COUNTY Kerry-born Donal O’Connor (Daniel in Australia) has trained his first Australian winner with the victory of Reef Keeper at Bunbury in Western Australia on 19th March. Reef Keeper, by the Irish-bred stallion Vital Equine (Danetime), won the 2,000 metre maiden and was just the tenth horse O’Connor and partner Lorraine McCann had taken to the races. The pair work 20 horses at their Ascot stables, comprising breakers, pre-trainers and their own gallopers.

A jumps jockey and horse breaker back in Ireland, O’Connor left for Sydney with his young family five years ago and found work at Warwick Farm. “I enjoyed working with Rick Worthington, but the busy lifestyle in Sydney didn’t really appeal to me and I was told Perth was very family oriented,” said the 41-year-old O’Connor who has also worked in Germany, Switzerland, Norway and France. “I was only in Sydney for about three or four weeks before coming to the realisation that it wasn’t really the place for me and my family.” O’Connor was given numbers for trainers Dan Morton and Fred Kersley, contacting the former and landing some work. “Dan has been brilliant and taught me an awful lot,” added O’Connor. “He has a much more relaxed and patient approach to his horses. It’s simpler process than back home where we work horses more regularly.”

On the horizon, O’Connor has Reef Keeper entered for the Group 2 West Australian Derby over 2,400 metres on 8th April and is hoping he can make the field. “He’s still immature but whatever he does he will improve upon,” says O’Connor. “I’m hoping he can make the (Derby) field as he has a high cruising speed and racing against those better grade horses in a Derby will really suit him.”