Stevie Donohoe returns a Derby-winning jockey after successful Mauritius spell

Flat jockey Stevie Donohoe flies back to Britain on Wednesday from a successful summer stint on the holiday island of Mauritius, which included a local Group 1 victory in the Mauritius Derby.

The 36-year-old registered 12 winners from over 60 rides during his stay and signed off with a winner at their most recent meeting last Sunday to take him into fourth in the jockeys’ championship.

Donohoe has fared well at the island's unfamiliar track of Champ de Mars, where they usually race only at weekends, and the rider is not ruling out a return trip next year.

Donohoe, whose biggest domestic win was aboard Rajasinghe in the Group 2 Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot in 2017, originally left Britain in April for a first taste of life in the Indian Ocean after accepting a six-month contract to ride for the top stable of Soun Gujadhur.

Speaking from Mauritius, Donohoe said: “I’m flying back to Britain tonight but I have no firm plans at the minute and I’m just going to see how I pitch in. I’ll try to ride out for as many people as I can and just keep busy.”

The idyllic island of Mauritius

As for his stay in Mauritius, he added: “I've had a brilliant time out here winning the Group 1 Derby and I also rode a four-timer one day. They really like me out here and I’m gutted to be going home but it was the end of my six-month contract."

As for a potential return next year, the jockey added: “I might come back next year as it will be better and hopefully easier to get around and I’ll know more what to do.”

During the six months, Donohoe stayed in a resort to the north of the island, which is preferable as the south has more rainfall, and enjoyed golf, boat trips and paddleboarding as well as race-riding.

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