The intriguing story behind how Matt Dunn three-year-old Neil got his name

A promising three-year-old named after a singing great and a respected bloodstock agent is aiming for another win at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

Majority owner and breeder Dr Rob Sheahan has revealed the intriguing story of how the Matt Dunn-trained Neil got his name.

Sheahan said the name was derived from a mixture of Dunn’s respected bloodstock agent Neil Jenkinson and famous American singer Neil Diamond.

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The gelding’s dam happens to be Diamond Fund, whose son is Red Red Wine, a song written and recorded by Diamond in 1967.

UB40 recorded a cover version of the song in 1983 that reached No.1 in the UK and No.7 in Australia.

Neil, the son of Headwater, will compete in a 3YO Handicap for colts, geldings and entires over 1200m at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

The gelding started at $5 in betting markets but had drifted to $8 on Friday, with the Billy Healey-trained Benzou ($2.80) and Chris Anderson’s Lead Me On ($4.60) the favourites.

“I named him,” Lennox Head general practitioner Sheahan said about Neil.

The Matt Dunn-trained gelding Neil wins a Maiden Plate (1006m) at Grafton last November. Picture: Trackside Photography

“Because he’s out of Diamond Fund, Red Red Wine was originally a Neil Diamond song, even though nearly everybody thinks it’s a UB40 song.

“I always wanted to call a horse by a stupid name and Neil was from Neil Diamond.

“Matt Dunn’s bloodstock agent is Neil Jenkinson so it was quite funny, it was a double entendre.

“I’ve even got a T-shirt made up for Neil that says ‘Neil’s doing Neil things’.”

Dr Sheahan owns 86 per cent of Neil, and he reveals there is a New Zealand accountant who is a 1.5 per cent stakeholder in the horse and his middle name is – you guessed it – Neil.

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Murwillumbah trainer Dunn, who returns home from a business trip to Sapporo in Japan on Sunday, is excited about Neil’s potential given the galloper has won two out of his four races and finished runner-up at Eagle Farm this month in a Class 2 over 1000m.

American singer Neil Diamond performs at the Rockefeller Centre in New York in November 2016. Picture: Getty Images

“He’s got a bit of talent but he’s typical of the Headwaters in that things don’t come easy for him,” Dunn said.

“He’s still figuring out things properly. He wants to go quick, then slow down, and wants to go left when we need him to go right.

“But he’s getting there and doing a pretty good job of it. He’s certainly a talented horse and he’s lobbed in the right race.”

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Dr Sheahan described Neil as a “total goof” in his last start because the gelding “did everything possibly wrong” but still finished second under Jake Bayliss, who will ride him again on Saturday from barrier two.

“I reckon if he’d won that race then someone from Hong Kong would’ve been interested in him,” Dr Sheahan said.

“I’ve actually been debating whether I want to sell him. It’s like selling your grandchildren for money, it feels a bit funny.”

Originally published as The intriguing story behind how Matt Dunn three-year-old Neil got his name