I made £3m as a jockey but fled Britain for paradise island – now I work once a week and sit on the beach every day
A TOP jockey who earned over £3million fled Britain for a paradise island – and insists life has never been better.
Stevie Donohoe now lives the Instagram lifestyle, working a maximum three days a week, sipping cocktails and sitting on the beach every day.
Donohoe only races on Saturdays now – once a week – and spends the rest of his time chilling out, on boats and smoking cigars
It’s a hard life being a jockey in Mauritius… but someone’s got to do it
He says he wakes up without stress and whiles away his days smoking cigars, relaxing and being with his loved ones.
Stevie was a multiple Group level-winning jockey in Blighty and one of his biggest days came when winning the Coventry on Rajasinghe in 2017.
He also bagged the German 2000 Guineas on Maljoom last year for boss William Haggas.
But Irish-born Stevie, 39, said he felt like he was just ‘surviving’ racing in Britain.
The long hours spent in solitude driving up and down motorways to racetracks, the battle to make weight and the pressure to race for little money eventually all took their toll.
Stevie upped sticks and hopped on a flight to luxury holiday destination Mauritius after finishing riding here last year – and has never looked back.
The tropical island, in the south west Indian Ocean, boasts jaw-dropping blue waters, powder-white beaches and temperatures never lower than 24C.
The sea temperature is warm all year round, reaching 27C during summer – some ten degrees warmer than the UK summer sea temperature.
Racing takes place away from the stunning waterfalls and wondrous rainforests, meaning Stevie has easily been able to take his skills there.
OFFERS OF THE DAY
Tote: Bet £5 Get £20 in Free Bets – CLAIM HERE
Virgin Bet: Bet £10 Get £20 in free bets – CLAIM HERE
Betfair: Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets – CLAIM HERE
Paddy Power: Bet £20 and get it back as Cash if it Loses – CLAIM HERE
Sky Bet: Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Horse Racing Bets – CLAIM HERE
Tote: New customers online only. Place your first bet on racing pools for a minimum of £5 and win or lose you will receive £20 Tote Credit. £20 Tote Credit rewarded as £10 redeemable against racing bets only and £10 redeemable against UK and Irish placepot bets only. Tote Credit cannot be withdrawn, exchanged, or substituted and expires after 7 days. Qualifying bet is the first racing pool bet added to the bet-slip. Ten to Follow, virtual and football bets do not qualify. Totewin will be the qualifying bet when a Totewin and a Toteplace bet are struck at the same time. New UK & ROI customers only. 18+. Full T&Cs apply. begambleaware.org
Virgin Bet: New members. £10 min deposit & bet on sportsbook, placed & settled at 1.5 min odds within 14 days of sign-up. Win part of E/W bets. 2 non-withdrawable £10 Free Bet Tokens: accept in 7 days, valid for 7 days from acceptance (ex. E/Ws & Multiples), stakes not returned. Click here for Rules & Exclusions. Bet Responsibly. BeGambleAware.org 18+ begambleaware.org
Betfair: New Customer offer. Place a min £10 bet on the Sportsbook on odds of min 1/2 (1.5), get £30 in Free Bets. Rewards valid for 30 days. SMS verification required. Only deposits via cards will qualify. T&Cs apply. Please Gamble Responsibly 18+ begambleaware.org
Paddy Power: New customers only. Place your FIRST bet on any sportsbook market and if it loses we will refund your stake in CASH. Max refund for this offer is £20. Only deposits made using Cards or Apple Pay will qualify for this promotion. T&Cs apply. Paddy’s Rewards Club: Get a £10 free bet when you place 5x bets of £10+. T&Cs apply. 18+ Begambleaware.org
Sky Bet: 18+NEW CUSTOMERS ONLY. FIRST SINGLE & E/W BET ONLY ODDS OF 1/1 OR GREATER. 3 X £10 BET TOKENS. FREE BET STAKES NOT INCLUDED IN RETURNS. FREE BETS ONLY REDEEMABLE ON HORSE RACING. FREE BETS ARE NON WITHDRAWABLE. NO FREE BET EXPIRY. ELIGIBILITY RESTRICTIONS AND FURTHER T&CS APPLY. 18+ Begambleaware.org
Describing his new life, he told the Racing Post: “In Mauritius I live such a nice life where I sit on a beach every day rather than sit in traffic.
“I wake up with no stress, no pressure and we only race once a week on a Saturday.
“I feel appreciated out there rather than here where I was just surviving.
“I was getting to a point where organising everything to get to the track was too much. The riding was the easy part.”
Stevie follows in the footsteps of fellow former champion apprentice Martin Lane, who quit racing to work in a five-star luxury resort on Malolo island, just off Fiji.
If Stevie’s Instagram is anything to go by then it looks like he made the right choice.
In between photos of his glory days in British racing are snaps of him living the high life abroad.
One minute he’s captain of a boat steering it out at sea, the next he’s on the beach with his paddleboard, his ‘new mode of transportation’.
Beats sitting in traffic on the M1.
PA:Press AssociationDonohoe had loads of big days on the track including winning the Coventry with Rajasinghe[/caption]
FREE BETS – GET THE BEST SIGN UP DEALS AND RACING OFFERS
Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. 18+. T&Cs apply. Begambleaware.org
Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:
Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
Never chases their losses
Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
Gamble Aware – www.begambleaware.org
