You want to talk old school Rugby League, he can rattle off household names of a rich almost mythical bygone era, from Jeff Gill, Marty Scanlan and Ross Threlfo, we are talking Fortitude Valleys (Brisbane 1970’s), but can also drop in playing friends Paul Khan, Greg Pearce, Peter Ryan and Steve Rogers. Pre State Of Origin stuff but with an easy link to original Maroon coach John McDonald.
You want to talk cricket, he can mention Tony Greig – his coach at Waverley in Sydney, captaining James Packer (“he was pretty much useless”) and opening the batting in the Army team that beat the touring Trinidad and Tobago team that nestled a few useful West Indians.
Army, yes he got from cadet at Portsea to Major, not bad for a boy from St Marys in Toowoomba who can also real off the yarn about the Army cricket team needing three wickets to win in a game against Qantas, captained by Mick Whitney, who needed eight runs, he took the ball and got the three.
There is rowing surf boats for North Cronulla, he was the bowman, the club won the national champions the year he left.
Sounds like name dropping galore, and I haven’t even started, but it’s not, it’s the story, and just some of it, of Joe O’Neill, one of Australia’s most successful horse syndicators and when Seonee - its name comes from the Wolf Pack that raised Mowgli in the Jungle Book series, (Seonee’s dam is Mowgli but misspelt from Seeonee), was his 1001st winner in the Listed Leon McDonald Stakes at Morphetville on Saturday.
O’Neill is one of racing’s typical unique and totally self-made characters.
A sort of lovable Uncle Buck – without the slovenly recklessness and not a bachelor from the movie - married to Maree, a more than useful basketball player he met when on an army stint around Byron Bay (well he posted to Lismore but Wategos was more appealing before Wategos appealed to everyone else too). Always a good judge.
A better than glass half full man, and mostly with a decent Shiraz in it. Good company, a great raconteur and with endless stories to regale. Obviously.
And none with any hint of boast. It’s family, friends and devoted followers. We are talking Prime Thoroughbreds. Not just the 1001 winners, that’s something, next to no advertising, repeat business, word of mouth and results.
Like names and dates of exploits past, he can rattle those off. For the record let’s go – before we get into Joe the man – 367 horse syndicated under the Prime Banner – the comes from prime cut, the best, the blue, white star and red cap, from original trainer Billy Mitchell’s Eastern Suburbs affiliation, which suitably matched Waverley Cricket, “Bill always said Sydney stopped at Anzac Parade.”
But of those - 354 have gotten to the races, 276 have won (78%), and have won over $30m in prizemoney.
But O’Neill, who purchases on his own with still the Mitchell family (Bill and son James) as advisors, not his trainers like Patrick Payne or Kris Lees, is never at the top end of buyers. This is not the place but say Seonee, cost $80,000, has won $400,000 and is worth that again.
His average purchase price for a horse has been under $50,000, their average return over $600,000, like Rubisaki ($85,000 into $1.26m) , Calming ($40,000, “and I panicked I paid too much), It won, $320,000 but its foals have sold for $610,000 and $570,00. Husson Eagle cost $42,500 and won $1.16m, Unchain My Heart just $45,000 and won almost $600,000, Unabated $40,000 for $320,000 and became a good producer. Or Zelady who won seven races for $130,000 but produced a $1.05m yearling.
Zero Drama, Desk Top Lover, Holding, Flying Jess, Fiteusse, Quang Tri, The Cunning Fox, a decent laundry list of Prime winners that started with Cautious Lover at Gosford in February 1999 until Vivilici made it win 1000 this month in Tasmania, which has a clear link in the rich O’Neill story.
But that starts back in Toowoomba, rich racing territory, but as close as O’Neill was to it back then was having legendary race caller Vince Curry living nearby, and a backdrop to Clifford Park racetrack.
“Con Doyle was my great uncle, he had Mr Hush who was a good horse back then. I was good friends with Jim Atkins son John. Every Saturday I’d be at my grandmother’s house on a Saturday morning but we weren’t allowed to talk. She had Three Way Turf Talk on religiously with Bert Bryant and Vince and Des Hoysted and wrote down the tips whilst she was baking cakes and then we’d be off to the track.”
