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Be warned – this could be a long one!
The thread about notable training performances brought David O’Meara into my mind. Isn’t he amazing? Despite being a relative newcomer to the training ranks, he produced some miracles during the flat season. Particular specialties of O’Meara are buying horses from top-tier yards and improving them by 20lbs, returning jaded horses from other yards to their peaks and winning major handicaps with seemingly exposed horses.
I admire these feats and think he could be revolutionising the game, but am also surprised that no questions have been asked. How does he do it? We’re talking about horses he gets from trainers like Dandy Nicholls, Jim Bolger, Luca Cumani, Richard Fahey and Brian Meehan. These aren’t trainers who often let talented horses walk out of their doors, especially well-handicapped ones.
How can O’Meara continually turn their castaways into moneyspinners? Given the recent scandals surrounding Mahmood al Zarooni and Philip Fenton, is it time for an investigation?
I’m going to pick out 10-20 horses he has raced this season to make my point. I understand that horses sometimes improve for a change of scenery and big owners can let go of the odd Makfi, but those stories are usually the exceptions. For O’Meara, they are the rule. Take a look – I’m very keen to hear some thoughts.
1. G Force
Before O’Meara: Thrown away by Qatar Racing after one semi-promising run as a two-year-old.
With O’Meara: Trained to place twice in Listed company and win the Group 1 Sprint Cup.
Improvement: Hard to quantify, but obviously thought slow enough for Qatar Racing to toss out and improved to be a G1 winning speedball.
2. Louis The Pious
Before O’Meara: Trained by Kevin Ryan until September 2012 to win several races, until seemingly becoming totally exposed as a high-90s handicapper. Career best for Ryan was a well-beaten third in Great St Wilfrid off 97.
With O’Meara: Immediately ran second off 96, beat a 104-rated horse to win a Conditions event, 2nd in Ayr Gold Cup off 98, won Buckingham Palace Stakes off 99, won Ayr Gold Cup off 104, placed in Group 3.
Improvement: At least 15lbs.
3. Custom Cut
Before O’Meara: Trained by Dermot Weld from 2012 to 2014. Became exposed as a classy handicapper or weak G3 performer, winning a very weak Gladness Stakes but otherwise finding it hard to win in good company.
With O’Meara: Started slowly, until going on a winning rampage, including two Listed races, two Group 3s and the G2 Joel Stakes. Ended the season competing in Group 1 company. Trade Storm, Captain Cat, Tullius and Brendan Brackan among the notable horses beaten.
Improvement: Improved on his peak rating with Weld of 108 to become rated 117. Drastically improved his strike rate and doubled his career tally of wins within a single season despite being campaigned aggressively since the age of two.
4. Open Eagle
Before O’Meara: A useful juvenile who seemed to regress at three for Jean-Claude Rouget. Arrived in England rated just 88.
With O’Meara: Immediately made all and won easily off 88 at Carlisle. Went into the doldrums until returning to heavy ground to win at Redcar off 86. Devastating performance to win the November Handicap, a race that tends bring blanket finishes, by 12 lengths – a freakish margin even for the conditions and supposed better ground found by his rider.
Improvement: Now rated over 105 – improved at least 17lbs on offical figures.
5. Out Do
Before O’Meara: Trained by Luca Cumani until April 2014. Highest winning mark for Cumani was 81, placed 3rd from peak mark 91.
With O’Meara: Three placed efforts before finishing fifth in the Skybet Dash, third in the Sprint Trophy and winning the valuable Great St Wilfrid off 94. Ended season rated 96.
Improvement: At least 5lbs – from totally exposed to a horse able to win a hot sprint handicap from a career peak rating.
6. Highland Acclaim
Before O’Meara: Ran four times for Andrew Balding, but rarely threatened before being a beaten odds-on fav on his last appearance for the yard.
