Dane O'Neill

Dane O'Neill is an Irish jockey, who has won over 1,700 races in Great Britain over a 25-year career, including the 2015 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot.

Dane O'Neill
OccupationJockey
BornCork, Ireland
Major racing wins
Major races
Diadem Stakes (1999)
Cork and Orrery Stakes (1999)
Prix Maurice de Gheest (2000)
Commonwealth Cup (2015)
Significant horses
Bold Edge

Career

O'Neill was born in Dublin, but brought up in Monkstown, County Cork. His uncle was a trainer, and his family had always been interested in racing. He was a skilled showjumper in his youth, and also rode 24 winners in pony races.[1]

He moved to Britain aged 17 and spent his early career riding for Richard Hannon Sr. His first winner was Port Sunlight, at Sandown Park on 15 July 1993. Winners were slow to come, and in his first three seasons, he only rode seven. His career took a step forward in 1996 when he won the apprentice jockeys’ championship with 67 wins.

For Hannon, he won several big sprint races on Bold Edge, including the Cork and Orrery Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Diadem Stakes in 1999 and his first Group 1, the Prix Maurice de Gheest in August 2000. He also won the Jersey Stakes at the 1999 Royal Ascot on Lots of Magic.

2003 was his most successful year to date with 110 winners. These included Airwave in the Group 2 Temple Stakesfor Henry Candy, and another Royal Ascot winner, Macadamia in the Royal Hunt Cup for James Fanshawe. In total, he won over £1.3 million in prize money during the year.

It was five years before he reached 100 winners or £1 million in prize money again, aided by wins in the Stewards' Cup for William Haggas on Conquest I.

He spent a period as stable jockey to Henry Candy. Then, in October 2012, he was appointed second jockey to Sheikh Hamdan al Maktoum, behind Paul Hanagan. The Maktoum partnership led him to the biggest prize of his career – the first Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot in 2015 on Muhaarar trained by Charlie Hills. On Mukhadram he finished third in the 2014 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

By the end of 2017, he had nearly 1,700 career victories in Britain, and became the seventh most prolific winner among current jockeys on the retirement of Jimmy Fortune.[2]

Statistics

Flat wins in Great Britain by year[3]

YearWinsRunsStrike rateTotal earnings
1992060£1,864
19932258£10,901
19945658£27,395
1995333499£300,365
19968074211£544,988
1997617668£493,183
19987577210£539,125
1999667729£864,122
2000323469£345,696
2001636769£723,732
2002708089£723,562
2003110101811£1,339,838
2004749748£948,766
20058690210£749,467
20069494310£713,894
20079293810£651,276
200810994712£1,154,512
20098482910£712,306
2010828659£699,529
20119682612£689,312
20126363310£431,195
20137651515£685,275
20146249613£719,909
20156247213£1,019,460
20163628513£429,221
2017[lower-alpha 1]6138816£634,668

Major wins

United Kingdom Great Britain

France France

United Arab Emirates United Arab Emirates

Notes
  1. correct to 27 Oct

References
  1. "Stars: Jockeys – Dane O'Neill". QIPCO British Champions Series. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  2. Dench, Graham (7 October 2017). "Leading rider Fortune calls time on distinguished career". Racing Post. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  3. "Profile: Jockey – Dane O'Neill – Stats". Racing Post. Retrieved 27 October 2017.


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