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Pat Smullen, the nine-time Irish champion rider and multiple Classics winner, has passed away at age 43.
Smullen, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in March 2018, died at St Vincent Hospital in Dublin on Tuesday night. His initial treatment had been positive, but he relapsed and was forced to abandon plans to participate in the Pat Smullen Champions Race For Cancer Trials Ireland in Curragh in September last year, an event that turned out to be an overwhelming success.
Born in County Offaly on May 22, 1977, Smullen, the son of a farmer and who became involved with horses at the age of 11, formed a formidable alliance with master trainer Dermot Weld, replacing another in 1999. great knight. – Mick Kinane. Among his greatest triumphs was the 2016 Epsom Derby with Harzand. The pair secured the Irish Derby and cemented the legacy of a driver who enjoyed his first win at Dundalk on June 11, 1993.
Smullen leaves behind his wife, Frances, and their three children: Hannah, Paddy, and Sarah.
Brian Kavanagh, Executive Director of Horse Racing Ireland, said: “Pat was one of our biggest stars. He was a nine-time hockey champion, but in many ways his greatest achievements were off the saddle. Since her diagnosis she did a wonderful job raising money for charity and fought this disease with a big heart and it is hard to believe she passed away at such a young age. All of our thoughts are with Frances and her three children, Hannah, Paddy, and Sarah, and all of her friends and colleagues in the weigh-in room.
“It is a really sad day for Irish racing. Pat was one of the best men you could hope to meet. There has been such a reaction to Irish racing and such a degree of shock, which shows the great respect in which Pat was held. It was a pleasure to have something to do with him: his accomplishments in the saddle were one thing, his qualities outside of him were another. He was a global figure in racing, but his reaction to his diagnosis and the fundraising he did last year in particular was truly wonderful. It’s just a sad, sad day. “
The charity race at Curragh came exactly one year ago and was won by Sir Anthony McCoy aboard the Quizical trained by Sheila Lavery.
In paying tribute, McCoy said: “Devastated, there are no words. It’s hard to believe that his incredible charity run was a year ago today. Distressing. Thinking of Fran, Hannah, Paddy and Sarah. RIP Champion “.
