Kathleen O'Connell
$1,821,578
2026 earnings
20%
2026 wins
$54,471,582
lifetime earnings
racing Record
2026 Stats
Career Stats
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72
Firsts
2,669
65
Seconds
2,558
40
Thirds
2,393
191
Unplaced
11,545
368
Starts
19,165
$1,821,578
Earnings
$54,471,582
$4,950
Earnings / Start
$2,842
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Bio
Kathleen O'Connell grew up in Detroit, spending a lot of time at Detroit Race Course, and turned to horse racing as a career after an unsuccessful application to vet school. After working as a hot walker and groom, O'Connell began training on her own in 1981.
Kathleen O'Connell grew up in Detroit, spending a lot of time at Detroit Race Course, and turned to horse racing as a career after an unsuccessful application to vet school. After working as a hot walker and groom, O'Connell began training on her own in 1981.
She has since won more than 2,000 races, including graded stakes with Blazing Sword, Ivanavinalot, Fly By Phil and 2011 Kentucky Derby entrant Watch Me Go. O'Connell also conditioned Lady Shipman to a second-place finish in the 2015 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint. On Sept. 12, 2018, O'Connell recorded her milestone 2,000th career victory with Wishful Quality at Delaware Park.
O'Connell won the Grade 2 Princess Rooney Stakes in 2018 with Stormy Embrace and the Florida Sire In Reality Stakes with Well Defined.
