AJ O'Neill: our English and Irish Grand National credentials

It was fantastic. Johnnywho was our first Festival winner on the joint license with Dad, which was very, very special. Richie McLernon rode him. He's obviously won the Ultima a few times before, so he knows exactly what he's doing in a race like that. Richie gave him a lovely ride so that was a really big thrill for the yard.

We obviously had a slightly slower start to the season than we would have liked; the horses were just not quite well but fortunately they've come back really nicely now. That's a massive plus. So that was fantastic.

Wilful rounded off an amazing day. Obviously with Jonjo Jr on board which was really special. We felt extremely lucky to get one and then to get two really just topped off the week.

He ran a cracker in the Kim Muir last year. He was unlucky, he missed the second last, pulled both his front shoes off and that probably cost him the race unfortunately.

He did that off 140. He was six pounds higher this year and was able to win the Ultima which is probably a tougher test really. So, it was nice to see progress in the right direction from last year to this year. 

He’s in really good form. He needs two to come out of the race, but he carries 10-4 at the moment, which is quite a nice weight to be off.

It’ll be nice to see him go for it.

You can never go to a place like Cheltenham expecting anything, but you just hope that you've got them in the best form that you can possibly get them in, which we felt we had the two of them in peak form and condition, which was great.

The team at home did an amazing job delivering them just perfect on the day. Johnnywho has  threatened to land a big one at a couple of meetings, so it was great that he was able to put that record straight at Cheltenham. Wilful has just been a very progressive horse really.

He's had a very strong campaign and not really missed a beat. He’s been really straightforward all year and he just keeps improving with every run. It’s great to see that we haven't hit a ceiling.

We were lucky in that it didn't hinder us, which is great. Obviously, others weren't quite so fortunate. I think starting very competitive races like that round the bend is possibly something that they need to have a serious look at really.

They're so competitive and the fields are large which is great because it makes for really good racing. If horses are coming around a bend, the horses on the outside, they simply have to go quicker just to maintain that position.

They can't but trot or canter to maintain that position when the others are walking at a normal or even slightly slower than normal pace.

So, that's something that seriously needs to be looked into.

If they could iron that out, I think that would certainly be a very positive start and it would be nice to see some good action behind it. And you can sort of build from there really. Rome wasn't built in a day, but they did start.

It’s obviously a race that Dad's had success in previously. And of course, we wouldn’t mind making a bit more history this year!

It’s a great race that we all enjoy watching every year. We had Johnnywho run in it last year who finished fifth.

It was a really fantastic day, proper racing, very competitive and they paraded some of previous winners as well and we got to see a few of them which was really nice to see how well they're in retirement.

He ran an absolute cracker in the Kim Muir this year and finished third which we were delighted about. The ground was maybe a little bit on the quicker side than he would have liked. A little bit more cut ground would probably help. 

He goes with a nice run just under his belt. He's come out of his race really well as well. I look forward to traveling him over.

He jumps and stays. Once he gets into a nice rhythm, he is a good strong stayer. Obviously, he's getting older as we all are.

But he showed some really nice form at Cheltenham and with the spring weather around, he seems to thrive a little bit more. It’s great to see him in good form and the Irish National seemed like a nice target to try and make for him. Hopefully it will prove a successful journey.

It is a very special race for sure, and we'll be doing our best to take both of them.

We should thank BOYLE Sports who are obviously a great sponsor. It’s a race that gets a lot of exposure and you get to see a lot of all of the great things they do and what they have to offer as the sponsor.

They sponsor the best turned out with a prize of €1,000 which is incredible. That’s serious money. It all helps to make the spectacle that bit better and that bit more special really.

They obviously invest a lot in it. And it is so very important to have good sponsorships.

I'm sure I saw a horse with his tail painted blue for Boyle Sports last year in the race!

I didn't! I wouldn't be fit enough to stay the trip round now.

It's a great few days’ racing.

