Under The Radar: Eoghan O'Neill has high hopes for hugely exciting youngster

Eoghan O’Neill watched as settled into her racing rhythm just behind the leaders. Smartly away, she had been a little keen through the early part of the race, but she was settled now, three of the five furlongs of Cork’s straight course still to run, and Colin Keane still motionless on her back.

Angled out towards the near side of the leader by her rider on the run to the two-furlong marker, Jaber Abdullah’s filly picked up nicely.  She hit the front as they left the two-furlong marker behind them, and she cleared away on the run to the winning line. When she got there, she had a lead of a length and a half, which could have been a little bit more.

“We have always liked her,” says O’Neill, reflecting on the performance.  “I hadn’t a whole lot done with her going into the race.  We had been doing half-speeds, but we never dipped her.  We hoped that she would run well, but when she won, we were over the moon. She’s quite like her dam, so she should progress from this.”

For her debut, an experience for which she should improve, it couldn’t have gone much better. She looks like an exciting filly.

“Colin [Keane] was very good on her. It’s so important to have good jockeys.  We’re lucky in that we are able to use good jockeys, universal jockeys.  And they are good at Cork, or at The Curragh, or at Sha Tin or in Melbourne. The owners are paying the bills, they are entitled to have a good jockey ride their horse, and we’re lucky, too, to have very good owners. Mr Abdullah has had horses with me for over ten years.”

O’Neill trained Baby Basma’s dam, Morning Basma. Owned and bred, like her daughter, by Jaber Abdullah, she won over five and a half furlongs in France and she was beaten less than five lengths in the Group Three Prix de Saint-George at Longchamp as a four-year-old. 

That victory was in 2019, during the 12 years that O’Neill spent training in France. During that time, he won many listed races and he sent out Broox, who ran in Frankel’s 2000 Guineas in 2011, to win the Group Three Prix d’Arenberg over five and a half furlongs at Maisons-Laffitte as a juvenile.

“I really enjoyed my time in France,” he says. “And we had some very good times there.  But it made sense to come back to Ireland when we did.  It had been the plan for a while, it took us a little bit of time to get a couple of things organised, but we were delighted to come back.”

O'Neill gained valuable experience before setting up his training operation in France. He worked with Robert Collet there, and with Sir Mark Prescott and John Gosden in Britain. 

O'Neill has also trained over 140 winners in Britain, and landed the Richmond Stakes at Goodwood in 2005 with Always Hopeful plus Silent Times dead-heated with Close To You in the Champagne Stakes six weeks later.

The following year, he sent out Vital Equine to win the Champagne Stakes outright, and the Danetime colt kept on well to score by a half a length from Eagle Mountain and Cockney Rebel. The following May, Vital Equine finished second in the 2000 Guineas, with Cockney Rebel just heading him deep inside the final furlong.

In May 2015, Eoghan O’Neill won a six-furlong maiden at Maisons-Laffitte with racecourse debutant Suits You, whom he took to Royal Ascot six weeks later and landed the Chesham Stakes.

“That was a great day,” says O'Neill.  “To win a Chesham Stakes, to have a winner at Royal Ascot, in my wife’s colours.  That was special.”

A native of Celbridge in County Kildare, O’Neill has been back training in Ireland since the start of the 2023 season. No Nikki No and Universally flew the flag during that first season back in Ireland and, last season, he took another step forward, trebling his 2023 tally and sending out the exciting Tamam Desert to win a seven-furlong maiden at Galway in September.

“We’ve been delighted with Tamam Desert,” says her trainer.  “We galloped her this morning and we were very happy with her.  She’s showing a bit more speed than I gave her credit for.  We’re looking at the Salsabil Stakes or the Athasi Stakes for her.”

The Salsabil Stakes over ten furlongs at Navan on April 26 can be a pointer to The Oaks, as evidenced last year when Ezeliya won both races.  The Athasi Stakes, run over a mile at The Curragh on May 5, was won in 2021 by No Speak Alexander, who won the Matron Stakes later that year.

The Marygate Stakes at York could be next up for Baby Basma.

“Colin [Keane] felt that five furlongs will be her trip for the time being.  And she likes fast ground.  The Marygate is a listed race for two-year-old fillies at York, and that could all suit her well.”

There could be more exciting times ahead.