Racegoers will have the opportunity to attend a post-race party with the band Superfly. Pat Smullen's daughter Hannah, former amateur jockey Kate Harrington and Olympian Sue Shortt are among 15 riders participating in the 12-furlong Pat Smullen Cancer Trials Ireland charity race supported by The Grafton Hotel, who are all raising funds individually. The race is held in memory of a family member or friend who they lost to cancer or to support anyone currently living with cancer.

There are also items set to be auctioned off like Taylor Swift and Coldplay tickets, a coaching lesson with Ronan O'Gara, a racehorse with Joseph O'Brien for the 2024 Flat season and a private dinner for 12, cooked by celebrity chef Martin Shanahan, VIP tickets to the Irish Open Golf and Premiership games. The full list of items is now available to view on the Galabid website.

Paddy Power will sponsor the feature race, the Paddy Power Irish Cambridgeshire, with the full sponsorship fee going directly to Cancer Trials Ireland. The Coast to Curragh cycle, brainchild of Gavin Lynch who lost his mum Olive to pancreatic cancer, will be held prior to racing, with Sir AP McCoy leading the unique cycle in her memory.

Brian Kavanagh, Curragh Racecourse CEO, said, “We are overwhelmed with the response to the Pat Smullen Cancer Trials Ireland raceday on Saturday, Aug. 26. Everyone's generosity will make a significant impact to pancreatic cancer patients. We are honoured to continue Pat's legacy and support the life-changing work of Cancer Trials Ireland.”

Eibhlin Munroe, CEO, Cancer Trials Ireland, “The steadfast support of the racing community over the past four years is changing the face of pancreatic cancer trials and research in Ireland.”

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It was clear in our weekly chats that he took this new role every bit as seriously as he took race-riding, which he had to give up, reluctantly, at the age of 42, after his diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Smullen's role at TDN was for him a bit part compared to his ongoing involvement with Moyglare Stud, Dermot Weld's stable, and his ambassadorship of Irish Champions Weekend, but the feedback his well-planned column received each week was testament to how much his incisive and thoughtful commentary on the sport that he loved touched a nerve with readers.

When Smullen announced his retirement in TDN in May 2019, he ended that week's column with the words, “I've been very fortunate, I'm content with the decision and I'm looking forward to being able to contribute and give something back to the industry in some shape or form.”

That he did in his typically selfless fashion in the 17 months Smullen had left to live. Later that year, it became clear that he was giving plenty back beyond just the horseracing industry. On Irish Champions Weekend, more than €2.5 million was raised for Cancer Trials Ireland, with Smullen at the forefront of a Herculean and emotional fundraising effort which saw nine of his former weighing-room colleagues come out of retirement to ride in the Pat Smullen Champions Race at the Curragh.

His death, almost exactly a year later in September 2020, was by no means the end of the fundraising, despite a temporary pandemic-enforced hiatus. In recent weeks, the application process has begun for the newly created Pat Smullen Chair in Pancreatic Cancer at University College Dublin (UCD). The position will be funded by the Pat Smullen Pancreatic Cancer Fund at Cancer Trials Ireland, with matched funding from the HSE National Cancer Control Programme.

Smullen's wife, Frances Crowley, remains deeply enmeshed in the ongoing efforts to fund vital cancer trials which will one day ease the plight of other cancer sufferers. While admitting that she would rather remain behind the scenes, the modest Crowley, herself a highly respected former jockey and Classic-winning trainer, is currently engaged in a hectic print and TV media schedule to promote the new position, which carries with it the ambition of making Ireland a global centre of excellence for the treatment and research of pancreatic cancer.

“We had the big day in 2019 and then obviously nothing happened in 2020, but the following year we had our first Coast to Curragh Cycle,” she says, the latter being the charity initiative set up in association with Gavin Lynch to commemorate both his mother and Smullen. 

“The cycle finished at the Curragh but in the first year we weren't able to do a whole lot as things were still a bit closed up because of Covid, but we raised lots of money.

“Last year we made it bigger and better and we were able to do a charity lunch at the races and organise more fundraising in between the two days. Since the big day I think we've raised an extra €375,000, so we're hoping to get to the half-million mark this year.”

Announcing the Pat Smullen Chair in Pancreatic Cancer at UCD!! A partnership of @cancertrials_ie @hseNCCP and @UCDMedicine

This new position will anchor expertise in pancreatic research in Ireland with the ambition of making Ireland a global centre of excellence for… pic.twitter.com/TCT0P4IEyU

— CancerTrialsIreland (@cancertrials_ie) July 10, 2023

Next month, the Pat Smullen race day returns to the Curragh on August 26, featuring not just the conclusion of the Coast to Curragh Cycle but also the Pat Smullen Cancer Trials Ireland Charity Race, in which it is hoped that 10 to 15 riders will take part in memory of a family member or friend they have lost to cancer, or to support anyone currently living with cancer. The race is over a mile and a half of Ireland's most famous racecourse, and riders, who are asked to raise a minimum of €3,000 to take part, will have access to mentoring sessions prior to competing.

