Michael O’Callaghan.
A TRALEE man has had a dream start to his horse training career when one of the world’s biggest owners purchased two of the horses he is training.
Twenty-six-year-old Michael O’Callaghan is in just his first full season with a licence and now Sheikh Fahad Al Thani’s Qatar Racing and Pearl Bloodstock have bought maiden winners ‘Aggression’ and ‘Letters Of Note’. Both horses will stay in training in the Tralee man’s yard in Kildare.
Michael, the son of Michael O’Callaghan from Tralee and Sandra Martin from Ballybunion, trains horses at his yard in Crotanstown on the Curragh in Kildare and had 11 winners last year.
He currently has 34 horses in training and is enjoying another successful season.
“Selling horses to such a major owner is a great advertisement for the yard, and for them to trust me to continue training the horses is a huge bonus,” Michael told www.thoroughbredracing.com in a recent interview.
A racing enthusiast from an early age, he spent time with Tommy Cooper in Tralee before heading to Kilsheelan Stud and Castlehyde Stud while taking the Irish National Stud training course in 2008.
He and his father set up Mill Grove Stud in Rathangan and began to prepare horses for breeze-ups before deciding to take out his own licence a year and a half ago.
Michael says he owes everything to his father who advises him in every aspect of the business.
They’re certainly proving a winning combination so far!
To read the full interview with Michael in www.thoroughbredracing.com, click here
