Races
Getting To Know: Jonjo O’Neill Jr
Jonjo O’Neill Jr explains what the Cheltenham Festival means to him ahead of next week’s showcase at Prestbury Park
Jonjo O’Neill Jr explains what the Cheltenham Festival means to him ahead of next week’s showcase at Prestbury Park
Published
1 year agoon
61 winners in total, O’Neill suffered like others of his trade when the coronavirus pandemic halted live sport for just under three months.
Son of the legendary Jonjo Sr, life as a jockey was always the likely route for the champion conditional. He achieved a Cheltenham Festival success when Early Doors won the Martin Pipe back in 2019. A year later, Grade 2 successes aboard Native River and Copperhead followed as the evident clear progression of Gloucestershire native continues.
Already on 56 winners for the year, he is set to easily surpass his total from the last campaign with the Festival looming ever closer.
Jonjo spoke to Cheltenham.co.uk about what the Festival means to him, life outside racing and the important figures in his life.
I was very lucky that I had a lot of backing from dad and Colin Tizzard. I had gained experience from previous seasons when not having loads of winners, which helped me as I progressed year on year.
There’s just no place like Cheltenham. It will be very strange this year without the atmosphere, but it’s the one place where I’d notice the sound of the crowd immediately. There’s so much history to the course and everyone gears towards those four days in March. It’s a very special place.
In the last three or four years, Native River hasn’t run a bad race. He obviously hasn’t been seen as much in the last couple of seasons, but he was very good at Newbury last year and the blinkers have really sharpened him up. It was a shame he couldn’t get a go in the 2020 Gold Cup, although I think the ground may have dried out a bit too much for him. He was very good in Sandown – he loves soft ground, so the more rain that comes for him, the better his chances. He’s very tough, he loves Cheltenham, and you can never rule out a Gold Cup winner.
I’d imagine my best chance of a winner this year is Annie Mc. She’s probably got the best form of the British mares this year, so she’s got to face the Irish runners now. It looks an interesting race, and she won’t mind a bit of cut in the ground either.
Envoi Allen, without a doubt.
He’s an interesting runner. He was impressive in the Betfair, but he got raised to 143, so that suggests he’s still got a bit to find. Appreciate It has been very good and is unbeaten in three starts over hurdles. I don’t think it’s the deepest Supreme that there’s been in the last couple of years, but it’s still very competitive. If the ground dried out for my lad, I would say he has a better chance, and the Betfair Hurdle winners tend to run good races in the Supreme.
The atmosphere, and also that I’m a local boy. We’ve been surrounded by the Festival every year. I used to go to school in Cheltenham and I remember sitting in the classroom and seeing floods of people walking through the streets and up to the course. It’s just a very special place with plenty of history.
Epatante. I’m not sure she was at her best at Kempton, but she was very impressive at Newcastle before. She’s such a slick jumper and has a high cruising speed, and she was good last year in this race. I think she is the one to beat still.
I would say Richie McLernon. He has seen me grow up since I was 10, and has seen a lot of ups and downs for me. He’s the first person I go to for advice and he’s been instrumental in getting me to where I am today.
Yes, I’d definitely like to beat his total. I think my greatest achievement would be if I ever surpassed his season tally of 149 winners. In this day and age, that’s unbelievable going, but it was even more remarkable to do it during that era. I’d love to do that as some point in my career.
Methodical. Easy-going. Stubborn.
I like doing other sports including cycling and squash, spending time with my girlfriend Ava and dog Vinnie, and travelling to new places. Obviously, we don’t get a huge amount of time to do that, but when we do I try and make the most of it. I also love watching any form of sport, especially live.
Dominic Chapman is senior content writer at Low6 with a passion for horse racing. He provides a NAP and NB every day throughout the week on selected National Hunt and Flat cards in both Britain and Ireland. Additionally, he hosts the Paddock Picks Podcast with former Welsh Grand National-winning pilot, Charlie Poste - the pair interviewing and discussing current racing topics with a special guest every week.
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