Reece O'Connell turning life around through racing

By Jordan Gerrans

Up-and-coming apprentice jockey Reece O'Connell does not need to look far for inspiration each morning as he rises for another session of trackwork.

The 25-year-old is striving to establish himself in the Sunshine State while also paving the way for a better life for his young son Mahteo and family.

Before chasing his passion in the saddle, O'Connell admits that he wasn’t doing much with his life that was going to lead to a positive future. 

O'Connell’s boss Corey Geran remarks that his apprentice “did not come from the best start in life” and couldn’t be prouder of the way he is forging his own path in racing.

Likewise, O'Connell acknowledges all the hard work he has put in over the last few years.

“I am really proud of myself,” O'Connell said.

“I wasn't really doing a whole lot with my life before this. 

"So, to look back on it now and see that I've come a long way, it makes me really proud.”

After debuting in September of last year, O'Connell has quickly racked up 26 winners from his Darling Downs base. 

He has been busy on the country circuit and has scored recent winners at Dalby, Goondiwindi and Burrandowan. 

O'Connell’s father Wayne is also a jockey in the Queensland riding ranks. 

Wayne, who is also dual licensed as a trainer, has mentored Reece over the years and the apprentice is hoping to pass on those messages to his young son, who not long ago turned one. 

“My son, he's a cheeky little fella,” O'Connell said.

“But, he's a good reminder for me to get up every morning and do what I love doing.

“Just like the way my Dad showed me having a good work ethic, I'd like to pass that on to him and just try and make the best life for him that I can.

“He does come down to the stables. I'll bring him out every now and again. He doesn't mind coming out and spending a little bit of time with them.

“He likes to have a pat of the horses.”

Indentured to the Corey and Kylie Geran stable at Toowoomba, the lanky apprentice jockey does not live far from their stables, which is important for his work-life balance when he is a young father.

“Racing can get quite physically and mentally challenging sometimes, so when I'm home, I always like to spend as much time with him as I can,” he said.

“He takes your mind away from it all and I just enjoy being in the moment with him.

“He's still only young at the moment, but just being there with him is pretty good.

“He does some very funny things as they do at this age, only being one year old. He just makes you laugh.”

Co-trainer Corey is effusive in his praise for his young charge. 

“I am extremely proud of what he's done,” Corey said of O'Connell.

"He has come from a difficult start in life and has worked hard to get where he is.

“He could have very easily gone down a different path, but he's chosen to make something of himself.

“Reece has worked for us for a couple of years now and I don't think we've ever had to pull him in line once, which is a very big positive for a young person in this career and in this industry, especially.

“He's got some of the best morals and ethics that I've seen. So, we are very proud of him and very proud of what he will do with his career in the future.”

Despite his father being a jockey, O'Connell did not do much riding as a young person.

But, he eventually took to the caper like a duck to water. 

For a relatively tall jockey, O'Connell can ride light.

“I think his dedication and his want to do it was probably the thing that stood out the most when he first arrived with us,” Corey said.

“His drive, his willingness to work and to be able to do what he does, that is what I saw in him.

“You can always tell straight away whether someone's got that natural talent or not. You could tell that he had the natural talent there.

“And, as soon as he started riding the horses here, he was always very good with them.

“I think his personality is very adaptable to horses and he just has a good association with the animal, which is something you can't really teach.”

While Corey and Kylie Geran are listed as O'Connell’s masters, there is someone else in their team who has also been key in the young rider’s development. 

Corey’s father and Kylie’s husband Gary retired from race riding a few years ago before returning to the saddle recently.

In his comeback bid, Gary noted that being around the promising O'Connell played a role in his return to the saddle. 

At the same time, having the veteran rider around has also been instrumental in the apprentice’s development.

“Gary has been a big mentor in my riding,” the emerging hoop said.

“He's always been there to point out a few things and try to help me progress as well as I can.

“My father's another one. He watches all my rides over and he generally gives me a phone call and we have a good chat.

“He's another one that points out a lot of things.”

O'Connell is hopeful of progressing through to the provincial circuit and then on to city riding over the coming years. 

He is booked to ride at Nanango on Saturday afternoon. 

Nanango will always be a special venue for the jockey. 

He debuted at the track in September of last year and rode three winners on his maiden day at the races, which included one for his father Wayne.