Speaking exclusively with BOYLE Sports trainer AJ O'Neill has given his assessment of Johnnywho chances ahead of the Aintree Grand National, while also reflecting on the victory of Don't Push i n 2010 and reveals that his father doesn't talk much about his success in the race!
O'Neill has also given his perspective on the softening of fences, assesses if Jackdaws could go to Punchestown , and what he's learned since becoming a trainer as well as an insight into the dynamic working with his father.
Elsewhere AJ gives his tips ahead of upcoming meetings at Fairyhouse and Aintree .
Aintree Grand National
Johnnywho
He ran a cracker in the Kim Muir last year. He was unlucky; he missed the second last, pulled both his front shoes off, and that probably cost him the race, unfortunately.
He did that off 140. He was six pounds higher this year and was able to win the Ultima , which is probably a tougher test, really. So, it was nice to see progress in the right direction from last year to this year. He’s in really good form. He needs two to come out of the race, but he carries 10-4 at the moment, which is quite a nice weight to be off. It’ll be nice to see him go for it.
Don't Push In 2010
Just an amazing race. Very, very special. We'd love to try and win it again.
Learning From Dad? "He Doesn't Talk Much"
He doesn't like to discuss it too much because he actually never made it round Aintree ! It's more something that we like to bring up with him than he likes to bring up with us. Obviously, the fences back then were a significantly different test, which probably required a significantly different horse back when Dad was riding.
It is one of, if not the most awesome spectacle in racing, certainly National Hunt racing. Everyone seems to watch it, you know, it doesn't matter where you are in the country or the world, for that matter, and what sort of industry you're in, everyone seems to have an interest. It's a massive spectacle that people really enjoy watching.
Fences
Softened Fences
It's a funny one, really. Synchronised actually injured himself after falling the first time at the sixth fence, but he got up and kept jumping, and that's when he had his accident. I actually find that to be a good example that horses do love it. It was just a shame that he decided he wanted a little bit more after his first tumble. It was actually when he was loose that he made a mistake, and unfortunately, he was injured then.
It just goes to show that, unfortunately, very sad things do sometimes happen, and people have nothing to do with it. The fences have gotten smaller, and I always thought that might not be a good thing because the smaller the obstacles, the quicker you go. If there's a big, aggressive-looking speed bump up the road, you certainly slow down for it, whereas if it's just a little one, you might not see it or you might just take a chance and tackle it with a bit more speed.
However, in the first year that was the case, there wasn't a single faller. So, my theory was proved wrong. The improvements have certainly helped and especially after speaking to the lads that have ridden it in recent years It's yeah, they've definitely taken all possible measures to make it as safe as possible and as enjoyable a spectacle for everyone, whether you're in racing or not in racing, they've made it a very inclusive race from a spectator's point of view. That’s obviously very important because racing is a fantastic sport, and it deserves all the support that it can get, and it's great to see initiatives to maintain and increase that support.
Jackdaws to Punchestown?
We had a little bit of a slower start with the horses. They were just a little bit under the weather, and we didn't have any runs for three and half, four weeks. But fortunately, that decision has been shown to be the correct one, with them hitting a bit of a purple patch now. Obviously, we'd like that to continue for as long as we possibly can. We’re obviously taking Monbeg over for the Irish National , we should have a few for Aintree and then Punchestown and also for Ayr and the Scottish National. We've a lot left to look forward to for the season. And obviously, with the two winners at Cheltenham , it creates a real buzz about the place.
And then you start thinking about the next one; you're just looking for the next one then, and hopefully we'll be able to have a few nice chances and a few good races at some lovely tracks in some great meetings at the Spring festivals. It would be great to carry on the celebrations from Cheltenham that have only recently stopped!
Training
Summer Training
We've got a few Flat horses and certainly a string that we are looking to expand, but we are very conscious not to do it to the detriment of the National Hunt string.
We are very ambitious and want to grow in size. We’d like to grow both of them simultaneously and hope to sort of do that at the various horses in training sales coming up through the middle of summer and towards the end. That is something that we'll definitely be keeping a close eye on. We will also have a few summer jumpers as well to keep us busy, and hopefully, they'll run well. We'll be very busy at the store sales, and both horses in training sales.
2 Years Training With My Father
Dad, myself, Jon Jr, Mum, the whole team, we work very closely together and in terms of the day-to-day happenings, there hasn't been much change. There was never really going to be. My brother and I have been progressively more involved over a number of years, and we're very lucky that we're supported by a fantastic team to be able to get the horses in tip-top shape. Dad hasn't sacked us yet, so that's a good sign!
Enjoying It?
Very much so. The start of this season was probably as tough as we've had it since I joined the license. But it just goes to show if you just get the horses right, get them all back fit and healthy and keep kicking, things come right. Wilful has been our wonder horse, really. He was our first winner on the joint license up at Hexham. So, to see him winning at the Cheltenham Festival was really special.
My Biggest Learning
Something that I've realised more and more is that you can have the horses as fit as you like, but if they're not happy and they're not healthy, it doesn't work. That's one of the biggest things. You have to make sure that the horses are comfortable, they're happy, and they're healthy. I think once you have that, hopefully things will start going right.
Predictions
Fairyhouse
There's a few that you certainly wouldn't mind having in the yard towards the top end of the market. In support of a British trainer, Nicky Henderson, I’m going for Holloway Queen; she definitely seems to be heading in the right direction with her last couple of wins.
There certainly can't be many questions about her staying. Obviously, she won the National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham, which I thought that was an impressive enough performance. And that was on the back of being a very impressive performance at Newbury when she was a very decisive winner there. She’d be my choice for Fairyhouse.
Aintree
If we can't win it, I'd love to see my brother win it on Iroko. He was obviously quite fancied at Cheltenham, where he misfired. But he was in great form towards the early part of season and only a couple of lengths behind The Jukebox Man and won nicely then at Ascot.
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