bartlett - Friday 2.50pm

Smart bumper horse who has won 3 from 3 over hurdles. Showed a good attitude at Newbury when winning the Challow. This race has been the target since and he is likely to take plenty of beating!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

A huge March Happy Birthday to

Rachel Evans on the 12th and Jacqui on the 26th!

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWS
​​​★  ★  ★  ★  ★

If you would like to receive our newsletters, please subscribe using the form below.

If you would like to get in touch and find out more about getting involved in racehorse ownership please call us on 01386 584 209 or email racingoffice@jonjooneillracing.com.

If you wish to unsubscribe from this newsletter, please click here.