Pat Smullen closed the gap on Colin Keane to four winners at the head of the Jockeys Championship at Gowran today as the nine-times Champion steered the Dermot Weld trained Sorelle Delle Rose to win the Gowran Park Handicap.

The daughter of Dark Angel won her maiden in April but was absent when Weld’s horses were virus-hit in mid-summer, albeit when the ground was also faster, but returned to action on August 8 and today made it third time lucky in handicaps, when scoring a comfortable win over Uno Momento

Weld later stated “she has learned from her previous runs in handicaps and it was a good game genuine performance.

“She is improving with each run and we will try to win a Premier Handicap with her."

The win moves Smullen to 63 winners for the season, four behind Colin Keane, who recorded a double at Laytown yesterday, on 67.

Quotes from Alan Magee