Pat Smullen is maintaining a strong pace at the head of the jockeys championship, and he completed a memorable treble at Wexford this afternoon when taking the concluding Gorey Handicap on Hunting Tower

Successful earlier on Empress Toorah and Renown Smullen was seen as his strongest when rounding off a 197/1 treble on the Jimmy Lambe-trained veteran.

The ten-year-old gelding was patiently-ridden by the former champion who elected to make his challenge approaching the home turn.

The 9/2 chance and Carpet Elegance settled down to fight it out in the straight, and Hunting Tower just proved the stronger in the final 100 yards to prevail by a neck.

The 2/1 favourite Winter Lion was over four lengths further adrift in third.

Lambe said, "The trip suited him and he was given an excellent ride by Pat Smullen. I told Pat that if he got a tune out of him that he would probably draw.

“I won five races with him before he went to England and he came back to me then around four months ago and it is good to win with him again. We have no immediate plans for him just yet.

“He might have an entry in Galway for the mile and six handicap next Saturday. It is good to get the win in the week before Galway as I have a couple going there. "

(Additional reporting by Donal Murphy)