Name: Barry O’Neill

Age: 20

Principle Trainer: Colin Bowe

Notable Wins: Champion Novice Rider

Address: Monbeg, Ballindaggin, Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford

Like most rising stars, Barry started riding ponies at the age of 8. Always having an interest in horses he started hunting and show jumping at first and this gave him a taste for the horse industry. Barry hails from a horse area in Wexford where trainers in Ballindaggin include Sean Doyle and Colin Bowe. Never one to shy away from hard work, he started working with Colin Bowe during his school summer breaks and school holidays. Helping out in the daily chores of a yard is something that cannot be taught easily and this experience was massive for him. During this period in Colin's, Barry gained loads of experience there breaking and riding horses and he continued there until he was 16.

It was this time spent at Colin’s learning the ropes that he then decided to take things more serious. At 16 he left school to join notable Wexford trainer Paul Nolan stable. It was here at Paul Nolan’s where Barry decided to get his licence, upon receiving his riding license Barry got my first ride under rules with a Sean Doyle ride in the 05/06 point to point season. Six months later Paul was brave enough to give Barry his first ride on the track.

After only 7 rides on track Barry was lucky to ride his first winner “Shanrika” in Downpatrick. In Barry’s words “the first win is always the best and most enjoyable. To get of the mark after only 7 rides is something that will always be etched into my memory”. Barry continued working with Paul for three more years where Paul was very good to Barry as he allowed him to saddle and ride all his bumper horses including 12 winners on track. While in Paul’s, Barry also continued to ride point to points for Sean Doyle and Colin Bowe.

At the tender age of 19, and after working in Paul’s yard for 3 years, Barry decided that he wanted to take up P2P full time and joined Colin Bowe’s P2P yard as stable jockey in the summer of 08. During the 08/09 seasons Barry got most of his experience with over 150 rides and was even lucky enough to have 27 winners (21 winners for Colin Bowe, 4 for Sean Doyle, 1 for Aidan Fitzgerald and 1 for Owen griffin), which enabled him to win champion novice, jockey title. Previous winners of this title include Adrian Maguire, Timmy Murphy, Andrew McNamara, Davy Russell, Derek O’Connor and John Thomas McNamara. Barry O’Neill's total of 27 winners left him as the third highest novice rider of all time behind Davy Russell (36) and Derek O’Connor (28)

It was during the 08/09 season that Barry and CoPa Ireland approached each other to come up with a sponsorship deal (one an ambitious young up and coming jockey and the other a young ambitious equine nutritional company). The comparisons are there to be seen. It is hoped that Barry will continue to ride more winners this year and CoPa Ireland wishes him all the best for the 09/10 season.

Statistics:
08/09 Season – 27 Point-to-Point winners
07/08 – 5 Point-to-Point winners
06/07 – 6 Point-to-Point winners
Track Win - 14 winners on the track.

Career total to date - 52 winners.