Crowley continued, “Eibhlin Mulroe [CEO, Cancer Trials Ireland] contacted me last November to say that something really exciting was going to happen, and that was the Chair in pancreatic cancer at UCD. They were in the process of organising for a world-class expert in pancreatic cancer to be recruited to take up this role, which includes a clinical position at St Vincent's University Hospital, where Pat had his treatment, and will have the educational and research role at UCD.

“It will basically be bringing on the research for trials, bringing trials to Ireland, and driving investment for trials, which will be a great step forward. It is such an honour and we are delighted that this is going ahead.

“The Pat Smullen Fund will fund this for the next five years, which is a commitment of €900,000, so we will have to keep up the fundraising. Pat's name will stay on the Chair, however, with UCD taking on the funding in the future. It's a great legacy that he has left.”

'Pat very much felt that if he could use the profile he had to make some kind of a difference then that was what he wanted to do'

The commitment to the charity has brought a lot of extra work for Crowley, who is also involved in breeding future stars of the racecourse at her farm in Rhode, Co Offaly, close to where Smullen was born and raised. It is not just four-legged participants, either, as the couple's eldest daughter, Hannah Smullen, will take her first ride in the ladies' bumper at Killarney on Thursday evening. Meanwhile their younger children, Paddy and Sarah, are both keen riders competing all over Ireland.

“It's good to keep busy,” says Crowley with a laugh. “Hannah rode in a charity race and is having her first ride at Killarney. She's doing law and she's flat out this summer but she really wanted to have a few rides and give it a shot. Paddy and Sarah are both competing and we're in the middle of weaning foals.”

Crowley's ongoing association with Cancer Trials Ireland, though never actually discussed with Smullen, appears to have happened not just through her sense of duty but also a form of spiritual guidance.

“At the time I remember that Pat very much felt that if he could use the profile he had to make some kind of a difference then that was what he wanted to do. To be honest, I don't think even he dreamt of how big it would be,” she says. 

“But you know what, I feel like Pat is still directing it all and that we are all just going along with it. So many coincidences have happened; things like when I was up in UCD and talking to someone there who had visited the National Stud for the first time ever and he was literally patting [Smullen's Gold Cup winner] Rite Of Passage when the phone rang and it was Eibhlin talking to him about this.”

Crowley adds, “To keep the momentum going for the fundraising, I honestly feel like Pat has his own hand in it and is doing it all from wherever he is.”

With the various events taking shape for the Pat Smullen race day, Crowley is pleased to report that the tables for the lunch and auction are “selling like hotcakes” and that Smullen's old friend and fellow multiple champion jockey Sir Anthony McCoy has once again signed up for the Coast to Curragh Cycle. 

“Horse Racing Ireland did a huge amount of work for the big day in 2019,” she says. “Barbara White was assigned to it and she did nothing else for months. She's still a huge part of it and is involved in the race day with the team at the Curragh who are all doing such great work. It is hard work but we're delighted to be doing it.”

Whatever beliefs each of us hold, it is impossible to deny that, either in spirit or influence, Pat Smullen is still making his mark. In Ireland and beyond, he was revered as a great sportsman. His greater legacy, however, is inspiring all who remember him with love and admiration to continue his final and most important piece of work.

Further details of the Pat Smullen Pancreatic Cancer Fund can be found here. 

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The position will require shared time between clinical work as a treating physician at St Vincent's University Hospital–the national surgical centre for pancreatic cancer–and research work at University College Dublin (UCD). Candidates from Ireland and abroad are expected to apply.

The role is named in memory of Pat Smullen, who passed away from pancreatic cancer in September 2020. Through his efforts, the Irish horse racing and breeding industry over Irish Champions Weekend in September 2019 raised €2.6 million for Cancer Trials Ireland's pancreatic cancer trials and awareness.

“The Pat Smullen Pancreatic Cancer Fund arises from various fundraising endeavours undertaken by champion jockey, Pat Smullen, his family, and the horse racing community, following his diagnosis with pancreatic cancer in March 2018. The inaugural fundraising event raised €2.6 million with further fundraising events having raised an additional €367,000 to date,” said Eibhlin Mulroe, CEO of Cancer Trials Ireland. “Sadly, Pat died in September 2020, but his legacy lives on and the fund he created has now provided new treatment options for 174 patients with pancreatic cancer, at no cost to themselves, or to the State.”

