'It's Pinch Myself Time' - Browne McMonagle Crowned Irish Champion Jockey Dylan Browne McMonagle is Ireland's champion Flat jockey at the age of just 22, it has been confirmed. The Donegal-born rider is eight clear of six-time champion Colin Keane with just three meetings left in the season. They come at Dundalk on Wednesday and Friday night before the season-ending turf card at the Curragh on Sunday. However, with both Browne McMonagle and Keane bound for the Breeders' Cup at Del Mar this weekend, neither will be spotted again on the racecourse and so the talented youngster has been confirmed as champion jockey following racing at Galway on Bank Holiday Monday. Browne McMonagle fulfils youthful prophecy It's just a little over a decade since Jonny Madderson made a short film about a 12-year-old boy from Donegal with big dreams of being a champion jockey. Entitled Five Stone Of Lead, the film charted the early progress of Browne McMonagle at home in Letterkenny, where he mixed his love of racing with time in the gym and a budding boxing career. The 'five stone of lead' referred to the weight he carried on horseback to counteract his bodyweight of slightly more than four stone, effectively giving him control of the animals he rode. It was then and remains now a fascinating insight into the psyche of a boy that would become champion and it can be found on YouTube for those wanting to catch up now on that self-fulfilling prophecy. Land of opportunity seized by serial winner Browne McMonagle has been a winner at all stages in his career. He won the Dingle Derby as a boy and smashed records on the Pony Racing circuit in tandem with his uncle and mentor, Adrian Browne. A talented sportsman, he was also an All-Ireland boys' boxing champion and his story caught the eye of 20-time champion jumps jockey AP McCoy, who invited the talented teen to spend time with him in England and he visited the British Racing School to further his skills in the saddle. He was just 16 years of age when riding his first winner as an apprentice on the Joseph O'Brien-trained Jumellea at Navan in October 2019. He rode 48 winners in the 2021 season and was duly crowned champion apprentice, alongside being acknowledged as the winner of the Emerging Talent Award at the annual Horse Racing Ireland Awards. Keane's good fortune hastens a new era Having turned professional in 2023, Browne McMonagle has forged a terrific alliance with Joseph O'Brien, for whom he steered his maiden Group 1 winner in September 2022 on Al Riffa in the Vincent O'Brien National Stakes at the Curragh. This season, Al Riffa provided Classic glory in the Irish St Leger at a time when his rider was seizing his championship opportunity. With the six-time winner Keane featuring more abroad since accepting his job as retained rider for Juddmonte in June, Browne McMonagle sensed his moment of opportunity. He landed on 95 winners for the season, with Keane back on 87 as the pair get set to fly to the Breeders' Cup this weekend. Champion admits it's 'pinch-myself time' Post-racing at Galway on Monday, Browne McMonagle talked to Gary O'Brien on Racing TV and reflected on the magnitude of what it will mean to be crowned Ireland's champion jockey. "From a very small age, you dream of this. Every young jockey wants to be the Champion Jockey," he said. "I have been privileged to be in the place I am riding these horses. Without Joseph and the team there, this wouldn't be possible. "I didn't think at 22 I would be champion jockey, so it's pinch-myself time." Browne McMonagle has never been known to rest on his laurels. He's always targeting the next milestone and has earned rave reviews for his ability to handle the spotlight and deal with the glare of the media at such a tender age. It is improbable this first title will be his last and he admits he is always happy to start targeting something 'bigger and better'. "You start off every year trying your best to ride as many winners," he added. "I was lucky to be Champion Apprentice two years in a row (2021 and 2022) and I always look for something bigger and better. "It was always something on the list that I wanted to try. The winners came through and we had a great year."
