Dylan Browne-McMonagle retains Champion Apprentice crown

Dylan Browne-McMonagle has been crowned as the Irish Champion Fiat Apprentice for the second year in a row.

The Letterkenny jockey is comfortably in front of Mikey Sheehy, his nearest challenger, ahead of Sunday’s meeting at Naas, which draws the curtain down on the flat season.

Browne-McMonagle was had 48 wins this year, against Sheey’s 26. It seems him retain the crown he won in 2021 when he was also the winner of the Emerging Talent Award at the annual Horse Racing Ireland Awards.

In September, Browne-McMonagle rode his first Group One winner when steering the Joseph O’Brien-trained Al Riffa to victory in the Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes at The Curragh.

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It was a breakout win for Browne-McMonagle on the 9/1 shot.

Browne-McMonagle is highly thought of by O’Brien, for whom he rides regularly.

Before the weekend, the Donegal man has mounts at Dundalk on Friday evening.

In another guise, Browne-McMonagle was a talented boxer and has an Irish title to his name while representing Letterkenny Boxing Club.

In April 2018, he defeated Shane Stokes from Fr Horgan’s on a 4-1 decision to collect the Boy 4 39kgs crown, having been beaten by Michael Maughan from Olympic BC in the Boy 2 33kgs final in 2016.