Jonjo O'Neill and his son AJ are assembling a Flat racing squad at Jackdaws Castle, a new venture revealed during this week's Goffs Orby sale in Ireland. The move marks a change of approach for the yard, which remains primarily focused on National Hunt horses.
New Flat venture at Jackdaws
Jonjo O'Neill, a familiar figure at the sales, previously trained Gipsy Fiddler to win the Windsor Castle at Royal Ascot in 1990 under Pat Eddery. However, it has been some time since the stable had a dedicated Flat team.
AJ O'Neill explained the reasoning behind the expansion: "Diversification and variety is important in the current market." He added: "Our principle focus remains National Hunt horses – and indeed some of our Flat yearling purchases will end up jumping in time – but we're looking at all angles."
Sales strategy and ambitions
The O'Neills have been inspecting sprinting types at the sales, with a specific goal in mind. "Dad is keen to try and win the Windsor Castle again!" AJ said.
He noted that while they have previously bought horses off the Flat at horses-in-training sales, they now hope to source young horses to progress through the ranks at Jackdaws.
Arc weekend preview
Meanwhile, attention turns to Sunday's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp. Trainers are monitoring the weather, with George Scott checking rain forecasts for Bay City Roller, while William Haggas is hoping conditions suit Maltese Cross.
Kalpana, who is unaffected by the weather, is tipped to round off a strong season for Juddmonte and Andrew Balding.
