RACING could not have found a better ambassador for the sport than Letterkenny’s Dylan Browne McMonagle who was crowned champion flat jockey at The Curragh on Sunday having flown in from his breathtaking victory on the Willie Mullins-trained Ethical Diamond in the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Del Mar the previous day, so we just have to congratulate the 22-year-old on both initial successes which we are sure he will build on in the future.

A big crowd travelled down from Co Donegal to The Curragh for Sunday’s presentation including Dylan’s father John, mother Caroline and sister Orlaith.

Also in the touring party was Councillor Donal ‘Mandy’ Kelly who supplied the Donegal Daily with a photograph of Dylan and his supporters on the presentation stand, many of whom had been at Naas two years ago when our hero was crowned champion apprentice. In an interview with Racing TV’s Kevin O’Ryan on Sunday, Dylan quietly advertised the Barberstown Castle Hotel of another Co Donegal native involved with horses, and ponies, Amanda Torrens.

Of course, we can’t move on from the jockey’s first Breeders’ Cup success before mentioning that Ethical Diamond was a 320,000 guineas purchase at the 2023 July Sale at Tattersalls Newmarket by Mullins and his good friend Harold Kirk.

In Australia, where most of the racing world’s attention had been centred on Melbourne, Martin Harley stayed on the east coast where he partnered five winners from five rides. On Tuesday, Harley recorded a treble at Eagle Farm which he followed up with a double on Thursday at Ipswich.

All five winners were trained by Chris and Corey Munce.

Closer to home on the flat racing scene, Oisin Orr partnered a winner at Chelmsford last Thursday week, following it up with another at Southwell on Monday, a day before his brother Connor was on the mark at Wolverhampton. Barry McHugh visited the winner’s enclosure at Newcastle on Saturday.

Over jumps, Simon Torrens partnered one winner at Thurles last Thursday week and another five days later at Fairyhouse. Across the water, Danny McMenamin recorded a treble at Ayr on Saturday while Caoilin Quinn struck twice at Plumpton on Monday.

THERE was great support as ever from local sponsors for the BetVictor Festival of Racing at Down Royal last weekend but, disappointingly, there was just the one locally-trained winner over the two days.

Step forward Larne’s Stuart Crawford who saddled the J.J. Slevin-partnered 16/1 shot Jony R to land the first division of the Tayto Group Maiden Hurdle over two miles, one furlong by nine lengths from the 1/5 favourite Kalypso’chance.

Having his fourth career start, and his third in succession over hurdles, the six-year-old Leading Light gelding ran in the colours of his Comber breeder Elizabeth ‘Hammie’ Hamilton, a longtime committee member of the Northern Region of Eventing Ireland. Jony R is the first of just two foals recorded with Weatherbys out of the Milan mare Loughshore who is a half-sister to two winners from the family of Mendip Express and Fiddling The Facts.

The second division of that maiden hurdle was won by the Pat Sloan-owned Blake, a three-time winner on the flat. The four-year-old Zoffany gelding, who won twice on the level for Peter Chapple-Hyam, joined the Noel Meade yard towards the end of last year having been purchased for 125,000 guineas by Kevin Ross Bloodstock at the Autumn Horses In Training Sale at Tattersalls Newmarket.

Back to breeding and last Thursday week, there was a win at Newcastle for the J.P. King and Patrick Turley-bred nine-year-old gelding Do No Wrong (Sageburg - Uncommitted, by Dr Massini) and at Stratford for the Chris Berry-bred four-year-old gelding Taurus Bay (Poet’s Word - Tea Time Tilly, by Shantou). The following day, the Robert Duncan-bred eight-year-old gelding Thistle Ask (Ask - Thistle Lane, by Exit To Nowhere) brought up a hat-trick at Wetherby.

On the flat last Saturday, there was a win at Jebel Ali for the Northern Bloodstock Agency-bred four-year-old gelding Attwaal (Invincible Army - Arjeed, by Arcano) while at Wolverhampton on Monday, the concluding mile and a half handicap was won by the McCracken Farms-bred five-year-old gelding Three Yorkshiremen (Massaat - House Of Roses, by New Approach).

IRISH breeders will have been pleased to see that every race at the three point-to-points last weekend was won by an Irish-bred horse.

Of most concern here, was Global Fortune who landed the Tattersalls Ireland November NH Sale five-year-old geldings’ maiden at Lisronagh on Saturday in the colours of his Co Tipperary trainer Tom Keating, although he did have to share the spoils with another Irish-bred in Spill A Drop.

A son of Soldier Of Fortune, Global Fortune was bred in Co Down by Aaron Metcalfe and was consigned to the 2023 July Store Sale at Tattersalls Ireland by Hillcrest Stables. He is the fifth of eight foals out of the unraced Presenting mare Corona Moon, a full-sister to Warden Hill and a half-sister to the dam of Ballyburn and Noble Endeavour. This is also the family of Mole Board, Deep Dawn and Bob Olinger.

Hillcrest Stables have a consignment of seven foals heading to next week’s November National Hunt Sale at Tattersalls Ireland, a colt and two fillies on behalf of Metcalfe.

At Damma House on Sunday, the concluding six-year-old and upwards geldings’ maiden was won by the Cormac Abernethy-trained, Orán McGill-partnered Largy Star who had finished fourth of 12 in a similar contest at Dromahane in April on his only previous start. The Blue Bresil bay, who is owned by his breeders Largy Bloodstock, is the first foal out of the Definite Article mare Ballinahow Star who won three hurdle races and a chase. This is the family of Shuil Ar Aghaidh and Rawhide.

Winning one

Skerry Hill, who won a four-year-old maiden on his debut at Farmacaffley in February for Abernethy, McGill and owner Wilson Dennison, made his first start since then a winning one also when landing the WTW Willis INH Flat Race at Down Royal on Friday under Harry Swan. Now owned by Ronnie Bartlett, the Order of St George bay is trained by Gordon Elliott who gave £205,000 for the gelding at Tattersalls Cheltenham soon after his point-to-point success. He was a €40,000 buy as a foal at Tattersalls Ireland by Ian Ferguson.

THE 2025/2026 point season in the Northern Region resumes next Saturday when the North Downs hold their autumn fixture at Kirkistown. At the hunt’s corresponding meeting in 2024, only one of the six races was won by a southern-trained horse. There were doubles for Stuart Crawford and Colin McBratney. The former joined forces with brother Ben to land the five-year-old and upwards mares’ maiden with Roy McGaw’s home-bred Gamut seven-year-old Suzy’s Music and the five-year-old geldings’ maiden with Lorenzo, a son of Flemensfirth who scored on debut in the colours of Corinne McAlister. Noel McParlan rode both of the McBratney winners, viz Frances Savage’s Jimble gelding Quiet Account, who landed the winners of three, and James Marley and Samuel Downey’s German-bred gelding Marito. The concluding older geldings’ maiden was won by the David Christie-trained 5/2 shot Important Moment.

AS many readers will know, a GoFundMe has been set up for Ballynahinch native Catherine Robinson who, late last month, suffered life-changing injuries when lunging a horse. Catherine was renowned as a producer and rider of young horses, working with both thoroughbreds and sport horses. She also competed subsequent 5* eventer Black Ice for Caroline McCaldin and recorded two Under 25 wins on her own, Alfred Buller-bred Point Road Mistress. To support this fund-raiser, please see page 98 for details.