| Dane O'Neill | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Jockey |
| Born | 1 August 1975 Dublin, 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 | |
Dane O'Neill (born 1 August 1975)[1] is a retired Irishjockey, who won over 1,800 races inGreat Britain over a 25-year career, including the 2015Commonwealth Cup atRoyal Ascot.
O'Neill was born inDublin, but brought up inMonkstown,County Cork. His uncle was a trainer, and his family had always been interested in racing. He was a skilledshowjumper in his youth, and also rode 24 winners in pony races.[2]
He moved to Britain aged 17 and spent his early career riding forRichard Hannon Sr. His first winner was Port Sunlight, atSandown 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 theapprentice jockeys’ championship with 67 wins.
For Hannon, he won several big sprint races on Bold Edge, including theCork and Orrery Stakes atRoyal Ascot and theDiadem Stakes in 1999 and his firstGroup 1, thePrix Maurice de Gheest in August 2000. He also won theJersey Stakes at the 1999 Royal Ascot on Lots of Magic.
2003 was his most successful year with 110 winners. These included Airwave in the Group 2Temple Stakes for Henry Candy, and anotherRoyal Ascot winner, Macadamia in theRoyal Hunt Cup forJames 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 theStewards' Cup forWilliam Haggas on Conquest I.
He spent a period as stable jockey to Henry Candy. Then, in October 2012, he was appointed second jockey toSheikh Hamdan al Maktoum, behind Paul Hanagan. The Maktoum partnership led him to the biggest prize of his career – the firstCommonwealth Cup atRoyal Ascot in 2015 onMuhaarar trained by Charlie Hills. On Mukhadram he finished third in the 2014King 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 ofJimmy Fortune.[3]
O'Neill announced his retirement from riding in March 2024. He had suffered serious injuries in a fall atWolverhampton in July 2023 and was forced to retire on medical grounds. He rode 1,889 winners in Great Britain.[1]
Flat wins in Great Britain by year[4]
| Year | Wins | Runs | Strike rate | Total earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 0 | 6 | 0 | £1,864 |
| 1993 | 2 | 25 | 8 | £10,901 |
| 1994 | 5 | 65 | 8 | £27,395 |
| 1995 | 33 | 349 | 9 | £300,365 |
| 1996 | 80 | 742 | 11 | £544,988 |
| 1997 | 61 | 766 | 8 | £493,183 |
| 1998 | 75 | 772 | 10 | £539,125 |
| 1999 | 66 | 772 | 9 | £864,122 |
| 2000 | 32 | 346 | 9 | £345,696 |
| 2001 | 63 | 676 | 9 | £723,732 |
| 2002 | 70 | 808 | 9 | £723,562 |
| 2003 | 110 | 1018 | 11 | £1,339,838 |
| 2004 | 74 | 974 | 8 | £948,766 |
| 2005 | 86 | 902 | 10 | £749,467 |
| 2006 | 94 | 943 | 10 | £713,894 |
| 2007 | 92 | 938 | 10 | £651,276 |
| 2008 | 109 | 947 | 12 | £1,154,512 |
| 2009 | 84 | 829 | 10 | £712,306 |
| 2010 | 82 | 865 | 9 | £699,529 |
| 2011 | 96 | 826 | 12 | £689,312 |
| 2012 | 63 | 633 | 10 | £431,195 |
| 2013 | 76 | 515 | 15 | £685,275 |
| 2014 | 62 | 496 | 13 | £719,909 |
| 2015 | 62 | 472 | 13 | £1,019,460 |
| 2016 | 36 | 285 | 13 | £429,221 |
| 2017[a] | 61 | 388 | 16 | £634,668 |
Great Britain
France
United Arab Emirates