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| Staff Writer |
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“I think that nonverbal dialogue, just our connection with horses, is just such a special connection.”
There are horse trainers and then there is Doug O’Neill.
The two-time winner of the Kentucky Derby along with a massive list of major race victories has earned him the reputation as one of the best to ever saddle a horse.
For this boy from Dearborn, Michigan he was passionate about horses from a young age, as he said.
“I was born in Dearborn, Michigan, just outside of Detroit.
“My dad, Pat, who has since passed loved going to the races and that kind of got me exposed to this great sport of horse racing.
“There was a lot of horse racing there at the time back in the late 70s, early 80s, the great Jack Van Berg cut his teeth there in the Midwest in Michigan racing and Nebraska. So the Midwest especially in Michigan was pretty strong in flat racing at the time.
“We moved to California when I was ten years old. Literally the first week in California I went to Santa Anita which was like going to your first major league ball game, it was pretty incredible.
“The likes of Bill Shoemaker and Laffit Pincay and all the legendary jockeys who were riding at that time, and so I’ve had a love for the sport through being taken out by my day. Then I just fell in love with it myself moving out to California.”
A Passion Defined Early
O’Neill said that his love for the sport grew from that move.
“I went to school in Santa Monica, California and one of my basketball coaches and mentors, a gentleman named Mike Amadei, had overheard me saying how much I loved horse racing.
“He thought it was such a rare thing for him to hear in California. He had a friend who was a trainer ironically at Santa Anita, Jude Feld is his name, and introduced me to him and I started going to the barn area in high school and got to see the locker room if you will, the barn area, and all the men and women who worked alongside horses for a living and I said some way or another I'm going to figure out a way to do this as a career.
“So that was probably me at 13-14 years old. Then right out of high school I jumped right in and haven't looked back. “
It was a childhood love that had become so much more with his career aspirations now involved entirely around horses and the industry.
He remembers what it was that caught his passion and love for the animal.
“I think that nonverbal dialogue, just the connection that we have with horses, is just such a special connection.
“They really grabbed me at a young age and then I fell in love with it and I love the whole community, that is the all the barn areas and the yards all around the world.
“I just felt really at home being at the barn and working alongside the horses, so it just never felt like a job and it still doesn't feel like a job. I feel extremely grateful to be able to go to the barn and just be around all the friends and family we have at the track and the horse itself.
“It's hard to explain but they just give you so much. They give you everything they've got and no complaining. You know horses just don't complain. They give you everything and it's really refreshing and energizing and something I'm extremely grateful to be part of.”
Career Of Greats
Throughout his career, he has been able to work with some great horses, but no conversation can be had with Doug O’Neill without mention of Hot Rod Charlie.
The son of Oxbow out of Indian Miss stepped out in his 2YO season and ran second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile before winning the Louisiana and Pennsylvania Derbies as a 3YO. That same year he took third place in the Kentucky Derby and a second placing in the Belmont Stakes, proving his potent potential and ability to compete with the top-performing horses.
Last year as a 4YO he ventured to Dubai winning the Group Two Al Maktoum Challenge Round Two before finishing second behind the other American raider in Country Grammer in the Dubai World Cup.
In October last year, he ran in the Gr.2 Lukas Classic Stakes facing five other horses including Art Collector, Happy Saver, and the reigning Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike. Hot Rod Charlie would go on to take the victory and is a horse that the trainer speaks of fondly.
“He was a real blue-collar hard knock and it took him a while to figure it out. I think it wasn’t until the fourth or fifth start in his life that he broke his maiden.
“He kind of initially showed us that he might be a sprinter and then he showed us he might be a grass horse. He's actually a great example of the communication we have or the horses where you just try and listen to them and get a feel for what they want to do.
“It wasn't until about the fifth start of his life and having two turns on the dirt for us to realise that this is where his comfort zone is.
“He just brought it every time we led him over to the races, he gave 100% and he is just going to be a hard one to replace. He stands at stud now and I cannot wait to see how he does there but he meant a lot to all of us around the barn and there will be a big void with him not being there that’s for sure.”
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Success In The Run For Roses
The trainer’s CV glitters with major wins and achievements that include two Kentucky Derby victories with Nyquist (2016) and I’ll Have Another (2012) who also won him the Preakness Stakes. He has also ventured abroad and taken international wins including the Japan Cup Dirt with Fleetstreet Dancer (2003). He said that he needs to thank the great horses he has had the opportunity to train and travel with for his career.
“You know a great racehorse will take you to places like Japan and Dubai. They'll take you places you never would have dreamt of ever going. When you see the competitiveness and the way certain horses handle high-pressure situations, it’s just contagious.
“It spreads through the yard and you see everyone at the barn get so pumped up and they are so giving and amazing. Each of those horses was special in its own right and it’s hard to put into words but they definitely give you a burst of energy that I don’t know where else you could get it.
