Pearcedale trainer Todd O’Neill, 49, had a ‘strong intention’ in greyhound racing from the “time he was born”.
“My pop (“Tubby” O’Neill), who lived with us, had a few kennels and my dad, Charlie, assisted him with his dogs… I was born into the sport,” O’Neill said.
“As a teenager, I helped pop with his greyhounds when the family moved to Tocumwal… I loved attending race meetings.
“It (greyhound racing) has always been in my blood.”
Further, his uncle (Michael O’Neill) was a former Greyhounds Australasia employee.
Roll on nearly half a century and O’Neill’s ‘intention’ in the sport has never been stronger!
He sold Direct Paper – a manufacturer of packaging board, food supplies paper and printing paper – pre-COVID. It was a business he established with a brother in 1996.
“Her career has been a bit stop-start, but the best is ahead of her in staying ranks.”
And now O’Neill, his wife Diane and family are focusing energies on their passion.
A Sandown GRC director since early 2018, O’Neill says “we only breed and train our own dogs”.
O’Neill adds that the genesis for the ‘Intention’ suffix was a dog which had a “lot of drive” and was “real keen” – Strong Intention.
He won 21 races (with 20 seconds and 12 thirds) from 86 starts and $144,020 in prizemoney. A six-time Group race finalist, Strong Intention won the G2 McKenna Memorial and was a G1 Silver Chief finalist – both in 2011.
And, in 2012, he was runner-up in both the G2 Cranbourne Cup and G2 Rookie Rebel.
In the same year, O’Neill purchased SA stayer Uno Lesson – which commenced her race career in WA – for $3500 (from his memory) as a racing/breeding proposition. And she became the family’s foundation brood matron.
“She’d already had around 40-50 starts and I noticed her advertised on Greyhound Data,” O’Neill said.
Her first litter (Mar ’15 by Barcia Bale) produced top performers Royal Intention (three-time G1 finalist), Jane’s Intention (G3 Lizrene Speed Star finalist) and Shae’s Intention.
A winner of nine races (with six seconds and two thirds) from 35 starts, Shae’s Intention was a G3 Fireball finalist and runner-up in the Traralgon Distance Cup and Warragul Distance Challenge – all in 2018. She was also a reserve for the National Distance Championship state final in the same year.
O’Neill informs she was a backmarker in most of her Handicap races at The Meadows.
And now he hopes a daughter of Shae’s Intention – Sally Intention (Apr ’20 by Fernando Bale) – can follow in her mother’s pawprints.
An up-and-coming stayer, Sally Intention (Box 6) lines up in Heat 1 (Race 2, 6.47pm) of the G3 KCR Fireball (730m) at The Meadows on Saturday night.
Sally Intention is quoted at $34 on TAB fixed odds for her heat and she’s $101 in the ‘All In’ market for the $25,000 to-the-winner final on July 23.
Last month, Sally Intention – a winner of three races (with four seconds and one third) – finished second, at $54.50, in the Listed Pink Diamond Rookie Distance final (660m) at Ballarat.
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Two starts later, she took out a Great 8 Regional Series event (545m) – also at Ballarat – at the amazing odds of $74.60.
O’Neill admits Sally Intention – a member of an all-female litter of seven – faces her biggest assignment in the Fireball series but believes he hasn’t ‘thrown her to the wolves’.
“We just wanted to step her up in these types of races and see how she competes in this company,” he said. “Her career has been a bit stop-start, but the best is ahead of her in staying ranks.
“And I’m confident she can exceed her mum’s deeds… Fernando Bale has introduced some early pace.”
O’Neill is a trifle reticent about Sally Intention’s Fireball heat prospects.
“She’s a frontrunner; she needs to jump and get out in front. But it’s difficult to say she’s a chance when her rivals are so seasoned.
“However, she’s going to get stronger as she puts the miles into her legs. She hasn’t had a long preparation for the distance.”
SALLY INTENTION (B2) breaks her Maiden status, narrowly defeating PAPALIA BALE (B8) at Sandown Park on January 23.
O’Neill has plunged some serious dollars into his greyhound racing zeal.
“We’ve spent a lot setting up the property… There wasn’t much greyhound-related infrastructure when we moved in.
“But we’ve since put in a 250m straight track and two 100m runs.”
A keen golfer, O’Neill – who plays off an eight handicap at Ranfurlie (Cranbourne) and The National Golf Club (Cape Schanck) – is hopeful Sally Intention can score a hole-in-one, if you’ll excuse the pun, during the Fireball series.
Meanwhile, Shae’s Intention has a third litter (2 male, 4 female), by G1 Melbourne Cup winner Hard Style Rico, which are 15 months old and being broken in.
“It’s fate to breed with Hard Style Rico,” O’Neill said. “I purchased a Bella Infrared breeding straw from Geoff Collins and then sold the vial to Luckie Karabitsakos.
“He used it on Bella Rico, and she produced Hard Style Rico.”
WATCH: SALLY INTENTION (B6) makes her intention known with a Great 8 Regional Series win at Ballarat – at cricket-score odds of $74.60 – on June 29.
