Smullen closes in on Jockeys' Championship

Pat Smullen has affectively put the seal on his fifth Jockeys' Championship with a Dundalk double tonight for trainer Ger Lyons.

The double means Smullen has now moved onto the 90 winner mark for the season, six clear of Fran Berry (who went on to ride the winner of the Exhale Essential Therapies Handicap on Adare Manor , with just one meeting left, at Dundalk on December 5.

Smullen's double was initiated on Lyons' Palazzone in the Best Rate Bureau Nursery Handicap.

Palazzone made virtually all, went clear in the straight before recording an easy five and a half length win over Emily Dickinson

Afterwards Lyons revealed "Palazzone won for me here in October but his owner Patrick Cooper wanted to sell him as he wasn't his type of horse."

He added "Palazzone went unsold for just Stg#6,500 at Newmarket Sales then and I advised his current owner Damian Nolan to buy him as a result - there is great value to be had with horses like."

Half an hour later Smullen was on board Lyons' newcomer Spinone who battled well to win the RacingFolks.com Ireland's Free Online Racing Gallery Maiden.

Afterwards Lyons mentioned "I thought coming here that this race was between my two horses Spinone and Imco Spirit (who finished an unlucky third, having received an unfortunate smack from a rival's whip a furlong out) and both ran very well. Spinone is a tough, nice horse and battled well."

Lyons' double moves the Co Meath trainer into third place in the Leading Trainers award, with 53 winners this Flat season.