“You’d have to drink twelve Coca-Colas in five minutes to probably get the rush you get when you’re working alongside a horse that is willing to do everything and give everything they’ve got to compete at the highest level and try to get to the line first. It is amazing.
“Horses are mirrors of us and as you give them the compassion they give it right back to you. It’s an amazing relationship that will be a part of my life for the rest of my life. It’s hard to explain but horses are unbelievable.”
Horses To Remember
O’Neill went on to name some other horses that have been influential throughout his career.
“A horse called Lava Man that just recently retired to Old Friends in Lexington Kentucky, and ran until he was nine years old and he made a lot of money and he was part of a lot of big races and he was just a blue colour hard-knocking horse.”
The Slew City Slew x Lil Ms. Leonard gelding would amass US5.2 million and with 47 career starts win 17 with a further 13 placings. His victories included three Hollywood Gold Cups, two Santa Anita Handicaps, and the Pacific Classic Stakes.
“We had a mare called Maryfield who won the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Sprint. She was just a really exceptional, tough-minded and gave you everything she had type of horse.”
The Elusive Quality x Sly Maid product would go on to become only the fourth Canadian-bred horse to ever win a Breeders' Cup race and was voted the 2007 Eclipse Award for American Champion Female Sprint Horse and in 2009 was inducted in the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.
“We’ve been blessed with a lot of good horses and probably too many to remember but hopefully there are more to come.”
Meydan In The Winter
The stable now prepares a couple of runners for the Dubai World Cup Carnival already having shown his knack for bringing a horse to the UAE and unleashing them in their local debuts and coming away the winners impressively. This season O’Neill has done this with Tall Boy and Ah Jeez while also coming close with Ami Please running second in the UAE Oaks on their local debut.
Tall Boy it a colt by Lookin At Lucky and out of Madame Mayra owned by Calumet Farm. After having had four starts in the US O’Neill brought him to Meydan where in his local debut, the Group Three UAE Guineas, he won by a length over Shirl’s Bee trained by Doug Watson.
“He's well-named! He's a tall dude and very competitive. He was knocking heads with some really big Bob Baffert horses here in California. He ran fourth in a Los Alamitos Futurity, so he showed that he had talent but he was just surrounded by them and was having trouble punching on through here in California.
“As I was putting together a list for the Dubai Racing Committee to look at who they may accept he was one that they accepted and I was so happy that they did. Then he obviously didn’t disappoint us in that UAE Derby prep and William Buick, whose just arguably one of the best riders in the world, put him in a great position. When Buick called on him he responded well and outran a really nice three-year-old who finished second there.
“He is just an athletic, tall horse who is maturing with each start and I love the way he carries himself, he really reaches for the wire. I think with a little bit of luck he needs to continue to improve but he is our UAE Derby and Kentucky Derby horse this year.”
He now prepares for the UAE Derby and his trainer credits the training facility in the UAE for helping him prepare to the best of his ability.
“What's so great about Dubai is the training center there is just second to none. With him on a daily basis just keeping him fresh and happy. As he matures mentally he will train on a synthetic track and go a mile and a half on their daily. Then one day we will take him down to the main track and he will get a turf gallop every now and then. There are just so many different options for him in Dubai and the walk from the yard to the track is about twenty minutes each way.
“Horses just let down and enjoy it. Like we say around the barn it’s like a working vacation for men and horses, it's just very spacious and top-class.
“We are training him up to the UAE Derby and then hopefully run in a big race there, hopefully winning, and then he will head back to the States and he’ll train up to the Kentucky Derby, that’s the goal.”
Sifting Sands is the 5YO Dubawi x Yummy Mummy entire who joined the yard from Chad Brown at the start of the year. He has had two runs in Meydan finishing last in the Group 2 Singspiel Stakes, on his local debut, and an eighth placing last start. O’Neill was confident he would still show what he has deeper into the Carnival, having been nominated to next run in the Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 on Super Saturday.
“He's a nice older horse that we're hoping will pick up his form and move forward on the dirt. So we gave him a little run on the grass the first week or two we were there in Dubai. He ran competitively but now we got him and we are pointing him to dirt races and the ultimate goal, which is a little bit of a Hail Mary, but we’re hoping to see him run in one of the big dirt races on World Cup night. We will still have another run or two in him before the selection committee will let us know if he is good enough.
“He trains well, he is a good-looking horse and has got the pedigree so all we need to do is get him to the winner’s circle and get us invited.”
The third runner from the stable for this UAE campaign is the Mendelssohn x Poetic colt named Ah Jeez. Having won twice in eight US starts he arrived in Meydan winning his local debut by 2.25 lengths. It was an impressive win on debut with William Buick on board and O’Neill is excited about the possibilities with this Mark Davis-owned colt.
