JOCKEY PROFILE

County of origin: Wexford

First winner: Voler La Vedette (Colm Murphy) Fairyhouse, October 11th, 2008

Final winner (before his retirement announcement): From Eden (Val O'Brien) Fairyhouse, April 2nd, 2017

Did you know:

From Cleariestown, County Wexford, Mikey Fogarty enjoyed a hugely successful career as an amateur rider and was counted horses of the calibre of Voler La Vedette, Al Ferof and Le Vent D'Antan among his 60 winners. In 2010, he won the Goffs Land Rover Bumper at Punchestown on Philip Rothwell's Divine Rhapsody and both the big amateur handicap at the Galway festival and the Amateur Derby at the Curragh on the Eoin Griffin-trained Admiral Barry. He turned professional in September, 2013 and his first two rides in the paid ranks were both winners. his biggest success came when he guided Don Poli to victory in the 2014 Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham, turned professional in September of 2013 and rode 140 career winners.

Mikey announced his retirement on December 11th, 2017 and said, "I want to do other things, it is just a lifestyle choice to be honest. When I'm doing something, no matter what it is, I want to do it right and I just don't want to do it anymore. I have done my stint as a jockey. I wouldn't say that I have fallen out of love with racing, I would say I never loved it enough to start with. Even though I knew I wanted to, I didn't want to come out straight after Punchestown and say I was retiring just in case I changed my mind. I gave myself some time in case I had a change of heart. I am completely content with my decision." Fogarty has returned home to County Wexford to work alongside his brother Jonathan at Gaynestown Stud. 

Fogarty returned to the saddle at Galway on October 8, 2019, with two rides for his brother Jonathan.