Age: 21
Principal Trainer: Colm Murphy
Notable Wins: 
- Curragh Amateur Derby (Admiral Barry 2010)
- carlton.ie/galwaycity Handicap (Admiral Barry 2010)
- Goffs Land Rover Bumper (Divine Rhapsody 2010)
- Bewleys Hotels & ITBA Fillies Bonus (Pro/Am) INH Flat Race (Bobs Display 2008)
Mikey Fogarty has quickly established himself as one of the top amateur riders in the country and with him racking up a string of big-race wins in 2010, the future looks to be very bright for this talented rider.
Early Days
Fogarty got his first taste of racing in the point-to-point field, riding one winner during the 2006/7 campaign and five in the 2007/8 season. It was also during that latter season that Fogarty took his first ride on the racecourse, riding his cousin Willie Codd’s Kate’s Farm Shop in a bumper at Wexford on St. Patrick’s Day in 2008. From the beginning of the 2008/9 campaign, Fogarty was kept notably busy and rode his first racecourse winner on the Colm Murphy-trained Voler La Vedette in a bumper at Fairyhouse in October and doubled his tally on the same mare in a winner’s contest at Down Royal later that month. Even better was to come in December, with him riding the Colm Murphy-trained Bob’s Display to win the valuable Bewleys Hotels & ITBA Fillies Bonus (Pro/Am) INH Flat Race at Punchestown. He continued to take rides in the point-to-point field, riding a total of 11 winners during the course of the campaign.
An Unlucky Break And A Short-Lived Move
Unfortunately, Fogarty’s 2008/9 campaign ended on a low note, with him breaking a leg in an accident off the racecourse. When he recovered from that injury, he decided to move to England to pursue opportunities with Paul Nicholls, but that move proved to be short-lived as he decided to return to Colm Murphy just a month later. While he took a couple of months to regain winning ways on the racecourse, he finished the 2009/10 season strongly, riding the most valuable winner of his career to that point on the Philip Rothwell-trained Divine Rhapsody in the Land Rover Bumper at the Punchestown Festival. It was the perfect end to what was a somewhat frustrating season for Fogarty, but he would deliver on all his previous promise in the 2010/11 campaign.
A Break-Out Season
Fogarty got the 2010/11 campaign off to the perfect start, enjoying a remarkable run of form in June, riding six winners from just 13 rides. Such a level of success made him the talk of the Irish racing scene and the following month, he picked up the ride on the Eoin Griffin-trained Admiral Barry in the prestigious carlton.ie/galwaycity Handicap at the Galway Festival. Formerly known as the GPT Handicap, it is a race that all amateur riders dream about winning and Fogarty very much rose to the challenge, giving Griffin’s charge an excellent ground-saving ride on his way to recording a game success. As if that high-profile win wasn’t enough, the following September Fogarty again teamed up with Admiral Barry to win the inaugural running of the Curragh Amateur Derby at the headquarters of Irish Flat racing. It was a truly remarkable double and unsurprisingly, he was soon in even more demand back over jumps.
Fogarty has enjoyed an excellent National Hunt season in 2010/11, riding a multitude of winners in bumpers, as well as enjoying success over hurdles and fences. Such has been his success that he is currently laying in a close third in the race for the title of Champion Amateur Rider, which is an excellent achievement considering he hasn’t had the same quality of ammunition as his main rivals Patrick Mullins and Nina Carberry. All told, Fogarty looks sure to play a leading role in the amateur ranks for many years to come.
Updated May 2011.
