AJ & Jonjo O'Neill Stable Tour: 2024/25 Jumps Season Preview
Marcus Townend gets the lowdown from AJ & Jonjo O'Neill on their team for the new jumps season.
It is truly a family affair at Jackdaws Castle stables now.
Son Jonjo jr is the stable’s main jockey and his brother AJ has joined his father Jonjo snr on the trainer’s licence for this season.
The new arrangement has added fresh impetus to the new jumps season which the O’Neill’s hope will see Monbeg Genius make it to Aintree for a serious challenge at the Grand National along with seeing a clutch of young horse start to fulfil their potential.
Jonjo snr said: ‘‘The bad news is I am on half wages but it is great what has happened! The boys are a lot more into the modern technology, they are mad keen and it is great to be able to give them a hand while I am still around.
‘‘If they were not interested that would be fine but they are keen and they have new ideas. It is all about better horses and the lads have younger owners coming along.’’
Stressing continuity despite the changes, AJ added: ‘‘We all know we are working towards the same goals even if we might have different ideas how to get there. We are trying to get the same thing, find nicer horses, new owners and win more and better races.
‘’With it being family, you can speak your mind which maybe you would not be able to do elsewhere. The term business as usual is probably right but it is not stagnant energy.
‘‘We are trying to push forward and trying new things. It seems to be going in the right direction.
‘’We have four or five nice hurdlers going chasing and four or five Bumper horses going hurdling.’’
"She has no owner at the minute but we are working on that quite hard. She was impressive when she won the Grade Two Mares’ Novices’ Handicap Hurdle at Newbury in the spring. She definitely doesn’t want very soft ground. She ran a lot last season and was very consistent. Hopefully, there will be a race again for her in the spring when the ground is better."
"He ran a grand race when third in the two and a half mile handicap hurdle which opened Cheltenham’s season. We will probably keep running him in nice races and try to keep picking up place money. He won a couple of races in the north early on in his career and went up a total of 23lb for two runs. He got hammered hard for what have turned out to be ordinary races. He has never really come down. He ran a nice race last season when second in the Welsh Champion Hurdle. Maybe he has scope to go chasing at some point this season but there are a few races we have our eye on over hurdles first."
ASSERTIVE WALK
"He is son of Walk In The Park that we bought at the store sales last year. He is a big, exciting horse who is going nicely at home. He has taken time to fill into himself and he still has plenty of that to do. He will start off in a bumper."
"He jumped very nicely at Chepstow when third in a handicap chase on his comeback run. He also put in a decent performance when sixth in a three-mile Listed handicap hurdle at Punchestown last season and won a Pertemps Hurdle qualifier at Huntingdon in January. He is progressing and we always thought he would go well for a fence. If he can continue on the path he is on, hopefully he can be a nice horse."
"He was probably never really a bumper horse but he won two of them at Exeter and Warwick. He ran really well in the Champion Bumper at the Festival considering that race was really only an afterthought. He is not far off a run. He has done plenty of steady work and has schooled well but he appreciates cut in the ground. He is a big horse and he would be one of the ones we would be looking forward too."
Not sure how good a race it was but he jumped well when winning a 2m 5f novice hurdle at Kempton this month so we are happy with him. He had a good, old blow after the race so his next run will be interesting. He was alright on the flat and he will probably want a trip, something like three miles. He is only a four-year-old so he has plenty of time."
"Things didn’t go right for him but then he came good at the end of last season and ended on a high with a win in a three-mile novices’ handicap chase at Uttoxeter in May. We put him away after that. We’ll be looking at staying chases like the London National at Sandown in December. He just keeps galloping."
"He finished second to Shakem Up’arry in the Trustatrader Plate Handicap Chase at last season’s Cheltenham Festival but he ran no sort of race over hurdles on his comeback at Chepstow and he is just not firing at the moment. It is back to the drawing board with him. We thought he’d run better than he did. Hopefully, he might come right in the spring."
"Won hurdles at Leicester and Catterick last season before finishing sixth in the National Hunt Novices’ Handicap Hurdle Final at Sandown in March. He is due to go chasing. He will be one of the later debutants in the season. He still has a bit of schooling to do and there will be no rush with him as he wants a good bit of cut in the ground."
