Pat Smullen will miss two days of the Galway Festival (Wednesday and Thursday) next week after picking up a whip suspension at Ballinrobe yesterday evening.
The former dual champion apprentice was found guilty of using his stick with excessive frequency aboard Sophronia in the opening Blue Thunder Fast Foods Claremorris Maiden. The Willie Mullins-trained mare and Bayyana were neck and neck throughout the home straight, the pair seperated by just a shorthead at the line.
The Aga Khan bred filly landed a touch for connections (25/1 to 12/1), and provided Cork rider Liam Keniry (17) with his second success. However Keniry was also found guilty of the same whip offence, and picked up a two day ban together with a day at the RACE apprentice school for tuition on the use of the whip.
The roles were reversed when Smullen got the better of Keniry in the following Smyths Toys Handicap. The Offaly born rider produced Golden Spice between horses to lead at the home turn, and the well-backed topweight kept on under pressure to hold Planet Clare by three quarters of a length. Smullen is now one ahead of Mick Kinane in the championship race on the 41 winner mark.
Harry Rogers, fresh from a double at Leopardstown last Saturday including the Golden Pages Handicap victory of Livadiya, added to his tally with Harlenog in the Finches Coranna Handicap. The four-year-old filly quickened clear over a furlong out for Gordon Power but needed to be ridden right out to hold the staying on Sea Leopard by three quarters of a length.
