Smullen, a nine-time Irish champion Flat jockey, sadly lost his battle with cancer in September of 2020 at the age of 43 but his legacy lives on with all funds raised at the Kildare track today going straight to Cancer Trials Ireland.
The Pat Smullen Cancer Trials Ireland Charity Race (5.45) closes out the day’s action and the best may be saved until last, with Smullen’s son Paddy bidding to win the race named in his father’s honour on what is also his first public ride as the 17-year-old plans to join the amateur ranks in the coming weeks.
Paddy’s sister, Hannah Smullen, was third in the race last year and he bids to go two places better aboard the aptly-named By Your Side, trained by the prolific Gordon Elliott.
The €100,000 Irish Cambridgeshire (4.35) is the richest prize up for grabs on a card featuring a trio of Group Three contests in succession and it is not the easiest field the get a good handle on, with many of the 24 runners boasting strong recent form.
This event has not been the friend of punters in recent times though, with no favourite obliging in the last decade and bottom-weight Global Energy is the one to side this time around at rewarding odds of 16/1.
Wayne Hassett, winner of a valuable Galway handicap last month, takes off a valuable 5lbs from the course and distance winner and Sheila Lavery’s five-year-old comes here in the form of his life, with another big display expected.
Craon is not a French track which you hear about every day of the week but there is lots of Irish interest there today as legendary trainer Edward O’Grady bids to plunder the Group Three Grand Prix de Craon (5.26) with Ecureuil Secret, already third at this level on two occasions this season.
Tony Piccone takes the mount while Aidan O’Brien is also represented in the earlier Listed Criterium de l’Ouest (4.17) via Lambourn, a lucky winner at Killarney last month despite finishing with a flourish on debut, and Christophe Soumillon’s mount can’t be discounted.
Irish eyes will also turn to the US tonight, where the Grade Three Nashville Derby (10.16) throws up a whopping €1.75m for the winner at Kentucky Downs. Stromberg flies the tricolour for Kilkenny trainer Joseph O’Brien and the Iffraaj colt could ruffle some feathers under Dylan Browne McMonagle.
There’s also four different Irish trainers represented in Longchamp tomorrow in an Irish assault on the Paris track. The most interesting of the quartet is Higher Leaves in the Listed Prix de Liancourt (3.0). Fresh from landing the prestigious Ebor in York last weekend, Henry de Bromhead bids to continue his fine Flat run of form with the Golden Horn filly, partnered by Alexis Pouchin.