Jockey Profile: Dylan Browne McMonagle
From 218 wins on the pony racing circuit in Ireland to becoming a Breeders’ Cup World Champion jockey, the 22-year-old from Donegal County, Ireland, has only just begun.
Dylan Browne McMonagle rode Ethical Diamond, for trainer Willie Mullins, to victory in the $5 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) at Del Mar racetrack on November 1st. Ethical Diamond went off at 25-1 from the 14th post position and remained relaxed and patient under the guidance of McMonagle. The pace was set fast by Silawi (IRE) and Rashabar (IRE), the two longshots on the board, and in the final stretch, all eyes were on the favoured Minnie Hauk (IRE) and two-time Breeders’ Cup Turf Champion, Rebel’s Romance (IRE). McMonagle piloted Ethical Diamond six-wide in the final turn to a clear shot down the centre of the field. Ethical Diamond, the 5-year-old gelding by Awtaad (IRE) out of Pearl Diamond (GER), won with a 1 ¼-length margin, setting a track record at 2:25.45 for the 1 ½ mile turf race.
Ethical Diamond had raced seven of 15 starts over hurdles. Competing in a field with high-quality flat horses, one could overlook the gelding. McMonagle said after the race, “He’s something else. Willie was expecting him to run a nice race, and to be placed would have been huge, but I was quietly confident beforehand.”
McMonagle’s success did not begin or end at the Breeders’ Cup. Following the race, the young jockey caught a red-eye flight from California to Dublin to be crowned Ireland’s 2025 Champion Flat Jockey with 95 season wins. He cleared six-time Irish Champion Flat Jockey, Colin Keane, by eight wins for the title. Predating this accomplishment, McMonagle was the Irish Champion Apprentice in 2021 and 2022 under Joseph O’Brien.
As illustrious as the past few years have been for the young jockey, this all came about because a child from Letterkenny had tunnel vision on success. In the documentary, Five Stone of Lead, directed by Jonny Madderson, the story follows a 12-year-old McMonagle as he competes in a race on the beaches of County Kerry. He was competing against older, taller, and stronger boys. To match his fellow jockeys, he rode with 5-stone of lead to acquire the necessary weight. McMonagle finished fourth in the race and held his own against his opponents.
Dylan Browne McMonagle has spent his life training, riding, and working towards his dream of becoming an Irish Champion Jockey. It has been six years since his racing debut as an apprentice under O’Brien, where he finished second on Harvey Specter (IRE) at Gowran Park in September 2019. He currently has 2,999 career rides, 401 wins, and 651 places. McMonagle has a bright future ahead of him, backed by years of taking every opportunity presented to him.
Ethical Diamond’s run at the Breeders’ Cup was nothing short of beautiful. Mullins said in an interview with Sky Sports, “I hoped for fifth or sixth, but we got stall 14 and came up with a plan that we executed.” The young jockey and the underestimated horse earned their title as world champions through grit. Dylan Browne McMonagle, Ireland’s 2025 Champion Flat Jockey, is a name worth remembering for your next trip to the races.
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