Pat Smullen has been established as one of the top riders in Europe for many years now and his best years look to still be ahead of him. His greatest attribute as a rider is his consistency and he rarely loses a race he should have won, which is the mark of a great jockey.
Principal Trainers: Dermot Weld
Group 1 Wins:
- Pretty Polly Stakes (Chinese White 2010)
- Ascot Gold Cup (Rite Of Passage 2010)
- Irish 1000 Guineas (Bethrah 2010, Nightime 2006)
- Tattersalls Gold Cup (Casual Conquest 2009, Grey Swallow 2005)
- Breeders’ Cup Marathon (Muhannak 2008)
- Prix de l'Abbaye (Benbaun 2007)
- Irish St Leger (Vinnie Roe 2004 + 2003 + 2002 + 2001)
- Budweiser Irish Derby (Grey Swallow 2004)
- English 2000 Guineas (Refuse To Bend 2003)
- Matriarch Stakes (Dress To Thrill 2002)
- Sun Chariot Stakes (Dress To Thrill 2002)
- National Stakes (Refuse To Bend 2002)
- Matron Stakes (Dress To Thrill 2002)
- Prix Royal-Oak (Vinnie Roe 2001)
- Moyglare Stud Stakes (Tarascon 1997)
Early Days
A fact that many people will not be aware of is that Smullen’s first ride in public came in a hurdle race on a horse called Plumbob at the old Dundalk racecourse in May 1994 and while he took another ride over obstacles later that year, those have proved to be his only two outings over jumps in his whole career. Things took off for Smullen in no uncertain terms in 1995 and he continued that momentum into 1996, riding a total of 54 winners between both seasons. It was during that latter year that he first rode for Dermot Weld and having become a more regular fixture on the yards horses in 1998, he soon became attached to that yard and has remained so ever since. However, it was Tommy Stack that had provided him with his first win at Group 1 level the previous year when giving Smullen the leg up on Tarascon before she won the Moyglare Stud Stakes. Without doubt the most significant moment of Pat’s career at that time came when he took over from Mick Kinane as Dermot Weld’s retained rider in 1999 and since then, he has enjoyed considerable and consistent success.
The Weld Connection
He enjoyed plenty of success on Weld-trained runners in the first two years in his new position, but he had to wait until a very special horse by the name of Vinnie Roe came along to add to his Group 1 tally. The son of Definite Article was ridden by Smullen on all bar one of his 29 career starts and the pair teamed up for numerous memorable successes, the first of which came in the 2001 Irish St Leger. Remarkably, the pair would go on to win the next three renewals of that race, a remarkable achievement in this ultra-competitive era of Irish racing. In addition to this, the pair won the Group 1 Prix Royal-Oak at Longchamp in 2001 and were also placed in the Melbourne Cup in 2002 and 2004.
The same year that Smullen returned to Group 1 winning ways on Vinnie Roe, two other notable performers emerged for Weld and Smullen in the shape of Dress To Thrill and Refuse To Bend. The former was a daughter of Danehill that won a listed race and was Group-placed as a two-year-old in 2001. The following season she won five of her six starts, culminating in a memorable victory in the Group 1 Matriarch Stakes at Hollywood Park in America. Refuse To Bend won the Group 1 National Stakes at the Curragh as a juvenile in 2001 and the following season he went on to give Smullen his first and thus far only win in an English Classic in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket.
The Swallow Swoops
In terms of big-race wins for Smullen, 2004 and 2005 centred on the mighty Grey Swallow. The son of Daylami won both his starts as a juvenile in impressive fashion and the following season he stamped himself as a high-class colt when finishing in the frame in the English and Irish 2000 Guineas. However, he proved to be a top-class performer when stepped up in trip, winning the Irish Derby at the Curragh on his next start and the following season, Smullen and Grey Swallow prevailed in a vintage renewal of the Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh.
