Tag Archives: Mark McDonagh

A talented Cratloe jockey, who enjoyed a “fairytale” Cheltenham victory, features in a new television series on RTE One. Mark McDonagh (22), who rode a winner at the 2022 Cheltenham Festival, appeared on the fourth episode of “My Uni Life”, and will return on the seventh episode on Friday, March 29. This new series shines a spotlight on a diverse range of students and staff with interesting subject matters. The programme-makers contacted the Sports Department at the University of Limerick where Mark was studying Accountancy and Finance and the sports scholarship student was put forward by Noreen O’Connell. Filming took place at UL, Michael Hourigan’s yard in Patrickswell, and a race in Wexford Racecourse. Mark rode his first winner at the Cheltenham Festival on the Joseph O’Brien-trained Banbridge in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle, the last race on the final day of the 2022 meeting. His success meant that all seven races on the day were won by …

What an unbelievable time of it 20-year-old Cratloe jockey Mark McDonagh has had in the past week! Tipped by many shrewd judges as a rider to keep an eye on, McDonagh certainly wrote his name in lights when bagging his first Cheltenham winner aboard Banbridge in the final race of the 2022 Festival, the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle, last Friday. Banbridge completes the festival for 2022 and gives the Irish 7 winners on the day🍀🍀 He gives Joseph O’Brien another festival winner and he’s proving to be an excellent dual purpose trainer and has some career ahead of him👀#CheltenhamFestival pic.twitter.com/Xoejw79Mt3 — Grant James Thomas🧲 (@Grant_Some92) March 18, 2022 A glorious 96 hours for McDonagh, whose grandad, Michael, is a very successful trainer, began in Down Royal on St Patrick’s Day where his guided Roi Mage (13/2) to victory in the featured Bluegrass Stamm 30 Chase for Dublin trainer Patrick Griffin. It was on to Prestbury Park then for …