O’MEARA KEEN TO KEEP BALL ROLLING AFTER IMPRESSIVE START
David O’Meara admits his impressive start to the All-Weather season has taken him by surprise. The York trainer went into the New Year neck and neck with reigning champion Mick Appleby, and was still sharing top spot with 21 winners at the end of the first week.
Impressive statistics for a trainer who, despite boasting a glittering CV on turf, had recorded a previous best of just 19 in the past five winter campaigns.
“I’m surprised we’ve hung on in there for so long,” he says. “I’ve never targeted the All-Weather before but I’ve had more horses to run this winter and they’ve kept on performing really well.
“I won’t have as many runners for the second half of the season. Some are going to the February sales and we’ll be busy getting our two-year-olds and turf horses ready for the new season, but I’ve enjoyed our good run and while they’re running well we’ll try and keep the ball rolling for as long as we can.”
O’Meara‘s link up with the revitalised Jason Watson has been a feature of Season 9 and he looks forward to building on their fruitful partnership, cemented by his victory on stable star Lord Glitters in the valuable Bahrain International Trophy in the autumn.
“It’s not often a jockey of Jason’s talent finds himself at a loose end,” adds O’Meara, who was quick to engage the youngster’s services following his split with Roger Charlton last summer.
“Jason has been a great addition to the team, coming in and riding work, and it was a big help having him around while stable jockey Danny Tudhope was out injured for seven weeks.
“He’s really enjoying race riding again and being part of our team and with the one meeting-a-day rule there’ll be plenty of opportunities for him here alongside Danny this year.”
Watson’s rides are booked by Chris Dixon, a racing broadcaster and co-founder of The Horse Watchers ownership group who also works alongside O’Meara and his assistant Jason Kelly in planning races.
O’Meara has enjoyed success at most of the All-Weather tracks, in particular Newcastle and Wolverhampton, but has been enthused by the new Tapeta surface at Southwell.
“I called in one day when they were putting the surface down,” he adds. “It was interesting to see what they were doing there and it’s getting better all the time. This time next year when it’s settled down it will be great and I look forward to having plenty of runners there.”
Here, O’Meara nominates 12 horses to follow in the second part of Season 9.