I suppose the two most prominent memories are of our winners. They might not be the earliest but they're certainly the ones that would be the most set in stone. You try and remember the good days, some great celebrations and it’s a very hard race to win.

It’s a very competitive race and the horses have to be at their best. The times when Dad's had previous successes in it were definitely strong memories.

There doesn't seem to be much space to hide, and there don’t tend to be many hard luck stories. The best horse on the day usually does deliver. In my very limited experience of riding around there, but watching it plenty, it seems to be a fair track.

That's why you have to be at your best. It can be tough work around there.

Hopefully that will suit Monbeg nicely, he’ll get into his rhythm and get into a nice round of jumping and we can progress from there. My brother will be riding.

He doesn't like to discuss it too much because he actually never made it round Aintree!

It's more something that we like to bring up with him than he likes to bring up with us.

Obviously, the fences back then were a significantly different test, which probably required a significantly different horse back when Dad was riding.

It is one of if not the most awesome spectacle in racing, certainly National Hunt racing. Everyone seems to watch it, you know, it doesn't matter where you are in the country or the world for that matter, and what sort of industry you're in, everyone seems to have an interest.

It's a massive spectacle that people really enjoy watching.

It's a funny one really. Synchronised actually injured himself after falling the first time at the sixth fence but he got up and kept jumping and that's when he had his accident.

I actually find that to be a good example that horses do love it. It was just a shame that he decided he wanted a little bit more after his first tumble. It was actually when he was loose he made a mistake and unfortunately, he was injured then.

It just goes to show that unfortunately, very sad things do sometimes happen, and people have nothing to do with it.

The fences have gotten smaller and I always thought that might not be a good thing because the smaller the obstacles, the quicker you go.

If there's a big aggressive looking speed bump up the road you certainly slow down for it, whereas if it's just a little one you might not see it or you might just take a chance and tackle it with a bit more speed.

However, the first year that was the case, there wasn't a single faller. So, my theory was proved wrong. The improvements have certainly helped and especially after speaking to the lads that have ridden it in recent years It's yeah, they've definitely taken all possible measures to make it as safe as possible and as enjoyable a spectacle for everyone, whether you're in racing or not in racing, they've made it a very inclusive race from a spectator's point of view.

That’s obviously very important because racing is a fantastic sport and it deserves all the support that it can get and it's great to see initiatives to maintain and increase that support.

We had a little bit of a slower start with the horses. They were just a little bit under the weather and we didn't have any runs for three and half, four weeks. But fortunately, that decision has been shown to be the correct one with them hitting a bit of a purple patch now.

Obviously, we'd like that to continue for as long as we possibly can. We’re obviously taking Monbeg over for the Irish National, we should have a few for Aintree and then Punchestown and also for Ayr and the Scottish National.

We've a lot left to look forward to for the season. And obviously with the two winners at Cheltenham, it creates a real buzz about the place.

And then you start thinking about the next one;  you're just looking for the next one then, and hopefully we'll be able to have a few nice chances and a few good races at some lovely tracks in some great meetings at the Spring festivals. It would be great to carry on the celebrations from Cheltenham that have only recently stopped!

Dad, myself, Jon Jr, Mum, the whole team, we work very closely together and in terms of the day-to-day happenings, there hasn't been much change. There was never really going to be. My brother and I have been progressively more involved over a number of years and we're very lucky that we're supported by a fantastic team to be able to get the horses in tip-top shape.

Dad hasn't sacked us yet so that's a good sign!

Something that I've realised more and more is that you can have the horses as fit as you like but if they're not happy and they're not healthy it doesn't work. That's one of the biggest things.

You have to make sure that the horses are comfortable, they're happy and they're healthy. I think once you have that, hopefully things will start going right.

If we can't win it, I'd love to see my brother [Jonjo Jr] win it on Iroko.

He was obviously quite fancied at Cheltenham where he misfired. But he was in great form towards the early part of season and only a couple of lengths behind The Jukebox Man and won nicely then at Ascot.