For more information on the Pat Smullen Pancreatic Cancer Fund, visit Cancer Trials Ireland.

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The Curragh have dedicated the August 27 fixture to the nine-time Irish champion jockey and the racecourse chief Brian Kavanagh revealed that he hopes to grow the event.

The Coast to Curragh Cycle, which raised more than €185,000 last year, starts at Laytown Racecourse at 8am taking in seven racecourses and two stud farms in total, finishing at the winning line at the Curragh during the race meeting. 

The charity cycle will see racing legends AP McCoy, Barry Geraghty and Paul Carberry take part.

Kavanagh said, “Pat Smullen is remembered every day here at the Curragh and we are honoured to have our Jockeys Room named after him. We are delighted to team up again with Frances, Gavin Lynch and support the team from Cancer Trials Ireland with their ongoing work in this important area. Our objective is that the Pat Smullen Race Day in aid of Cancer Trials Ireland will be an important event in our calendar every year to create a fun day for everyone while raising money for a very worthy cause.”

On the track, racegoers are promised a high-class card and entertainment including the Paddy Power Supporting Cancer Trials Irish Cambridgeshire, Snow Fairy S., Heider Family Stables Round Tower S. and Newtown Anner Stud S.

In addition to racing, there will be meet and greet zone for racing fans to meet the jockeys, free children's entertainment, live music and a delicious BBQ ensuring a great day out for all the family

Cancer Trials Ireland will also be on hand offering advice and information on the services they provide. There will also be copies of Pat Smullen's autobiography on sale, signed by Pat's wife Frances and writer Donn McClean.

Frances Smullen, said, “The Coast To Curragh charity cycle was a huge success last year so to build on it with the race day and charity lunch at the Curragh on Saturday August 27 will be very special and a great day out. I know Pat would be thrilled that the important work of Cancer Trials Ireland continues to be promoted and highlighted. Our family are really honoured that the Curragh and Gavin Lynch, who organises the Coast To Curragh charity cycle, have come together to host this special race day in memory of Pat.”

All monies raised from the cycle, charity auction, book sales and contributions from the public and the Curragh Racecourse will be donated to Cancer Trials Ireland, the leading cancer research trials organisation in Ireland.

There are a small number of tickets for the charity lunch are still available for €200 per head and include a sumptuous four-course lunch in the Oaks Restaurant. Pat's good friend and Racing TV presenter, Fran Berry will act as MC and tipster.

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Gavin Lynch, Coast to Curragh charity cycle organiser said, “We had a magic day on Saturday, and I was blown away by the huge turnout of cyclists and the generosity of the 2000 people who donated to Cancer Trials Ireland. I'd like to sincerely thank everyone who took part, donated and volunteered their time, including the generous support from Paddy Power and Servier Laboratories (Ireland) Ltd. I'd like to give special mention to An Garda Síochána for their assistance and all the racecourses and stud farms who allowed us to use their facilities as pit-stops.

“The Coast to Curragh GoFundMe page will stay open for donations until Friday, Oct. 29–every penny counts towards Cancer Trials Ireland's vital research.”

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The cycle will begin at Laytown Races and finish at The Curragh, a distance of 155 km that will feature various stops along the way, including at Gilltown Stud where there will be a meet and greet with Smullen's 2016 Derby and Irish Derby winner Harzand (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}). Cyclists can opt to complete the entire journey or join in at the various stops.

Members of Smullen's family along with Ruby Walsh, Johnny Murtagh, Paul Carberry, Joseph O'Brien, Fran Berry, Charlie Swan, Barry Geraghty, Paul Townend, Patrick Mullins and racing pundits Kevin Blake and Gary O'Brien are some of the racing stars who are supporting the cycle. To take part, register on the Cycling Ireland website.

The Coast To Curragh charity cycle is the brainchild of Gavin Lynch, who lost his mother to pancreatic cancer. “This is going to be a very special cycle and I'd love to see as many people taking part and supporting Cancer Trials Ireland,” he said. “We have had brilliant support so far, including generous support from Paddy Power and Servier Laboratories (Ireland) Ltd. The cycle is open to all levels of fitness and ability, so I encourage everyone to give it a go.”

Frances Crowley, Pat's wife, said, “Pat was so focused and determined to raise as much awareness as possible about pancreatic cancer and raise money for Cancer Trials Ireland's vital cancer research work, so I know he would be very proud and humbled that Gavin shares the same vision. I'd like to sincerely thank Gavin for organising this very special cycle and I'd encourage everyone to take part, even if it is to cycle one or two stages. It's going to be brilliant fun and everyone taking part will visit some of Ireland's most picturesque and iconic racecourses and stud farms–some of Pat's favourites and all very close to his heart.”

