Photo Credit to Kim Pratt
“I was speechless, and the hair on my neck was standing up. It took awhile for it all to sink in,” said Rob O’Neal, partner in Irish Three Racing, LLC, after their horse Irish Maxima won the Grade 3 Distaff Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack on April 5th. “It was so exciting. We took twenty four of our friends and relatives to Aqueduct for the race, and they all had a great time. We’re so lucky, Irish Maxima ran great, and John Servis and Frankie Pennington do a great job,” said the Pennsylvania resident. Irish Maxima, a four year old filly by Maximus Mischief, won three stakes in a row. On New Year’s Eve of 2024, Irish Maxima broke on top and won the Mrs. Claus Stakes at Parx by 13 ¾ lengths. In her first start of 2025, despite breaking through the starting gate prior to the race and having to reload, the talented filly won the Barbara Fritchie Stakes at Laurel by 2 lengths. Her victory in The Distaff by 1 ¼ lengths boosted her earnings to $516,165. Based at Parx and trained by John Servis, Irish Maxima has eight wins out of eleven starts.
“About twenty years ago, I met my neighbor, Ron Glorioso, who was a trainer at Philadelphia Park. He was always talking about the horses and racing, so I decided to go to the races one day. He introduced me to racing, and I loved the action, and I enjoyed looking at the horses in the paddock. Also, my father-in-law, Jim Murphy, had worked at Liberty Bell and Keystone Race Tracks. Ron was one of the first trainers at Keystone, and he was a mainstay at Philadelphia Park and Parx until he passed away. I had a couple horses with him, but they weren’t very good,” explained Rob.
Photo Credit to Kim Pratt
“I got involved with breeding and bred to Smarty Jones. My partner, Frank Tyrell, and I approached John Servis about training our horses and buying a few. John agreed, and I told him I’d like to buy a colt. We wanted to spend in the $40 –$ 50 thousand dollar range, and John liked one that we bought and named Irish Cork,” said Rob.
Last year, at age seven, Irish Cork won the Storm Cat Stakes at Parx, and this year, the eight year old gray gelding placed in an allowance/optional claiming race that increased his winnings to $566,922. The Pennsylvania bred started forty eight times and won eight races and has twelve seconds and nine thirds.
“We were fortunate with Irish Cork being a Pennsylvania bred that we got bonuses, and he’s eligible for PA -bred races. Pennsylvania has a great breeders’ program. Irish Maxima is a Kentucky bred, so we don’t get bonuses. Several years after we bought Irish Cork, we told John we were interested in buying a filly at the two year old sales. John went to the Fasig-Tipton two year old sale in Timonium, Maryland where we bought Irish Maxima. John went to the sale and called me and told me he saw a filly he really liked. Without even checking with my partners, we bought her for $50,000 which was more than we wanted to spend, but John really liked her. I have a great relationship with John, and I respect and trust his judgment. We went with John because of his honesty and success with Smarty and all the other good horses he’s trained,” said O’Neal
Photo Credit to Kim Pratt
At two, Irish Maxima won her debut at Parx followed by a win in an allowance/optional claiming race at Pimlico Race Course. After two disappointing races in the Frizette Stakes and the Fern Creek Stake, Irish Maxima had nine months off to unwind and mature. She won her first start back as a three year old followed by a win in the Weather Vane Stakes at Laurel.
“Irish Maxima is a great filly. She’s got great heart, and you can’t teach that. Having a taste of these wins is almost like a dream for us. She might run again in June in one of the stakes at Belmont at Saratoga. It’s all about her though. She’ll tell us when she’s ready. We may look for a race for her during the regular Saratoga meet too. We only have the two horses now, so we’re going to be looking for another baby at the Timonium sale. It’s an expensive hobby, and things go wrong, but we are very fortunate and lucky to have a great team. It’s a great game, and we’re having fun and savoring our experience,” said O’Neal.
Cover Photo Credit to Kim Pratt