“He's in the same category as Tallboy. He's another one that we were excited about when the selection committee approved him to come to Dubai. We are pointing him to run in the UAE Derby as well.”
A fourth horse, Slow Down Andy, a colt by O’Neil’s Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist and out of Edwina E has already won a Group Two Los Alamitos Futurity (2021), a Group Three Sunland Derby (2022) and Group Two Del Mar Derby (2022). He also has third placings in the Group One Awesome Again and Group One Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.
He is a serious contender and consistent performer at a top level already and was nominated for a Saudi and Dubai run but as the trainer said he won’t be making the trip this season but anything is possible in the future.
“He ran a big race in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile and we gave him a little bit of time off after that race as he had a pretty long and hard campaign.
“As we were training him up for his comeback race he just came up with a few little issues, nothing major, so he is back in the yard resting up and we are looking for a summer run for him.
“Unfortunately, he won’t be going to race in Dubai or Saudi this year but knowing his owner, Paul Reddam, loving the sport and loving his horses as he does, and knowing he's never eager to retire one or send them to the breeding shed. So I wouldn't be shocked if next year all goes well, that see Slow Down Andy in Saudi and or Dubai.”
A Growing Stable
With a stable of 100 total and six based in Dubai for the season the trainer loves racing in the Middle East and wishes he had more runners to showcase throughout the region.
“Right now we just brought a handful of horses to Dubai. So in Saudi and Qatar and there's so much good racing over there that I wish we had a bigger stable. We have had at times brought over 12 to 15 horses and we're able to spread it out a little bit more.
“This year we're kind of just focused on Dubai with our small little contingent and so far we've been really happy with the results.”
With a decent number of horses in work and six in the UAE O’Neill looks across his yard at the potential still busting to be shown from his stablemates.
“Right now we have got some young horses that we are really optimistic about. I'm trying to think of some of our current horses that we have that are Stakes caliber.
“We have a filly named Awake At Midnyte who is a daughter of Nyquist, she is a Grade One placed filly that we are hoping she can break through and win a Grade One. She’s a horse we ended up buying her at auction and she is a filly that very easily could be talked about as a Breeders Cup filly later in the year.”
At this time of year the key focus is returning to the Run For The Races and taking his third victory in the major, with a horse he believes is capable of truly competing in the race.
“I really think our main focus is on Tallboy and optimistic that he can be our Kentucky Derby horse this year, this is the time of year that we are thinking about that.
“You are going to be optimistic that you've probably narrowed down to about 10 or 15 that you say I hope that this horse could be a Derby kind of horse. Then they start to kind of separate themselves.
“We’re not that strong this year but I just think with Tall Boy, his size and stride, and being by Lookin At Lucky he has the stamina and pedigree. Even mentally even though he is a little bit immature still and he’s still figuring it out, he’s mentally tough.
“Here’s a horse that shipped from California to Dubai and settled right in and jumped right in and won a prep race.
“To me, that’s super impressive and it tells me that he’s got what it takes to win a race like the Kentucky Derby. A race that is so overwhelming and high pressure for the horses you know with 150,000 people there watching and going nuts and they need to keep their composure and stay calm.
“I think he has the mindset and the toughness to handle all of that.”
The question had to be asked, what would winning a third Kentucky Derby mean to this boy from Michigan who grew up knowing there was no other option than to pursue a career doing what he does, the day-to-day grind of a horse trainer.
“You know honestly it would be incredible to win a third Derby, of course.
“But just the day in day out working with the horses and being competitive in any race is something that I always dreamt about, and I can't believe that I'm actually able to live it.
“So as much as winning another Derby would be insanely incredible, just winning a race at Santa Anita racetrack on any given Friday, Saturday, or Sunday is equally incredible.
“The bond you are able to get with your fellow employees and working at the barn with each and every horse. You put all you've got into them and have them compete at the level that fits them, they give you everything they’ve got coming down the lane.
“There is no better feeling than knowing that you are working alongside them to get them to the best of their potential.
“So we definitely want to win another derby but if I don’t I’ll be completely happy with the way things have unfolded for sure.”
Away from the Kentucky Derby, there are other international races that the always competitive trainer would love to target.
“Well down there in your home of Australia would definitely be on my bucket list. You know the fact that it's a national holiday is so awesome to me, I love that mindset and the vibe that must go along with the big day there in Australia.
“So that's a country I haven't been to and racing that I so badly want to see and be part of one day. it's not an easy journey and I know we've talked to a few people about what it would be like to try to take a horse from the States to Australia and you don't see it very often because it's so challenging, but one day that would be something I would love to do.
“Here back at home winning the Breeders’ Cup Classic would be exceptional.
“In Dubai to win a Dubai World Cup would be high on that list also.”