Career Profile Patrick Joseph Smullen was born on May 22nd 1977 in County Offally, Ireland. His brother had an interest in horses which lead him to enter the equine world through the Pony Club. Smullen rode his first winner in June 1993 at Dundalk on Vicosa and his career has gone from strength to strength. He soon joined Tommy Lacey's stable and it was he who recommended that Smullen travelled to Dubai for the winter to join forces with trainer Erwan Charpy. He became first jockey at Charpy's stable in 1997 and his success there put him amongst the leading riders. In 1997 Smullen rode his first Group One winner when Tarascon won the Moyglare Stud Stakes. He finished the season with 44 winners from 425 rides. The 1998 season brought with it a number of Group victories amongst 35 winners from 390 rides. In 1999 he became stable jockey for the powerful Dermot Weld stable in Ireland, when Michael Kinane moved to Aidan O'Brien. Once again Smullen was notching up more Group wins and finished the season in second place in the jockey's championship, behind Kinane, with 72 winners from 437 rides. In the year 2000 Smullen clinched his first Irish jockeys' championship despite adding only two Group Three wins to his Pattern race tally. He ended the season with a total of 80 wins from 514 rides, leaving him 14 clear of both John Murtagh and Michael Kinane and retained that title in 2001 when finishing three in front of Kinane. The outstanding stayer Vinnie Rose was responsible for Smullen's successful year in 2002, the pair combining to register their second successive Irish St Leger while other major wins came through Irresistible Jewel in the Ribblesdale Stakes and Refuse To Bend's victory in the National Stakes. The partnership with Refuse to Bend continued with Smullen landing the English 2,000 Guineas.