With O’Meara: Inconsistent, but notched wins from marks of 80, 87 and 94 before being second in the Coral Sprint Trophy off 100.
Improvement: 20-25lbs!
7. Penitent
Before O’Meara: Lincoln and Listed winner for William Haggas, became jaded and switched yards after just scrambling home in a very weak minor event.
With O’Meara: Reborn and then some. Immediately won another Listed race and a Group 2, later the Joel Stakes (G2), another Listed win and a Group 3.
Improvement: Initially just a revival, then found another 5-6lbs to reach new heights.
8. Bartak
Before O’Meara: Trained by Luca Cumani to win a maiden and a weak all-weather handicap off 79. Became unable to win off 82 and moved to O’Meara in April 2014.
With O’Meara: Won off 80, second to Bronze Angel in valuable event off 86, wins off 86 and 91. Finished the season rated 94.
Improvement: 15lbs
9. Alejandro
Before O’Meara: Trained by Richard Fahey to win three times as a juvenile, but seemingly didn’t train-on in a barren three-year-old season. Levelled out to become an exposed high-80s handicapped for Fahey until joining O’Meara this year.
With O’Meara: Wins off 87 and 94 and still competitive off adjusted mark of 97.
Improvement: 10-12lbs
10. Algar Lad
Before O’Meara: Seemed like a very ordinary performer for Jim Goldie, winning off 72 before struggling from slightly higher marks.
With O’Meara: Wins from marks of 75, 86 and 90, finished season rated 97.
Improvement: 25lbs
11. Saved By The Bell
Before O’Meara: A very modest maiden trained by Brian Meehan, rated only 69 when moving to O’Meara.
With O’Meara: Wins off 69, 75 and 82, peaked at 88.
Improvement: 19lbs
12. Robert The Painter
Before O’Meara: Won on debut for Richard Fahey, but completely lost the plot thereafter and moved to O’Meara a year later rated just 79.
With O’Meara: Wins off 75, 77, 89 and 95, third in the Lincoln off 95.
Improvement: 20lbs
13. Earth Drummer
Before O’Meara: Exposed on marks around 88 for Jim Bolger in Ireland.
With O’Meara: Won off 86, 2nd off 95.
Improvement: 10lbs
A friend and I have been discussing this for some time this season and when there is a big handicap the first thing to do is look at O’Meara’s entries.
Open Eagle was the one though that should spark someone looking into what he is doing, if he simply a genius then that’s brilliant but if something underhand is going on it needs stopping.
So Beloved disqualified from Betfred Mile win after testing positive for bute. Trainer fined £1k and barely a mention in the racing press.
In light of O’Meara’s magic touch with recruits from other yards, surely this merits more investigation and coverage?
The authority also disqualified So Beloved from his July victory in Goodwood’s Betfred Mile, having discovered an unspecified quantity of bute in the horse’s system, making Belgian Bill the winner four months after the event. David O’Meara, So Beloved’s trainer, was fined £1,000.
“I’ve no idea how it got into his system,” said O’Meara, who added that the horse had not been treated with bute at any time in the months before the race. “The BHA have conducted a thorough investigation and they still can’t find how it got into his system.”
It must have got in somehow. he is the trainer if he doesn’t know how it is poor on him and his staff
Given his profile improving horses a find like this will inevitably raise eyebrows. I’m sure it won’t (or certainly shouldn’t) go unnoticed at the BHA.
i suppose (to a lesser degree) you could add Amazing Maria to the list,Beaten of 98 first run for him,went on to win two group ones.
Its not as though some of these improvers have come from ‘poor’ yards
i suppose (to a lesser degree) you could add Amazing Maria to the list,Beaten of 98 first run for him,went on to win two group ones.
Its not as though some of these improvers have come from ‘poor’ yards
I tend to think there’d be a bit of improvement in anything coming out of the Dunlop yard.
This reply has been reported for inappropriate content.
i see this has been added to my post,why is it inappropriate?
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