But priority at school back then was rugby league, originally a fullback, O’Neill would muscle his way up into the second row and eventually head south to Canberra to try his luck which would lead to the army and another raft of stories.
But there was a first horse, as a teenager, Young Ruby who would win three. And with an elephant like memory, O’Neill can rattle off the celebrations and more.
“Tommy Sang had the best Chinese in Toowoomba, it was called Cathay Café and everyone used to go there, after the races or after the footy” he said, adding that Hong Kong ex-pat Tommy drove a red e-type jag, was a useful swimmer, and curried prawns and soup were Cathay’s delicacies. “I reckon he lives at Helensvale these days,” he drops in for completeness.
O’Neill was a late come to League, due to an asthma, “I was never a great player, but loved it. We used to watch Game of The Week on a Saturday night, it was black and white, we couldn’t listen to the radio in the afternoon because Dad wanted to watch the match without knowing the score,” he said.
St Mary’s was the league school on the Downs, Downlands and Toowoomba Grammar was union. Jonathan Thurston is St Mary’s Alma mater, but coached by Jeff Gill when he played for Souths was where the valleys link came. “Henry Holloway the coach and Hughie O’Doherty the hooker, they were my heroes.”
But O’Neill had other plans on becoming a hero, despite heading to Canberra pursuing the rugby dream. He would join the army in 1977, he did officer training at Portsea and was eventually posted to Tasmania in recruitment.”
But there was always sport, union mid-week, league on a Saturday. And cricket, opening the batting for the services team playing the New Zealand team in 1980 with Greig as his coach – “he was a brilliant man and became a good friend.”
“But I remember Major General Norrie (who served in New Guinea), he became general manager of the Australian Jockey Club and we got membership for $100 bucks and would always be at the races.”
With O’Neill’s army career coming to an end and a possible posting to New Guinea in the offing, he considered his next move. He was offered the role as head of Tasmanian cricket but a Friday lunch with Pat Webster at the officer’s mess in Randwick led to a meeting with Major James Mitchell, father of trainer Bill and of course the Yarraman Park brothers Arthur and Harry.
And Prime Thoroughbreds was born, O’Neill using his marketing expertise he’d learned in Army Recruitment alongside eventual Ticketek CEO Geoff Jones – “The Army, a better start to your career” for example – so they hit the ground with “For a better start in racing – Prime” or better still, “the trainer that gives the general his orders,” spruiking Mitchell who then had General Nediym.
“I had a lot of energy but it was a much different scene in syndication back then, only Harry Lawton, Shelly Hancox, Vern Rayner really having a go, it’s different now but I just keep to myself.”
“I work 65-70 hours a week at all aspects of it. I’m 67 now and want to work until I’m 75, My daughter Kate and her husband Luke are getting more involved but it is a business first. Not a charity.”
“I’ve probably got about 600 owners, it’s all repeat business and referrals. I buy around 15 yearlings a year and don’t owe, I’ve got three to finish this year and that will be done in the next week or so. We don’t advertise but I’m very passionate about it,” O’Neill said.
So when it comes to some of the issues facing the industry, O’Neill is typically forthright and without need to pay lip service and sing from a hymn book.
“I do agree we need to attract new people to the sport, but we’ve got to stop pandering the two percent or so who will never get it. We have a great product, but it needs to become more inclusive and easier to get involved in, make it affordable to go.
“I’ve got some great young people coming through in our new horses and they love the game but racing is part of Australia’s culture, after the second fleet landed, they started building racetracks and racing.
“Live off that, preserve our history, I love the old race names, but our sport is in good shape and we should be proud of that, those in charge need to listen to those who do know what’s going on out there.”
And to finish our chat, he drops in mates like Rodney Hogg and Greg Chappell to the conversation, playing touch footy with Wayne Bennett, a game of golf with Bob Hawke and talking racing.
That’s Joe from Prime, or Major O’Neill to others.
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