"He ran in some decent novice hurdles last year and was impressive on his chasing debut at Carlisle. It was great to see how he did it. We have to assess options for him but it was a good start to the season. He is a very lightly-raced horse and we are still learning about him. He does plenty mentally, he thinks a lot about life."
"He was second in a bumper at Chepstow’s October meeting. He has been entered in a bumper and a maiden hurdle at Newcastle on Thursday. He disappointed in the sales race bumper at Punchestown in April and, maybe, the travel took it out of him. He could be alright and we were pleased to see more of what we thought we had at Chepstow."
"After his third in the Coral Gold Cup last season he ran badly at Kelso before he went for the Ultima at the Festival when we were heading for the Grand National. Unfortunately, he struck into himself and got a very nasty cut. That put him out for the rest of the season. Things just didn’t go right for him last season and he had a few niggly injuries.
"We start off afresh with him and it will be a similar plan and hopefully he will make up into a National horse this time. He likes good cut in the ground so we are not sure where we will start off. He could go back for the Coral Gold Cup but that will be dependent on the ground. It was probably a bit quicker than he would have preferred last season and there are a couple of other race options for him.
"He is in good form at home and he is now owned by Martin Tedham, who is our stable sponsor and a huge supporter of ours. We are delighted he has stayed in the yard."
"Won a bumper at Doncaster in February. He has moved to us like Tellherthename and has settled in well. He is a very good-looking horse. We don’t know too much about him yet but he has done nothing to upset us. He has schooled well and should be out in the next month."
"He was fourth in a Chepstow novices’ hurdle on his first run for us. He ran a really nice race. We bought him at the sale where we got Roadlesstravelled and we gave them both the same amount of time. Touch wood, it seems to have helped them out. It is great the owners have been patient enough to allow us to do that and it looks like it will pay dividends."
"We couldn’t find the right button with him last season when he mixed chasing and hurdling. He is temperamental and a lot of things have to go right for him in a race. But on his day he is alright, and he ran well when second in a two mile chase at Aintree."
"Soft ground is very important to him. He won a three-mile novices’ handicap chase at Uttoxeter in March and he could be one for the Midlands National back there again. If he were to win early in the season you could even see him running in a Welsh National but he would probably have to go up in the handicap to get in the race."
"She won a bumper on her debut at Sedgefield at the start of October. She was a little bit green when left on her own in the closing stages but ran really well. She is owned by the Bond family, who are great supporters of ours. Hopefully, she will go to Cheltenham for the Listed Mares’ Bumper at the November meeting."
"We are very happy with what he has done. He won a two-mile maiden hurdle well at Market Rasen on his comeback in October. He will want further. His owners, Brook Farm Bloodstock, have been very patient with him and it is great to see it pay off. He is a big horse and he needed the time. It has made a big difference and we are hoping he can be a nice horse. We will probably try to win another small race with him before stepping him up."
"He won a good three-mile handicap hurdle at Sandown in February and will go novice chasing. He is a big, fine horse who jumps well. He stays well and just keeps galloping. Hopefully, he could be a horse for a race like the Welsh or Midlands Nationals at some stage."
"We were probably lucky the favourite went out of the race when he won on his chasing debut at Chepstow’s opening jumps meeting but he did his job nicely and jumped really well, long and in tight. It is onwards and upwards with him. There are a few different spots for him. Winning a Listed race we have to think about the penalty. There are no firm plans yet."
"He is a really exciting horse and we were very lucky to get him. Most likely, he will go straight to the Greatwood Hurdle at Cheltenham’s November meeting. He has settled in well. He takes everything in his stride and is very uncomplicated."
"He unfortunately unseated his jockey at the second on his hurdling debut at Chepstow but we took him to Uttoxeter shortly after where he finished runner-up. He did all the hard work up the home straight and ran a lovely race. He was only beaten on the line by what looked a good winner. He won a bumper at Hereford last season and finished fourth in a bumper at Fairyhouse which turned out to be quite attritional. He put in quite a good performance and kept plugging away."
"We quite like him. He wouldn’t be too far away from a run. We gave him a bit of a break after he won a Brush Hurdle Qualifier at Worcester in August. He then wasn’t quite right so we didn’t think it was the thing to do to go for the Final. We will start gearing him up soon. He was unlucky to get the handicap mark he did after beating a Willie Mullins-trained horse at Worcester but hopefully they are right and he can progress off it."
Jumps Stable Tours...
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