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03 Feb 2026
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03 Feb 2026
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OVERALL DONEGAL SPORTS STAR 2025
The Winner of the Overall 2025 Donegal Sports Star Award is Dylan Browne McMonagle, Letterkenny
Unfortunately Dylan couldn't be present as he is currently racing on the prestigious Hong Kong circuit for the first time where he already has had a couple of winners. His father John came up and accepted the award on his behalf.
What a sporting year it has been for the 22-year-old Letterkenny jockey. Indeed what an amazing horseracing career journey it's been since winning the Dingle Derby in 2015 as a 12-year-old. At 16 Dylan became an apprentice jockey with trainer Joseph O’Brien in Kilkenny and went on to be crowned National apprentice champion in 2021 and 2022. Those successes led to him becoming a professional jockey just three years ago.
2025 was however undoubtedly Dylan’s most successful year to date claiming the Irish Senior Flat Jockey title for the first time after 95 winners. Then on November 1st to top off a brilliant season he really signalled his arrival on the world stage with an unexpected win in the elite Breeders Cup Turf event in California for legendary trainer Willie Mullins. The unfancied 25/1 shot Ethical Diamond earned the Mullins team a cool 2.9 million dollars.
Dylan becomes only the third person to win the Overall Award back-to-back following in the footsteps of Billy Bourne (1990-91) and Mark English (2014-15).
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