McDonogh heading to Australia with a little help from Winx's jockey

Former Irish champion jockey Declan McDonogh will head to Australia this winter to ride for Peter and Paul Snowden, the father-and-son team who memorably won the world's richest turf race, the A$10 million Everest, last month.

The 37-year-old McDonogh, who has enjoyed his most successful campaign in terms of prize-money since 2009, revealed that Winx's rider Hugh Bowman was instrumental in his decision to seek further riches down under.

He said: "Hughie had been on to me for a while about heading out there and I decided this year was a good time to do it.

"We've always kept in touch since he spent time at Kevin Prendergast's stables a number of years ago when I was working there."

McDonogh has experienced winters in Japan and Singapore in the past and will bid to build on openings that may come about due to Bowman – who is married to a woman who hails from county Kilkenny – heading abroad.

"Hugh will be heading to Japan so there might be a few opportunities there," he said. "It'll be competitive but I'm looking forward to working at the challenge."

He added: "I'll be departing for Sydney towards the end of November and returning in early February – in time for the beginning of the Irish Flat season."

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