John O'Shea will reestablish ties with jockey James McDonald when the rider's 18-month ban expires next May, the trainer told Sky Sports Radio. McDonald was banned for placing a A$1,000 bet on future Group 1 winner Astern (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro) when he rode him to win on debut in December of 2015 and has twice failed in appeal to have the ban overturned. A third appeal is currently at the supreme court.
McDonald and O'Shea worked closely together in their former roles with Godolphin, McDonald as retained rider prior to his suspension and O'Shea as head trainer. O'Shea resigned from the role in April and will be replaced in the coming weeks by James Cummings. O'Shea will return to Randwick, where he previously trained, and open a public stable.
“My goal is to have a stable strong enough that warrants James and keeps him busy on his return,” O'Shea told Sky Sports Radio. “One of the things that inspired me the most was to make sure I could look after him the best I could and provide him with a significant amount of horses to keep him busy.”
O'Shea said he stepped back from his Godolphin role to spend more time with his family.
“I've got a young daughter; I've never seen her play sport,” he said. “Since I've been out, I've been to all her soccer matches and for me you can't get that back. [My] three other boys, to go to all of their games every Saturday since I've been out is something I cherish.”
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