Mark McDonagh was the proverbial 'handicap blot' in the Curragh's Horseware Student Derby today, being a Cheltenham festival winner, and bagged the €60 first prize on 4/6 favourite Global Equity.

In its second year and confined to students with a qualified riding license, this year's race saw representatives from 14 colleges and universities, with 1,000 students in attendance.

Professional jockey McDonagh won Cheltenham's Martin Pipe Hurdle in March for Global Equity's trainer Joseph O'Brien and following today's first 'Derby' win, said “it was a bit of fun and nice to do it with a few college pals.

“She (Global Equity) was favourite for a reason and everything went to plan and she got the job done.”

He added “I was out for three months during the summer as things began to go well, but that’s the ups and downs of the game.Hopefully we can get a winner over jumps soon and just get back into the routine of it.

“I’m studying Accountancy and Finance in UL (University of Limerick) and I’m in my final year.”

Quotes from Alan Magee