Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Odds On Racing's

Trainer of the Month
for July 2008

Kelly O'Donnell

Kelly O'Donnell, a resident of Sagamore Hills, Ohio, grew up under the guidance of his father, trainer Bob O'Donnell--a member of the Ohio Harness Racing Hall of Fame.

The younger O'Donnell is best known for having trained 2005 Little Brown Jug champion P-Forty-Seven, as well as the muliple-stakes winning champion Dragon Again. O'Donnell's stable has won more than $9 million since 1991.

Kelly O'Donnell

Kelly, 50, comes from a family heavily involved in the sport. His father Bob owned breeding operation Hobby Horse Farm in Ohio and was a longtime USTA director, and O’Donnell grew up on the farm and in the sport. O’Donnell’s uncle Richard is a state steward in New Jersey. O’Donnell stables and trains at Sahbra Farm in northern Ohio. He has trained for some of the best in the business, including George Sholty, Glen Garnsey and Bill Haughton.

Kelly also trained the Spring Garden Ranch Horses, highlighted by Stienam, a Breeders crown champion of 1985, whose granddaughter Steinam’s Place competed in a 1998 Breeders Crown. Kelly won the coveted Crown for the first time with Stienam when he was just 27-years-old--in only the second year of the Crown series. He conditioned her for the Gil Short stable and she retired with over $1 million in earnings.

                      Dragon Again on the track and in his paddock.

Dragon Again
Kelly conditioned Dragon Again, who is the holder of the all-time Canadian record of 1:48.2, taken winning the Pacing Classic at Woodbine. The son of Dragon's Lair won seven times in 1:50 or faster and was a 22-time winner in 1:52 or less. He established track or stakes records at Woodbine (1:48.2), Mohawk(1:49.1), Northfield (1:51h) and Freehold (1:51.3h). In 70 career starts over four years, 60 times first, second or third.

Dragon Again won a pair of stakes at The Red Mile as a freshman, and as a sophomore would win the $500,000 Hoosier Cup and an elimination of the North America Cup. But it was an older horse that he really blossomed, winning the $350,000 Canadian Pacing Derby, the $100,000 Presidential Final, the $150,000 Battle of Lake Erie, the $87,600 Pacing Classic, the
$100,000 Nicole Hudock Memorial, the $120,500 Toronto Pacing Series Fina, the $100,000 Rambling Willie Invt'l, the $75,000 Freehold Cup, the $250,000 Prix d'Automne, and the $100,000 Mohawk Invitational.

Now a very successful sire, Dragon Again has sired 7 in sub 1:50; 125 in 1:55; 240 in 2:00; 263 in 2:05; 11 $200,000+ winners, 44 $100,000+ winners and 1 millionaire: 2005 & 2006 Breeders Crown Champion My Little Dragon p,3,1:50.2m; 4,1:48.1m $1,478,811.  He has lifetime progeny earnings of well over $19 million.

                  P-Forty Seven winning the Little Brown Jug and at play.

P-Forty Seven & the Little Brown Jug
Kelly conditioned P Forty Seven--with Dave Palone at the lines--to win the 2005, 60th edition of the Little Brown Jug® at the Delaware, Ohio County Fairgrounds. The victory by the son of The Panderosa for owners Mark Maynard, Kelly O’Donnell and C. Ed Mullinax, was very popular among the Ohio faithful.

In his elimination heat, P Forty Seven and Rocknroll Hanover (Brian Sears) staged an epic battle. Sears sent Rocknroll Hanover hard out of the six hole and cleared the field by the 1/8 mile pole. Sears tried to slow the pace at the quarter pole, jamming up the field behind, forcing P Forty Seven off the rail and into the first over position. Rocknroll Hanover and P Forty Seven raced side by side through the :55 half and the 1:22.4 three-quarters, however P Forty Seven prevailed by a ½ length victory in 1:53.4.

As the $307,277 Jug final got underway, Rocknroll Hanover (Brian Sears) was sent out of the five hole to take control of the field of nine. Roddy’s Bags Again (Luc Ouellette) was parked at the :26.2 and :55.1 stations. Village Jolt (Ron Pierce) was forced to go three-wide down the backstretch to pass the tiring Roddy’s Bags Again and thus appeared to lock P Forty Seven on the rail. Palone was able to get out of the hole after the three-quarters in 1:24 and cleared Village Jolt in the last eighth of a mile to secure a ¾ length victory in 1:52.1.

“I came up with five different strategies (for the final), but that (mile) wasn’t one of them,” noted Palone. “I couldn’t win for nicer people. They (O’Donnell and Mullinax) are my best buddies. Delaware, Ohio has been great to me.”

Kelly O'Donnell's Career Statistics Through July 1, 2008
Year   Starts/Wins/2nds/3rds    Earnings       UTRS
2008        71      13      10      8       $465,969        0.299
2007      235      49      26      21      $1,371,588      0.300
2006      197      37      27      24      $506,714        0.305
2005      212      55      34      36      $1,545,239      0.405
2004      190      46      34      19      $1,063,036      0.375
2003      203      36      34      30      $580,769        0.320
2002      140      24      14      21      $344,348        0.277
2001      186      27      28      30      $394,546        0.283
2000      210      30      25      28      $302,006        0.253
1999      154      28      20      17      $194,977        0.291
1998      175      28      29      19      $1,012,840      0.288
1997      162      24      27      21      $295,957         0.284
1996      141      25      15      15      $155,309         0.272
1995      232      44      30      32      $319,773        0.307
1994      113      30      12      11      $235,865         0.357
1993      180      34      26      18      $226,917         0.307
1992      240      39      36      36      $259,169        0.296
1991        84      25      13      12      $121,164        0.431
Total               594                       $9,396,186