‘If Frankie gives him s**t he can knock him out!’ – Teen jockey Dettori branded a ‘disgrace’ hits the big time
MOST kids at 12 don’t have a clue what they want to do when they’re older.
But by that age Dylan Browne McMonagle already had a documentary about him predicting he’d be the next big thing in horse racing.
Just seven years on he has reached those heights thanks to a first Group 1 victory – despite being branded a ‘disgrace’ by Frankie Dettori.
Group 1s are like the Premier League of racing, the best it gets and, crucially for trainers and owners, the races with the most money.
McMonagle hit the big time on 9-1 Al Riffa at the Curragh last weekend.
The Joseph O’Brien-trained two-year-old smashed odds-on fav Aesop’s Fables to land a £202,000 payday in the Vincent O’Brien National Stakes.
Dettori wasn’t racing in Ireland that day – he was busy getting demoted in the St Leger – but the two had a nasty bust-up on Champions Day at Ascot last October.
The world’s most famous jockey, 51, lashed out at his rival over tactics in the Long Distance Cup.
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After finishing third on Stradivarius, Dettori fumed: “It was a disgrace.
“The kid [Dylan Browne McMonagle on Baron Samedi] in front of me did everything possible to get me beat.”
Dettori later called McMonagle to apologise for his outburst – but the whole thing barely seemed to faze the teenager.
And he has his ‘iron’ mentality – not to mention rigorous boxing sessions as a little kid – to thank for that.
Speaking of the jockey’s winning ride on Al Riffa, ITV Racing pundit Kevin Blake told the Weighed-In Betfair podcast: “He’s only 19 and it was a big, big opportunity for him.
“You wouldn’t have known it because he rode with loads of confidence.
“He’s still just a young guy, but he has been considered a prodigy since he was a child.
“National Geographic made a documentary about him when he was 12! It’s called Five Stone of Lead.
“Despite all that attention – and I don’t like kids getting that attention publicly so young – mentally, he’s iron.
“He didn’t let it affect him and he’s only going one way.”
That’s when co-host Tony Calvin butted in to say: “And now if Frankie gives him s**t he can knock him out!”
And to be fair, McMonagle has the skills to KO anyone should they want to mess with him.
Part of the National Geographic doc showed him doing ferocious punch bag work and skipping – just like a mini pro boxer – all as part of his path to the top.
McMonagle said his win on Sunday was a ‘dream come true’.
Next on the agenda? Get revenge on Frankie?