Lance O’Sullivan’s Queensland Oaks mission with Molly Bloom in memory of late father Dave

Lance O’Sullivan no longer gets his daily phone calls with his famous father, Dave, but he can go a long way to honouring his legacy with an emotional victory in the Group 1 Queensland Oaks at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

Life isn’t quite the same legendary jockey-turned-trainer Lance O’Sullivan following the passing of his renowned father, Dave, but the Kiwi can do him proud with Molly Bloom in the Group 1 Queensland Oaks on Saturday.

The O’Sullivans are one of New Zealand’s greatest racing families, with Dave and Lance combining as trainer and jockey to win the 1989 Japan Cup with Horlicks, while his other son Paul enjoyed a glittering training career in Hong Kong.

Dave O’Sullivan passed away in April, aged 91, with Lance saying he was his stable’s biggest fan and strongest critic.

On Saturday, he gets the chance to win his first Group 1 since his father’s passing, with both Lance and Paul still in the ownership of Molly Bloom.

“We haven’t had a Group 1 runner since he passed, Dad followed the team with great interest,” Lance O’Sullivan said.

Lance (left) and Dave (right) were considered a lethal combination in New Zealand. Picture: Supplied

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“We often talked about the horses, every morning after trackwork I would either go and see him or give him a call, that was par for the course and it has taken a bit of getting used to, not being able to do that anymore.

“It was funny, he would only call us about the horses when things were going bad.

“If you didn’t hear from him much or he didn’t make much comment about the horses, you knew it was good.”

Jockey Lance O'Sullivan with his father Dave won Group 1’s around the world together.

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While fellow Kiwi James McDonald wowed the racing world by winning the Group 1 Yasuda Kinen in Japan on Sunday, the O’Sullivans were trailblazers in the 80s.

“You saw the crowd in Japan on Sunday, how many (44,500) were there? Well there were 148,000 there when we won the Japan Cup, so I have never experienced something like that,” he said.

“I have never ever felt anything like it, just the vibration of the sound, it was a huge thrill and it was a long time ago, I try not to live in the past however.

“(Dave) was 90 years of age, he had a really good innings and lived a really full life, right up until the end.

“He certainly had all his marbles with him right up until the end.”

As the driving rain began to fall at Te Rapa this afternoon, Molly Bloom shone above her rivals once again in the Gr.2 David & Karyn Ellis Fillies Classic to score for Joe Doyle and @WexfordStables 🤩 pic.twitter.com/qqoMW7RaDD

— LOVERACING.NZ (@LOVERACINGNZ) February 10, 2024

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O’Sullivan, who trains in partnership with Andrew Scott, said they were keen to get the Group 1-winning filly back onto a good track, with a perfect week of weather in Brisbane.

“I think the improvement in the weather will help her a lot, she has been on some wet tracks since we got over here,” he said.

“She has been really good for the stable, there are a lot of first time owners involved and we have got a lot of publicity out of her.

“Gate 10 isn’t terrible, it’s better than 18 and probably better than drawing on the fence too, it gives her a chance to track up somewhere.

“The horse at the end of the day, she is well in herself, so we aren’t trying to find any excuses.”

Molly Bloom is a $5 chance with TAB.

Originally published as Lance O’Sullivan’s Queensland Oaks mission with Molly Bloom in memory of late father Dave