THE PAT SMULLEN Champions Race For Cancer Trials Ireland has raised a whopping €2.5 million for charity.
Nine-time Irish champion jockey Smullen fronted the fund-raising drive, which saw legends of the sport back in the saddle at the Curragh last weekend.
The field featured nine greats — Charlie Swan, Joseph O’Brien, Tony McCoy, Ruby Walsh, Ted Durcan, Paul Carberry, Richard Hughes, John Murtagh and Kieren Fallon.
Smullen was due to take part himself, but a second bout of pancreatic cancer unfortunately prevented that.
McCoy claimed victory on board Quizzical for Smullen’s good friends Sheila and John Lavery, and the event proved to be a huge success.
There was also a charity dinner, an online auction and specially-designed souvenir cups on sale at Leopardstown and the Curragh over the weekend.
“I never dreamed that we would reach a figure like this and it is a tribute to the kind nature of everyone in the racing and breeding industry – I am overwhelmed!” a delighted Smullen said.
Sunday at the Curragh was a special day and a huge thank you to everybody who came along. I don’t think we’ll ever see a race like that again and I owe so much to my good friends, the nine champion jockeys, who came out of retirement to ride in it, as well as the race sponsors, owners and trainers who made the race possible.
“I also want to thank everybody in Horse Racing Ireland for their energy, ideas and encouragement throughout the campaign, the Longines Irish Champions Weekend committee, the Curragh, Leopardstown and the IHRB, the media, all the volunteers and everybody who played a role in helping us achieve our goals.
“Having worked with the team in Cancer Trials Ireland, I am excited with how they can make your donations work to give hope to those families affected by cancer. A sincere thank you to one and all.”
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