Underdog role no longer fits O’Connell, Lady Shipman

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The last time Kathleen O’Connell saddled a horse for a major event in Kentucky, there wasn’t much hope of winning. Watch Me Out was 33-1 when he finished 18th in the 2011 Kentucky Derby for O’Connell, whose presence was widely noted primarily because only 13 female trainers had run a Derby horse before.

But when O’Connell leads over Lady Shipman for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Keeneland on Saturday, things will be considerably different. Lady Shipman figures as a major contender, if not the outright favorite, in the 5 1/2-furlong race.

“Both the Derby and Breeders’ Cup are very special,” said O’Connell, “but it is probably more meaningful to have a horse that’s one of the top choices. Whatever happens, it’ll be an honor to have gotten to Kentucky with this filly.”

The 32nd Breeders’ Cup represents another highlight in an outstanding career that O’Connell, 63, has built for herself while based in south Florida. Only one female trainer has won more Thoroughbred races in North America than her. Through last weekend, Kim Hammond had sent out 2,067 winners compared with 1,747 for O’Connell, who last year passed Christine Janks (1,693) on that list.

Gender labels, however, don’t do justice to O’Connell, whose extraordinary dedication is widely praised by her clients and colleagues.

“Horses are the only thing I do,” said O’Connell. “Some women collect men or jewelry or cars. I collect horses.”

“I don’t know if you could find a harder-working trainer anywhere,” said Rob O’Connor, a Kentucky trainer who has become familiar with O’Connell and her work through their many winters together at Tampa Bay Downs. “She’ll run winners at you from anywhere, too, from first-timers to allowances to bottom claimers. She knows her way around a racehorse as well as anybody.”

Growing up in Livonia, Mich., in the shadow of the old Detroit Race Course, O’Connell got into racing almost by accident after riding and working with other horse breeds as a young girl. She wanted to become a veterinarian, but various circumstances that included tight school restrictions for admitting women ended those hopes. Her first racetrack job was as a hot-walker in 1970.

O’Connell, never married, learned the racetrack ropes in those early years and now looks back on them with fondness. She eventually took a farm job in Ocala, Fla., while also intermittently training a small stable of runners. Her first year as a trainer was 1980, and she won just 30 races during her first decade.

Then, in 1990, New England real-estate developer Gilbert Campbell began using O’Connell as his trainer, and things really took off. O’Connell conditioned the Campbell homebreds Shananie’s Beat, Blazing Sword, and Ivanavinalot to win multiple stakes, and she has become one of the winningest trainers at her main venues, Gulfstream Park West and Tampa Bay Downs, during the last two decades. She and Campbell reached the Breeders’ Cup in 2013 with Scandalous Act, who finished sixth in the Juvenile Fillies.

She has expanded her stable in recent years, with satellite strings during warm-weather months in Virginia and New Jersey, and trains about 50 horses in total. O’Connell achieved single-season career highs in wins (107) in 2009 and earnings ($2.48 million) in 2013.

“There’s quite a bit of driving and flying involved in staying on top of everything,” said O’Connell, a self-professed “barn rat” who lives in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., while also maintaining a smaller residence in the Tampa suburb of Odessa. “I’ve always been a hands-on trainer, so that obviously makes a lot of demands on your time.”

Lady Shipman, bred and owned by the Ranlo Investments LLC of Randall Lowe, has been foremost in occupying O’Connell’s time and thoughts lately. The speedy 3-year-old daughter of Midshipman has won six stakes while ringing up an 8-for-11 record. She has earned Beyer Speed Figures in the 100 range in her last four starts, all in turf sprints.

“She’s a super freak, a stone-cold runner,” said O’Connell. “I’ve always said the best thing about her is she’s got a great mind. She’s just been a pleasure to be around.”

Lady Shipman will be competing against males for the first time in the Grade 1 BC Turf Sprint, facing the likes of Undrafted, Bobby’s Kitten, and No Silent.

“We’re asking an awful lot of her by stepping her up against the older boys,” said O’Connell. “But this is the ultimate step. We know what she can do. Now she needs to show it to everyone.”

From 63 career stakes wins, O’Connell has six graded wins, none higher than a Grade 2. Clearly, a victory Saturday would further validate a lifetime in the game – not that she feels that’s necessary.

“I’ve met a lot of wonderful people in this sport, and the years have just flown by,” she said. “I feel extremely fortunate to have a job that I’ve got such a passion for.”