Flat jockey Stevie Donohoe on Sunday embarked on a journey to Mauritius, where he has agreed a six-month contract to ride for a top stable on the island nation.<\/p>\n
Donohoe enjoyed Royal Ascot success on Rajasinghe in the Coventry Stakes in 2017 and signed off in Britain with a winner on his penultimate ride aboard the Charlie Fellowes-trained Billhilly at Nottingham on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
He will sport the blue and red sash silks of leading trainer Soun Gujadhur and is relishing the challenge ahead of him.<\/p>\n
Donohoe, 36, said: \u201cIt\u2019s a six-month contract and it\u2019s for one of the top stables out there, so it will be a nice change and a new chapter.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve never been to Mauritius but I’ve ridden in Barbados among other places. I\u2019ve had a few offers to go out in the past, but when this one came along I couldn\u2019t turn it down.<\/p>\n
Rajasinghe: a Royal Ascot winner for Stevie Donohoe in 2017
\nRajasinghe: a Royal Ascot winner for Stevie Donohoe in 2017
\nEdward Whitaker
\n\u201cI\u2019m hoping for success as the stable aim for the big races out there and it will be a change in pace and lifestyle. It\u2019s the right time in my life to go over and experience it and hopefully it will be rewarding.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt made sense financially to give it a go and the lifestyle will be completely different. I\u2019ve been giving it a good graft here for years now and travelling all over. I\u2019ve ridden all over the world, but in England it can take its toll and sometimes you have to take a step back.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a huge, broad world out there in racing and I\u2019m hopeful I can hit the ground running.\u201d<\/p>\n
Damien Oliver: also going to be riding in Mauritius
\nDamien Oliver: also going to be riding in Mauritius
\nGetty Images
\nThree-time Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Damien Oliver will be among other international riders in the saddle in Mauritius and Donohoe, who has steered home more than 700 winners in Britain, has the option of returning before the end of his six-month stint if he desires.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it works out I\u2019ll stay there for six months, but if things aren\u2019t really gelling I can always get back on the plane home,” Donohoe added. “I\u2019ll see how it goes and I\u2019m on a good contract in that he understands if it\u2019s not going the way I want I have an open way to return.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir season runs from March until December, so similar to over here, and that was the hard decision, but it could open doors and I\u2019m looking forward to it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Flat jockey Stevie Donohoe on Sunday embarked on a journey to Mauritius, where he has agreed a six-month contract to ride for a top stable on the island nation. Donohoe enjoyed Royal Ascot success on Rajasinghe in the Coventry Stakes in 2017 and signed off in Britain with a winner on his penultimate ride aboard […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":87,"featured_media":727,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,8,17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-726","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-homepage-english","category-sport"],"yoast_head":"\n