Noreen O'Neill, Breeder of City of Light, Dies at 92

Noreen O’Neill, who reached racing’s heights as the breeder of multiple grade 1 winner and successful sire City of Light, died July 19 at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. She was 92. In a January 2018 interview with BloodHorse days after City of Light won his grade 1 debut in the Malibu Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita Park, O’Neill outlined how her passion for pedigrees developed and how she enjoyed participating in the industry with her husband Ted, who died in 2010. "I always loved the breeding and read up on the pedigrees. I'm never disappointed if a horse I'm running doesn't win because I like them," O'Neill said. "We would go to Bay Meadows and Golden Gate Fields on Saturday and Sunday, and every Christmas we'd go to Santa Anita. I never played the horses at Golden Gate or Bay Meadows; I only played the horses back East. "I knew every horse and I'd play only good jockeys or good trainers. Ted only made his money back because I told him who to play." After the Malibu victory, Noreen O’Neill told BH: "I am happy for the horse and happy for the people." The couple’s interest in attending the races, including Santa Anita and tracks in Kentucky, grew to see them begin buying and breeding Thoroughbreds and eventually buying a farm near Paris, Ky., that they named Ann Marie Farm. They bred under that banner as well. Both natives of Ireland, the couple would settle in the San Francisco area and on the racing side would take an initial step toward top-level success with the 1999 purchase of Paris Notion, a daughter of Dehere, for $52,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July Select Yearling Sale. Paris Notion produced some solid horses before a 2013 mating with Quality Road would see her reach new heights. As a yearling, City of Light already showed promise as he would sell for $710,000 at the 2015 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, where he was purchased by Walnut Green from the consignment of Lane’s End. Racing for William and Suzanne Warren, City of Light would follow his Malibu triumph with three more grade 1 victories: the 2018 Triple Bend Stakes (G1) and Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1), before closing his career with a victory in the 2019 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1). He stood the 2025 season at Lane’s End for $35,000. In her obituary, the family noted, "Noreen loved the peace and quiet of the Bluegrass country and referred to this farm as 'the nicest little farm in Kentucky.'" Noreen is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Sheila and John O'Keefe, and her two cherished grandsons, Sean and Ryan O'Keefe. In addition, she is survived by her sisters-in-law Margaret O'Neill, Joan (Jack) Spaaragen, Theresa (Jack) Kavanagh, and her brother-in-law Daniel O'Neill (Sheri Richards) in San Francisco and Lee O'Neill in Canada.