Dylan Browne McMonagle’s G2 Red Sea Turf Handicap victory on Sons And Lovers in Saudi Arabia last Saturday night was the latest evidence that the young Irish champion is emerging as a jockey with the scope to be an international star.
His Riyadh victory came three-and-a-half months after he delivered the 28-1 longshot Ethical Diamond to a thrilling win in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Turf at Del Mar, California, and in the midst of a successful first short-term stint riding in Hong Kong.
His six wins in Hong Kong up to that point was already a good return and his ongoing spell riding at Sha Tin and Happy Valley has not only sharpened his desire to return to the city in the future, but also heightened his resolve to try his hand in Japan.
“It’s very possible that I go back to Hong Kong next winter,” Brown McMonagle told Idol Horse paddock-side in Riyadh after Sons And Lovers’ win for his boss, Joseph O’Brien. “It will depend if I get invited back over, but thankfully I’ve had a good stint this time and I’d definitely love to be back next winter, for sure.
“I haven’t been to Japan yet, so that’s something I would like to do as well. I’ve got a lot of places ticked off in the last couple of years and Japan is definitely on the bucket list as one I’d like to try out, so whether it’s next year or the year after, we’ll definitely look into it and see where the road takes us.”
More immediately, Brown McMonagle flew back to Hong Kong to ride in Thursday’s Chinese New Year raceday at Sha Tin in front of a packed-out crowd, with 10 rides from 11 races, one of those being the Hong Kong Derby hopeful Seraph Gabriel.
Whether Seraph Gabriel or another horse can give him a route into the Hong Kong Derby remains to be seen, but he is keen to secure a mount in the race that makes Hong Kong racing turn.
“I’ve nothing planned for the Derby yet, but a couple of nice prospects are coming up in the next couple of weeks,” Browne McMonagle said. “Hopefully, if they do well, they can grow into that type of horse. We’ll see what we have in the next couple of weeks, it would be great to get a ride in it.”
Browne McMonagle had a taste of what was to come with three rides at the Hong Kong International races in mid-December, before commencing his short-term licence at the same venue on January 1.
His first win arrived six meetings in, on January 18, and, importantly, it came on Flow Water Flow for no less a man than Hong Kong’s 12-time champion trainer, John Size. The next meeting, he won for another champion trainer, Ricky Yiu, then another, David Hayes; he had his first Hong Kong double on February 1, with wins for Size and Yiu, and he has since bagged a win for Manfred Man, too.
“Going to a place like Hong Kong is very tough, so to get some support off the top trainers is very good,” he said. “It has definitely been a huge help getting that kind of backing so early.
“John Size has been a great supporter, he’s given me plenty of opportunities and thankfully I’ve been able to get a couple of winners for him, which is very important. It’s a great learning curve and thankfully things have been going good.
“I’ve got six more weeks, so hopefully we can finish off with a bang and be ready to be back home at the end of March.”
Home is rural Ireland, his prime concern being his role as stable number one to the O’Brien team at Cariganog, Owning Hill in County Kilkenny.
“It’s a very different place, Hong Kong, the whole set-up is different,” Browne McMonagle said. “It’s very tightly-knit, a small community of trainers and owners, so you have to be lucky to get in and get rolling early.
“Thankfully, I got off to a good start and things have continued to grow,” he added. “It’s now about making more contacts, learning every day and I’m hopefully building something for the future.” ∎
