Summer has arrived!
This weather! In the space of 20 days, we have gone from 7 degrees to 30 degrees, and now back to normal British weather! The heat was a bit of a shock to the system, but has seemed to have calmed down a bit now and normal service has resumed with mid-teen temperatures and some much-needed rain!
In their usual style, our brilliant team handled the heatwave perfectly, all coming into work an hour earlier to get the horses ridden before it gets too hot. As always, there are ice creams waiting in the feed room for them!
With summer in full swing, things have quietened down quite a bit, with many of our winter horses on their holidays in the fields here at Jackdaws Castle or back home with their owners. After a nice break, we will look to start getting them in in July.
On the track, we have managed to get a few winners so far. Mersey Street put in a foot-perfect display at Fontwell to get us off the mark for the season and Camshaft followed up her win at Ffos Las in April with a pleasing victory at Bangor.
It was brilliant to see Crebilly back to his winning ways at Market Rasen and for Knightsbridge to see his nose in front for the first time at Warwick for Brusk and Mark of Salman.
And most recently, it was wonderful to see Pioneer Pete show his tenacity to get back up to win at Worcester for the Furlong Friends last Saturday. He came so close at Punchestown last month and it was great to see him in the winner’s enclosure.
Away from the track, we have been incredibly busy at the sales including a very productive trip to the Goffs Doncaster sale where we bought five lovely horses, comprising of two store horses with very strong and active pedigrees, two point-to-point performers both finishing very impressive and eye catching seconds in their respective performances and a dual winning bumper horse in training.
After a fantastic spring, we are incredibly excited for the season ahead and to have lots more fun with our incredible owners and any new ones! And as always, if you would like to get involved, we’d love to welcome you to Jackdaws Castle. Please email Joe on joe@oneill.racing
We hope you are all having a lovely summer so far, and we will be back in touch soon.
With our best wishes,
Jonjo and AJ
Recent Winners
Horses For Sale
NATHANIEL EX PRADO (GB)
More about NATHANIEL EX PRADO (GB)
Nathaniel Ex Prado Sale Video
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Easter Veil GB
More about Easter Veil GB
Easter Veil Sale Video
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Cawthorne Banker – Jonjo and AJ Racing Club
More about Cawthorne Banker – Jonjo and AJ Racing Club
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Crystal Ocean ex Ask Hazel
More about Crystal Ocean ex Ask Hazel
Crystal Ocean ex Ask Hazel For Sale Video
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Pioneer Pete so close at Puncestown!
Following on from Pioneer Pete’s win at Worcester last weekend, he was mighty close to giving us a Punchestown winner last month too when he ran on well to finish a brilliant second (by a shoulder!) in the 2-mile Handicap Hurdle on the Friday evening for his owners Furlong Friends.
As always, we enjoyed a fantastic week in Ireland with lots of runners and our wonderful owners.
There are some wonderful stories within this partnership.
Firstly, Pioneer Pete was bred by our amazing friend Anthea Leigh just down the road in Adlestrop. Builder Nick Mustoe was around at the time of the birth and saw Pioneer Pete as a new-born foal, and when Anthea asked him to get involved in a partnership, he was absolutely honoured!
Anthea and Nick with Pete!
There is a Coventry City link to the ownership too!
Anthea’s husband Christopher and fellow partnership member David Shortland used to be on the board of Directors at the club. David and Paula’s daughter Becky is now the Commercial & Partnerships Executive at Coventry City who enjoyed massive success this year with promotion to the Premier League!
Pioneer Pete with Hayley, Paula, Lisa, Becky, David and Lewis.
There is an Olympian in the partnership too.
Hayley Price represented the Great Britain Gymnastic team in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. A truly incredible achievement! You can watch her performance in the YouTube clip below.
Of course we had to get a picture of Hayley with Olympic Gold medallist Laura Collett when Laura was in schooling some horses recently!
Julie White, managing director of diamond drilling firm D-Drill, was named the Vitalise Businesswoman of the Year a few years ago which celebrates women’s achievements across the Midlands.
Lawrence Hampton is a Director of Insurance at Canary Wharf Group plc which owns the Canary Wharf estate in London.
And finally, but by no means least, Lisa Rawlings runs LJR Consultancy that specialises in promoting luxury hotels and resorts in Asia and Indian Ocean to the UK travel trade.
Horses on their holidays!
After a long season, it’s always nice to give our horses a long holiday. Some will go home with their owners and many will stay with us in the fields and paddocks here at Jackdaws Castle.
Each horse will have a 6-8 week break at grass, allowing them to relax, unwind and recharge ahead of the new season.
They are fed and checked twice daily, with regular feet and veterinary checks.
Employee of the Month
Congratulations to Georgia Plumb for being awarded our Employee of the Month.
Georgia was fantastic in Punchestown with all the team and horses, as well as sending us some brilliant content that we could share across our social media platforms.
Georgia wins a dinner, bed & breakfast overnight stay at any Accor Hotel of her choice within the UK.
A huge thank you to Chris Ford and Accor for their generous sponsorship of our Employee of the Month which rewards team members with a wonderful experience.
A Wild Lunch for the team
The team had an unexpected surprise last week when our owner Ben Hughes brought his new food trailer up to Jackdaws Castle.
Ben is a local gamekeeper, running shoots in Temple Guiting, Brimpsfield Estate and Lydney, and has just launched a game meat themed food trailer for events.
Sadly for Ben, he had an event cancelled in Bristol last week, so instead of wasting the food, he came up to make lunch for the team!
Ben has also started a Racing Club with a couple of lovely horses here at O’Neill Racing. If you would like to find our more information about his Club, you can find information and contact Ben here – www.hughesco.co.uk/racingclub
Stable Tour at Jackdaws Castle
Our VIP Stable Tours are incredibly popular and would make the most wonderful gift for a horse racing enthusiast.
It’s a wonderful opportunity for fans of our great sport to go behind the scenes at one of the most famous training establishments in the UK.
Your day will start at the stunning Lygon Arms in Broadway at 7:15 am, before heading to Jackdaws Castle to watch the horses on the gallops and in the swimming pool, and soaking up the breathtaking scenery of this magical location.
Depending on the day of your visit, you may have the chance to see our top jockeys schooling the horses or observe our resident farriers at work as they prepare the horses.
Your tour culminates with a visit to our Owners’ Suite where you may have the opportunity to meet Jonjo and AJ for a photo opportunity and a chat.
For all the information and how to book, please visit oneill.racing/about-us/stable-tours.
Upcoming Birthdays & Work Anniversaries
Happy birthday to…
Chloe Cullen
7th June
Alan Berry
25th June
Elli Elder
15th July
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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 joe@oneill.racing.
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