The Jockey Club South West Kalendar Magazine 2019-20

jockeys | changing hands

Left: Jonjo O’Neill Jr

him, but I won anyway so that’s the main thing.” A driven, determined and clearly extremely talented jockey, Rachael’s 2018/19 season has been one she won’t be forgetting, and for many she is a talent that looks set to be around for many years to come. The 2019 Cheltenham Festival was packed full of drama, high emotion and young jockeys making a huge impact on Jump racing’s biggest stage, and was bookended with victories for Ruby on Klassical Dream, his only winner of the week, and Jonjo O’Neill Jr aboard Early Doors for Joseph O’Brien. This was simply coincidental but yet another small sign that the baton was being passed to the younger generation. With the famous O’Neill surname, Jonjo Jr has a lot to live up to. However, the early part of his career was plagued by injury, as he broke a hand while schooling over in France, and endured eight months on the sidelines after a freak L5 vertebrae break in the indoor school at Jackdaws Castle. He eventually returned to the saddle in October 2018 and hasn’t looked back, many in the sport

children of a County Tipperary dairy farmer and teacher. Rachael has an older brother who’s a graphic designer and younger sister who’s a law graduate. Rachael initially planned to become a vet so studied science, then equine science and did a business course before, at the age of 26, making the decision to concentrate on life as a jockey. A notoriously shy but likeable Rachael said: “People say to me now ‘your dreams are coming true,’ but I could never even have dreamt of being a professional jockey – it was so far from what I thought I could have ever achieved.” Her appetite grew when she first took part in a pony race, and in a strange twist of fate beat a young Paul Townend in a close finish. “That was a big highlight for me as you can imagine,” said Rachael. “It’s quite funny watching the video back because he was so polished already – he was 12 or 13, and looked like he was going to be a Champion Jockey of the future, and I just look horrendous beside

believing that he has the pedigree to become Champion Jockey in the not too distant future. There are some fine young jockeys coming out of Wales. Notably Sean and James Bowen, who have both enjoyed lots of success in the last few years, and Connor Brace who, in April, was hand-picked by Nicky Henderson to claim 7lbs on Verdana Blue in the Scottish Champion Hurdle, which he won comfortably with a confident performance way beyond his years. The sport is benefitting from the quality of pony racing, and never before have we had a pool of talent so deep. It’s a hugely exciting time for Jump racing, and the 2019/20 season is sure to throw a number of new names into the midst. The list of future stars is endless, but our one to watch for the next season is local lad Jonjo O’Neill Jr, who we are sure to be seeing much more of in the Winners’ Enclosure at the Home of Jump Racing.

22 Kalendar

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