The final week in November brought a shock headline from Ireland, with the news that the successful partnership between trainer Barry Connell and his stable jockey Michael O’Sullivan had ended. The duo are best known to the racing public for a stellar 2022/23 campaign in which they combined to bag three Grade 1 contests, including the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
Generally, when a trainer and jockey part ways, it is due to dissatisfaction with a ride or the jockey receiving a better offer elsewhere. However, in this instance, contrasting levels of commitment to the Connell cause were the catalyst.
Schooling Spat Triggers Split
As part of his preparations for the season ahead, Connell had arranged for stable star Marine Nationale to take part in a schooling session after racing at Punchestown on Sunday, 25th November. Keen to ensure the Grade 1 performer would have the assistance of his big race jockey, he informed O’Sullivan of this on Monday, 19th November. Connell recounts that the jockey agreed to make himself available.
All run of the mill so far. However, on Friday afternoon, Connell noted that O’Sullivan was booked to ride four runners at Cork on Sunday, including an entry in the 2:40 pm event. With schooling due to start at Punchestown at 3:32 pm, the trainer asked O’Sullivan to change his riding arrangements and travel to Punchestown as agreed. Having refused to comply, O’Sullivan was informed that he wouldn’t ride for Connell again. Ironically, O’Sullivan lost his job for four cancelled rides, as the meeting at Cork was abandoned on Sunday morning.
No Bad Blood
The above may read like a heated bust-up, but the pair appear to have parted on amicable terms. Connell summed up the relationship and paid tribute to O’Sullivan, when stating:
“These things happen in sport. We had a fantastic time together. We gave him a chance and he grabbed it with both hands. He did a brilliant job for us.”
O’Sullivan was similarly positive about the relationship and appeared to leave the door open for a possible reunion:
“Me and Barry had some great days together. I’m very grateful to him for giving me the opportunity, and he was very good to me”
“There’s no bad blood there at all. I’d like to thank him for everything, and hopefully, I might ride for him again in the future.”
Flanagan and Maguire the Men to Gain
One man’s loss is another’s gain. With O’Sullivan seeking pastures new, Sean Flanagan will step into the breach as the number one rider. A six-time Grade 1 winner for Noel Meade and Henry De Bromhead, Flanagan partnered Marine Nationale in his schooling session and will ride the seven-year-old for the remainder of the season.
Flanagan will be the man in the saddle for most of Connell’s runners in 2024/25, but additional opportunities will also be afforded to amateur rider Finian Maguire. A full-time staff member at the Connell yard, Maguire has ridden six winners from 32 rides for his boss, including a Grade 2 at Leopardstown in 2019. The pick of Maguire’s mounts this term is expected to be the Grade 1-winning hurdler Good Land, whom he partners in his daily work.
O’Sullivan Unlikely to be Short of Opportunities
The loss of his main employer is a blow for O’Sullivan. Over the past five seasons, Connell had provided the rider with more rides and winners than any other trainer, including two of his three biggest paydays aboard Good Land and Marine Nationale.
However, O’Sullivan rode winners for 16 other trainers during 2023/24, including the powerhouse operations of Willie Mullins, and Gordon Elliott, for whom he drove Jazzy Matty to success at the 2023 Cheltenham Festival. Throw in a blossoming relationship with the French operation of Noel George & Amanda Zetterman, and O’Sullivan may be ready to begin a new successful chapter following the end of the last.
