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Ruby Walsh paid tribute to her late friend and fellow jockey Pat Smullen, whose death was announced Tuesday.
Smullen (43) had been ill with pancreatic cancer since 2018.
“You knew it was going to come for a while,” Walsh told RTÉ Sport’s Darren Frehill after the sad news broke.
“I had ridden in Dundalk in mid-March (two years ago), so when the opening day of the Flat came around, when Pat Smullen wasn’t there, you were thinking ‘Oh, something’s wrong.’ They were hoping it was gallstones. But it was worse, it was pancreatic cancer.
“From that day forward, he and (wife) Frances, what can they do but get stuck and figure out how they’re going to deal with it, cope with it, and ultimately try to improve it?
“But no one had any illusions that it was a very big battle. Pancreatic cancer is a very serious disease.
“From the beginning, Pat took him head-on and was looking for a way to beat him, but he never wanted to be described that way.
“If ever there was a horse by the name of Pat Smullen to ride, it was (his 2,000 Guinean winner) Refusing to fold because he refused to fold as a rider and he also refused to fold throughout his illness.”
“Throughout his career, he never saw a headline or story about Pat Smullen for the wrong reasons.”
Smullen was an Irish Hockey Champion on the Flat nine times. In eight of those years, Walsh was a Champion Jumps Jockey.
Walsh described the qualities that helped the Offaly man forge such a successful career in the saddle.
“You listen to people who describe themselves as ‘the best professional’ and you often wonder what that means,” he said.
“He didn’t have just one thing, he had a lot of everything to make it so good.
“Pat was incredibly dedicated. He had to do his homework and was always grateful for what he accomplished.
“There were times when he doubted himself too, but he had to overcome that. He was a very good driver but also extremely punctual, hard-working, always impeccably clean. He was a great communicator.
“He was a great judge of pace and always tactically in the right place. Incredibly detailed and deep in everything he did, he put a lot of thought and effort into what made him a jockey.”
Pat Smullen is interviewed after organizing the 2019 Irish Champions Weekend Legends Run which ultimately raised over € 2.5 million for the cause.
Walsh added that Smullen, who raised € 2.5 million for pancreatic cancer research before his death, had been very supportive of his racing buddies and had “led by example.”
“He was a great character in the weigh-in room. He was a great man for the jockey association, the Irish Injured Jockey’s fund.
“He was a good rider for the younger learners to speak up and he would lead by example.
“Throughout his career, he never saw a headline or story about Pat Smullen for the wrong reasons.”
Dermot Weld highlighted Pat Smullen’s loyalty and integrity by paying tribute to the man who was her steady rider for most of 20 years.
The pair enjoyed untold success around the world, winning the 2016 Derby at Epsom with Harzand, teaming up for several major Royal Ascot winners, and having several fruitful trips to America.
“Pat Smullen was a very, very special man, when it came to the sport of horse racing and indeed to me personally. He was unique,” Weld said, speaking on Nick Luck’s daily podcast.
“At this time, I must say that his loyalty and integrity stood out. He was my stable rider for 20 years and he was just the pro of pros.
“His detail and determination were important factors, as was his bravery. He was a man of principle, he was a family man and his loyalty and integrity were an example for anyone in the sport.
“I only had two retained riders, Michael Kinane for about 13 years and Pat for about 20. We just built together, but he was just an excellent rider.”
Highlighting some of their greatest successes together, Weld continued: “You saw wonderful attractions in England like the Rite Of Passage, two spectacular attractions at Ascot.
“It is worth noting, for the limited opportunities he had at Ascot, rides such as winning the Gold Cup at Rite Of Passage when he set the track record, Fascinating Rock at Champion Stakes, Free Eagle at Prince of Wales’s and on a horse. called In Time’s Eye when he got the best of a great duel with Pat Eddery dating back to the early days (Wolferton, 2003).
“He won the 2000 English Guineas with Refuse To Bend and I think that typified the man. Until the very end, when he was fighting pancreatic cancer, he had this will to win, this belief, determination and was able to impart that to the men. horses, he rode.
“After he won the Epsom Derby (at Harzand in 2016), and he deserved to ride the winner of an Epsom Derby, the amount of public support, I can even use the word love for his achievement, it was incredible. People not even connected with the sport sent him congratulations.
“It was the same all over the world. He won the Matriarch Stakes (Dress To Thrill 2002) one day for me and the respect that American horsemen had for him was very special. He was a leader in his own profession.
“He led by example, I think that’s the best way I can describe it.”
Kinane praised a “first class professional and a first class man” while paying tribute to his former weigh-in colleague.
Smullen succeeded Kinane as Dermot Weld’s stable rider at Rosewell House in Curragh in 1999 and enjoyed great success in the role.
Smullen became a multiple Classic winner, landing the Epsom Derby and Irish Derby (above) in 2016 aboard the Weld-trained Harzand.
“He was a gentleman. He came to Dermot’s, things moved on and he took over my job and did a fantastic job for a long time,” Kinane said.
“He was a professional and a first-class man. We had great fights and we had a great time.
“Unfortunately, he couldn’t win his last battle, but he tried very hard.”
One of Smullen’s fiercest rivals throughout his career was Johnny Murtagh, who is now a successful coach, and as recently as Saturday Smullen was still in touch with his old friend.
“The racing world is in mourning for a true legend,” Murtagh said.
“I had a big winner on Saturday (Champers Elysees at Matron Stakes) and one of the first messages I got was from Pat saying ‘well done Johnny, brilliant win’ so he showed class to the end.
“He set the standard in the weigh-in room in Ireland, everyone wanted to be like him – he was the champion rider in Ireland in more ways than one.
“He leaves a legacy. We knew all about him from racing, but it wasn’t until he retired that the wider community got to see what he was like, raising all that money for cancer research and gathering so many people for his charity career. last year.
“In and out of the chair, he was a great guy and my thoughts and now with Frances (wife) and the kids and his mom, his whole family. It will be a tough few days, but we look at his life and career with fond memories.” .
Newmarket coach Hugo Palmer will always be grateful for his partnership with Smullen.
The pair teamed up for a string of major race victories, most significant with Covert Love at Irish Oaks in Curragh in 2015, when Smullen and the filly gave Palmer his first Classic success.
Palmer said: “I am extremely saddened by the news that Pat has died. Actually, it is impossible to imagine a better rider or man.
“He was always a star to work with before and after a race, and he was invariably brilliant in a race. He had big winners for me early in my career.”
“Short Squeeze and Gifted Master were two of the keys, but their efforts aboard Covert Love both at Irish Oaks, which was our first Clásico, and at the Prix de l’Opera, which was an exciting victory and an extraordinary journey, They were things that I will remember forever.
“I am incredibly grateful not only for what Pat did for me and my career, but also for meeting him. My condolences to his wife, Frances, and their three children.”
Smullen also led Harzand to victory in the Irish Derby for owner Aga Khan. Pat Downes, Managing Director of Aga Khan Irish Stallions, said: “This is very sad news. We had a fantastic few days. Obviously the two Harzand Derbys were the highlight.
“A great jockey, but also a great person and he fought hard for the last two years.
“It is a terrible loss for his family: Frances, and (the children) Hannah, Paddy and Sarah, and it is very sad, but I think that over time we can all look back and feel lucky to have met him. He was a great person.”
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