Jim Culloty

Born in Killarney, County Kerry on December 18, 1973, James ‘Jim’ Culloty retired from race riding, for health reasons, in July 2005 after a 16-year career, during which he rode a total of 440 winners in Britain and Ireland. He subsequently developed a state-of-the-art training facility in Churchtown, County Cork, whence he sent out a further 48 winners in Britain and Ireland before reliquishing his licence in July 2018.

Stable jockey to Henrietta Knight in West Lockinge, Oxfordshire for a decade, Culloty will always be best remembered for his association with Best Mate, owned by the late Jim Lewis, on whom he completed a hat-trick in the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2002, 2003 and 2004. Aside from his tragic final start, when he suffered a fatal heart attack after being pulled up in the Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter in April 2005, Best Mate did not finish outside the first two in 21 starts over hurdles and fences.

After being narrowly beaten in the King George VI Chase at Kempton, Best Mate was sent off 7/1 second favourite for his first attempt in the Cheltenham Gold Cup and duly prevailed, running on well in the closing stages to beat Commanche Court by a length and a half. Incidentally, in 2002, Culloty also completed the Cheltenham Gold Cup/Grand National double, coming in for a ‘spare’ ride on Bindaree, trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies, after his intended jockey, Jamie Goldstein, broke his leg on the Wednesday before the National.

Best Mate justified favouritism in the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2003 and, again, in 2004, to confirm his place in the annals of Cheltenham Festival history. Culloty, though, was not finished with the ‘Blue Riband’ event; as a trainer, he saddled Lord Windermere, ridden by Davy Russell, to win an eventful renewal in 2014, thereby becoming just the fourth man to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup as a jockey and as a trainer.