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The late Smullen, a multiple champion jockey in his native Ireland, passed away from pancreatic cancer last September. During his career as a jockey, he was the retained jockey for Jebel Ali Stables in Dubai from 2000-2002, and was also a stable jockey for His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in Dubai during the 2004 winter season. Smullen organised the Pat Smullen Champions Race for Cancer Trials Ireland and raised more than €2.5 million in the process.

Mohammed Saeed Al-Shehhi, Director General of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Office said, “Pat Smullen is an icon who has left an indelible mark on the horseracing world. In Dubai, we celebrate and perpetuate legacy, and we are proud to participate in such a laudable event that is sure to bring the international horseracing community together. The race will be held yearly to honor the racing icon and will be sponsored by His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.”

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To the family of Pat Smullen

It is with a very heavy heart that, on behalf of the staff and members of Cancer Trials Ireland, we put pen to paper in remembrance of our friend, and benefactor, Pat Smullen.

Pat was a friend like no other. Almost a year ago to the day, Pat and his supporters raised a game-changing €2.6m for pancreatic cancer clinical trials. We would like to put this into context for you–just how dramatic and unusual this degree of fundraising is.

Earlier this year, Comic Relief reached out to the entire country and raised almost €6m with the help of a host of celebs across several hours of primetime TV. Pat Smullen and the horse racing community raised almost half that–€2.6m–for pancreatic cancer clinical trials alone. People diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in Ireland will feel the benefit of it for years, if not decades, to come.

The low incidence of pancreatic cancer (around 560 people diagnosed in Ireland each year), the fact that it is not usually diagnosed early, and the relative difficulty of treating the disease effectively with the usual tools (chemotherapy; radiotherapy) make for a challenging, sparse research environment. But as a direct result of the funds Pat helped raise, Cancer Trials Ireland received nine research proposals this year. Three studies are now being advanced or explored, one of which will open in Ireland in a matter of weeks.

That is the work Pat has enabled us to do. But that is not all that Pat did for Cancer Trials Ireland. Last November, he helped us to raise more than €120,000 for ovarian and prostate cancer trials. Earlier this year, he gave us the go ahead to fund a Next Generation Sequencing machine (€100,000) for St Vincent’s Hospital, Dublin. This machine will allow doctors to genetically sequence pancreatic cancer tumours, and other tumours, potentially opening up treatment options for thousands of people with all types of cancer. On a more personal level, Pat continually made himself available for interviews, photo calls, and phone calls–anything that might help people in a situation similar to his own.

It is a mark of the man that he had such a wide-ranging generosity. Pat’s popularity–and humility – was and is legendary. It was truly remarkable, and inspiring, to see that these qualities can coexist with the drive and determination it takes to reach the very top of his demanding sport. Our thoughts, today and always, are with the Pat’s wife Frances, his children Hannah, Paddy and Sarah, and his wider family.

Clinical trials offer patients very real, tangible, important benefits–but they can also provide something as vital as it is intangible: Hope. That is Pat’s real gift to the people who come after him, who are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

The outpouring of love and support his efforts have generated give hope to us all.

Thank you, Pat.

Eibhlín Mulroe, CEO & Prof Ray McDermott, Clinical Lead, Cancer Trials Ireland – on behalf of staff

Funeral Arrangements

• Due to COVID-19 restrictions, a private family funeral will be held at 2 p.m. in St. Peter’s Church, Rhode, Co. Offaly on Friday, Sept. 18th, followed by burial in the adjoining cemetery.
• To view the funeral mass via Zoom, the Meeting ID is 6949803979 and the Passcode is 12345.
• The Smullen family would like to thank you for your understanding and support at this difficult and sad time.

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“I’m delighted the generosity that people showed is having impacts like this, and I look forward to seeing more opportunities for people with pancreatic cancer open up very soon,” said Smullen.

Added Cancer Trials Ireland Clinical Lead Professor Ray McDermott, “The sequencing machine enables users to define the genetic sequence of pancreatic cancer patients in Ireland. The NGS machine will enhance the diagnosis and management of pancreatic cancer in the hospital, and it will also allow the team to participate in more pancreatic research and clinical trials for the benefit of pancreatic cancer patients.”

“Pat’s vision has made new pancreatic treatment on trials a reality,” said Cancer Trials Ireland CEO Eibhlin Mulroe. “Patients will benefit from the support he inspired–and continues to inspire. Once again, thank you Pat.”

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