Racing abandoned at Bellewstown and Dylan Browne McMonagle hospitalised

Dylan Browne McMonagle (pictured above) was taken to hospital in Drogheda after being sent crashing to the turf when his mount Mosel fell at Bellewstown as the pair were mounting a challenge a furlong from home in the opening race, the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Median Auction Maiden.

Browne McMonagle, 23, has enjoyed a stunning year, with success in Classics on both side of the Irish Sea seeing him complete an Oaks double at Epsom and the Curragh aboard Thundering On and Johanna Walsh respectively.

As recently as Saturday he recorded a 723-1 fiver-timer at the Curragh, while he rode one winner Limestone (Queen’s Vase) and two seconds at Royal Ascot this year. He also landed the Chester Cup on A Piece Of Heaven.

The second race on the card, division one of the Ploughman Bar & Grill Handicap, which was due off at 4.55, got under way around 30 minutes late after ground staff had sanded areas of concern on the track.

However, the one-mile event saw two fallers, in an area seemingly not connected to that which affected Browne McMonagle, but both riders and horses were quickly up.

There had been a slight stumble in the first race in a similar area, and officials subsequently took the decision to abandon the rest of the meeting, on what was day one of Bellewstown’s 300th anniversary.

A statement from the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board on X read: “Having reviewed the footage and considered the observations, as well as the remedial work carried out following Race 1, the Raceday Stewards, in the interest of safety for both horse and rider, made the decision to abandon the remainder of the card under the provisions of Rule 10.”

But there was, hopefully, positive news on Browne McMonagle, with Emmet McNamara of the Irish Jockeys Association, speaking on Racing TV, saying: “I was down there with him soon after he got his fall and our thoughts are with him, please God everything will be fine, he was moving everything.

“It’s horrible and it doesn’t get any less frightening when you see someone like him on the ground like that.

“Obviously he is one of the more high-profile riders in the weighing room, very well respected and very well liked as well. None of us are invincible and neither is Dylan and please God he will be OK.”

He added of the abandonment: “The team at Bellewstown did as much as they possibly could through sanding and trying rail realignments on the National Hunt ground where it was a little softer and maybe a little more traction on it.

“I think after two races where there have been slips on the point of the bend it kind of spoke for itself and it was taken out of everyone’s hands that it had to be called off unfortunately.”

He added: “It’s disappointing for Bellewstown, but safety has to come first and once confidence was lost in that point of the track, I think the sensible decision was taken in the end.”

Bellewstown is due to host a jumps fixture on Wednesday, with a decision on whether that will go ahead taken after a review of Tuesday’s incidents.

A further update on Dylan Browne McMonagle was posted on IHRB's X page on Tuesday evening. The statement from Dr Jennifer Pugh, IHRB Chief Medical Officer, said:

"Following his fall in the first race at Bellewstown, Dylan Browne McMonagle was transferred to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda.

"Dylan was conscious when leaving the Racecourse and is recovering well in hospital this evening. He is very appreciative of the goodwill messages he has received since this afternoon.

"Dylan will be kept in Our Lady Of Lourdes Hospital overnight for further assessment and observation and will be out for a number of weeks but will make a full recovery."