A legend of New Zealand racing, Dave O'Sullvan trained dozens of champion thoroughbreds and took on the best in the world. A classic old school trainer, O'Sullivan won 11 NZ training premierships, 10 in partnership with his son Paul, while his younger son Lance rode many to victory. Dave achieved Hall of Fame status training winners in New Zealand and Australia but his greatest victory was probably with Horlicks in the 1989 Japan Cup in world record time. The father-and-son racing team had one of the most memorable moments on the international stage, but Dave O'Sullivan established a legacy that has had a significant impact on the careers of numerous trainers and jockeys. Lance O’Sullivan now trains in partnership with Andrew Scott in Matamata, continuing on the great stable name Dave established.
The O'Sullivans also trained Our Waverley Star who finished second to Bonecrusher in the 1986 Cox Plate, dubbed the 'Race of the Century'. Dave believed it was one of the greatest races he ever witnessed, and even though they weren't victorious that day, did return to win the prestigious race in 1991 with Surfers Paradise.

At 15, determined to become a jockey, Dave begged his father to let him leave his job at a menswear store and went to work at the local stables. After six months probation, he signed on for his apprenticeship, serving a further four and a half years. In 1956, he says he attained his greatest achievement - marrying his sweetheart, Marie Davis. O'Sullivan was a handy jockey in the 1950's, riding 125 winners including the 1953 Railway Stakes, a race he would win six times as a trainer. Around 1960, Marie’s father who was also a trainer, became ill, and Dave took over the reins. His jockey career had been hindered by ongoing struggles with weight, so training was a good way to stay in the industry he loved. Dave set up Wexford Stables and started training on his own in 1961, licensed in February, scoring his first winner in March.

Dave's first really good horse was Oopik, who won the 1976 Sydney Cup, however, many fine horses followed, including Mr Tiz who won the Railway Sprint at Ellerslie a record three times and threw out one of the great sprinting runs to win the Gr.1 Galaxy in Sydney. In the 1991 race, Mr Tiz sat well back then charged with an enormous run to win on the line. Dave considered it one of his most exciting wins and definitely the best ever in Australia. A great eye for reading horses, Dave O'Sullvan knew exactly what was needed to get a thoroughbred to run well. Lance O’Sullivan, described it as the “gift of the old fashioned stockman, to be able to instinctively read a horse.” Much has been said about the trainer’s pioneering approach to feeding horses like athletes, and Dave maintains that this was largely a case of feeding them more regularly. He gave (My) Blue Denim an extra conditioning run very late before the 1980 Melbourne Cup, which was unheard of, but he came out and ran 2nd by half a length to Beldale Ball. When Horlicks won the Japan Cup, Dave was 150m from the finishing post and couldn't see if his horse had held on. The owners' animated yelling at the television in the background led him to believe that the influential Horlicks had achieved his objective. The horse also won the McKinnon Stakes and was certainly among one of the best he ever handled.

Dave O'Sullivan was a hard taskmaster and was involved with Mike Moroney early in his career. His style of training is reflected at Ballymore and at Wexford, with the same philosophy designed to get results still employed today. Nevertheless, Dave’s conviction that good looking horses attract good people proved to be true, and always concentrated on building relationships with excellent clientele. O'Sullivan trained 1877 winners with multiple black type and G1 winners, including O'Reilly,  Miltak, High Regards, Shivaree, Snap, Vialli, Nimue and many more. Tough times shared with his wife Marie and backed by a fastidious approach exemplified by the O’Sullivan motto “Even if a horse isn’t the best in the race, it should still look the best”. Dave forged an outstanding career underlined by 1,877 wins by the time he retired in 1998. Dave O'Sullivan passed away in late April 2024 aged 90. His story, like most who rise to the very top of their game, is one of natural affinity, perseverance, hard work, and unrelenting family support. It seems that’s always the secret.

Dave O'Sullivan created a legacy at Wexford Stables that still stands strong today