Hannah Smullen

During 2019, we were fortunate to have Pat Smullen as a regular and immensely popular columnist for TDN. The struggle the former champion jockey faced in his life at that stage never coloured the effort and enthusiasm he put into reporting his weekly thoughts and valuable insights on racing.  One aspect that really shone through was how much he was dedicated to encouraging the younger members of the weighing-room, not to mention boosting the profile of the sport as a whole. That determination to help others was seen again in...

Frances Crowley has ruled out a full scale return to the training ranks and described sending out her first runner in 16 years at Leopardstown on Friday as "just a bit of fun" with the ultimate goal being to provide her daughter Hannah with a breakthrough victory in the saddle.  Wife of the late Pat Smullen, a nine-time champion jockey in Ireland, Crowley created history in 2005 when she became the first woman to win a Classic race in Ireland with Saoire storming to a memorable triumph in the 1,000...