Jockey McMonagle hospitalized after fall as Bellewstown racing abandoned

Champion jockey Dylan Browne McMonagle was hospitalized after a heavy fall at Bellewstown on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, an incident that led to the abandonment of the racecourse's 300th anniversary fixture due to safety concerns. The 23-year-old Irish champion was riding the Joseph O'Brien-trained filly Mosel in the opening race, the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Median Auction Maiden, when she lost her footing and unseated him at the furlong marker.

McMonagle was conscious when attended to by medical staff on the track and was subsequently transported by ambulance to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda. Jennifer Pugh, chief medical officer of the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board, confirmed he was recovering well and expected to make a full recovery, though he would be sidelined for a number of weeks. Emmet McNamara of the Irish Jockeys Association, who was with McMonagle shortly after the fall, reported that the jockey was moving all his limbs.

Following the incident, ground staff sanded areas of concern on the track before the second race, the Ploughman Bar Grill Handicap, commenced approximately 30 minutes behind schedule. However, that race saw two further horses slip on...