Undoubtedly the highlight of the 2006 season for Smullen came when he won the Irish 1000 Guineas on the Weld-trained Nightime. That win was made all the sweeter by the fact that Weld trained the daughter of Galileo for his mother. 2007 saw Smullen gain his fourth jockeys championship and as always, Dermot Weld provided him with the bulk of his winners, with the highlight coming on Campfire Glow in the Group 2 Ballygallon Stud Debutante Stakes at the Curragh. Arguably the highlight of Smullen’s season in terms of outside rides was his association with the Mark Wallace-trained sprinter, Benbaun. Already known as a Curragh specialist, the six-year-old enhanced that reputation even further by gaining three Group 3 wins at the Co. Kildare track with Smullen in the saddle. However the highlight of the gelding’s career and perhaps of Smullen’s season came at Longchamp in October when they combined to win the Group 1 Prix de l’Abbaye.
Frustration Followed By Group 1 Redemption
In terms of Group 1 glory, 2008 was something of a frustrating year for Smullen, having come agonisingly close on a number of occasions throughout the season. While Carribean Sunset has provided him with three Group 3 wins, it will be her placed efforts at the highest level, namely in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot and in the American Oaks at Hollywood Park, that Smullen will rue. He rode the talented Casual Conquest to win the Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial in immensely impressive fashion prior to finishing third in the Epsom Derby and second in the Irish Derby. He also reached the frame in Group 1’s on Mad About You, who was placed second in the Irish 1000 Guineas and the Pretty Polly Stakes. Perhaps his unluckiest reversal of all at Group 1 level that season came in the French Derby where Famous Name was undone by a poor draw, keeping on strongly from a poor position to be beaten by just a head. However, his patience was rewarded at long last with a win on one of the biggest stages in the world, the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita. Riding the Ralph Beckett-trained Muhannak in the Breeders’ Cup Marathon, Smullen executed a typically no-nonsense ride and prevailed by a head, belatedly giving him his first Group 1 success of the season. Back on the domestic scene, Smullen had come from an unpromising position in mid-September to retain his Champion Jockey status for another year.
Group 1 Glory
2009 saw Smullen get off to a much faster start on the big-race circuit than he had the previous season, with him riding the aforementioned Casual Conquest to his first Group 1 success in the Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh for Dermot Weld and the Moyglare Stud. While he failed to add another Group 1 win to his tally during the remainder of the season, he rode a multitude of stakes winners for Weld on the likes of Famous Name, Profound Beauty, Mad About You, Grace O’Malley and Chinese White, while his old friend Benbaun landed the Sapphire Stakes on Derby day at the Curragh. He also made a number of successful raids across the Irish Sea, winning a listed race on the Paul D’Arcy-trained Suzi’s Decision and a Group 3 event on the Joanna Morgan-trained San Sicharia.
Champion Again
2010 saw Smullen continue to record further successes at the highest level. Bethrah was a profitable partner for him in the first half of the season, winning three races culminating in success in the Irish 1000 Guineas at the Curragh. The following month, Weld and Smullen gained their first successes in the Ascot Gold Cup at Royal Ascot with Rite Of Passage. Chinese White had been a marvellous servant to both Weld and Smullen and it was fitting that the in-form mare gained her first Group 1 win on the final start of her racing career in the Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh later that month. The old reliables Profound Beauty and Famous Name continued to win stakes races for Weld and Smullen, with them winning a total of seven such contests between them during the season. As usual, 2010 saw the Weld/Smullen combination dominate proceedings at the Galway Festival, with them teaming up to collect four wins in the first three days of the meeting. At the conclusion of the campaign, Smullen comfortably regained his Champion Jockey title, the sixth time he had won the championship.
One thing for sure is that if the horse is equal to the task, there are few more reliable men to have on your side in a big race than Pat Smullen and he looks to have many years left at the top of his profession in Ireland.
Info supplied by Horse Racing Ireland - Updated January 2011
