Tonkinese gets Dylan back with a win

DYLAN Browne McMonagle returned to winning ways at Dundalk last Friday when landing the extended 10-furlong claimer on the 11/4 shot Tonkinese. The eight-year-old Authorized gelding was trained by the rider’s boss, Joseph O’Brien, until being claimed by Aengus King.

Browne McMonagle was riding his first winner since early November having missed much of the intervening period due to injuries sustained in a car crash. Interviewed on Racing TV, the Co Donegal-born apprentice revealed that he had broken his nose, his jaw on both sides, a foot, shoulder and a few teeth in the crash.

During that interview, Dylan paid tribute to the IHRB’s senior medical officer, Dr Jennifer Pugh, for her help on the road to recovery.

“We’re out the other side of it and, hopefully, we’ll learn from it,” he concluded.

In Britain, Darragh Keenan is flying the flag for the Atlantic seaboard with the Co Sligo-born jockey being in demand on the all-weather tracks, riding a winner at Lingfield on both Friday and Saturday last.

In the warmer climes of Dubai, Co Down native Patsy Cosgrave was successful in a mile handicap at Meydan on Saturday on the 20/1 shot Mystery Land, a five-year-old Godolphin-bred Sea The Stars gelding.

THE Ballyconnell, Co Cavan-headquartered firm QuinnBet sponsored the nine-race card of jumpers’ bumpers on the Tapeta surface at Newcastle on Tuesday when Brian Hughes recorded win number 97 of the season in the fourth of eight extended two-mile contests.

The reigning British champion jump jockey, who rode in all nine races and finished second twice and third once, scored on board the Donald McCain-trained 5/6 favourite Mackenberg.

The German-bred gelding, who is by the Burgage Stud-based Jukebox Jury, had unseated early at Monksgrange and had fallen at the last when in with every chance at Courtown on two starts as a four-year-old for Donnchadh Doyle in the spring of 2019.

The bay had obviously done enough to impress on that second outing as he changed hands for £90,000 at Cheltenham that April. Prior to Tuesday, Mackenberg had already provided Hughes with a win in a bumper at Carlisle in December 2019, returning to that Cumbrian track to score over hurdles in October last year.