John (Jackie) Cullen

John (Jackie) Cullen

Irish National Hunt jockey John Cullen rode as lightweight stable jockey to Tom Costello at Newmarket-on-Fergus, Co. Clare. Always known as Jackie Cullen, he achieved his greatest success on the Costello-trained Tartan Ace in the 1973 Irish Grand National. 

An accomplished boxer, as well as an extremely resourceful rider, Wexford-born Jackie suffered from a degree of deafness. But that did not hinder his chosen career, nor his ability to complete the course on both attempts at the Grand National and in the Topham Trophy.

Jackie rode his first winner on Tourdelette in the Sligo Maiden Hurdle at Powerstown Park (known today as Navan) on April 4, 1963. In September that year, he won on Princess Ponder, trained by William Tracy, in a Tralee maiden hurdle. His six winners in 1965 included Quintin Bay in a match for the Governor’s Cup Handicap Chase at Down Royal on May 8. This was a horse he would get to know well. 

He made a good start to 1966 with a steeplechase double at Naas on January 8, aboard Atom War and Portail Rouge. Later that month, while Britain was losing meetings left, right and centre due to a combination of snow and frost, Jackie rode Quintin Bay to finish third in a novice hurdle at Leopardstown. Put back over fences, they finished fourth in Downpatrick’s Ulster National. 

Following that effort, Jackie and Quintin Bay journeyed to Aintree, where they completed the course in tenth place in the Topham Trophy and then, just two days later, reappeared in the 1966 Grand National, putting in a fine performance to finish sixth behind Anglo, having been prominent until fading in the last half-mile. 

Back at Downpatrick on the first day of March 1967, Jackie rode Quintin Bay to a two-length victory in the Ulster National. They followed up two weeks later by winning the Kildare Handicap Chase at Naas. Next step was a return to Aintree. Bypassing the Topham this time, they were among the many victims of the 23rd fence melee, from which 100-1 outsider Foinavon was the only one to emerge without hindrance. Jackie got Quintin Bay going again and went on to complete the course eleventh of the eighteen finishers.

He rode two winners at that year’s Fairyhouse Easter meeting but found success in the big races hard to come by in the ensuing years. His next winner of significance was the Tom Costello-trained Treenahow in the Downshire Handicap Hurdle at the 1971 Punchestown Festival.

His banner season was 1972/73 and the horse that made it was Tartan Ace. Having won two minor races on him at Mallow and Waterford & Tramore in December, Jackie then won on him again at Fairyhouse and Naas in January and at Thurles in February. Set only 9st 7lb to carry in the 1973 Irish Grand National, Jackie brought Tartan Ace home eight lengths clear of Skymas, with Sea Brief ten lengths further back in third. They followed that triumph with victory in the John Jameson Cup Chase at Punchestown the next month, after which Tartan Ace was sold to race in Britain, where Arthur Stephenson trained him. 

Those big race triumphs served to reignite Jackie’s riding career. In December 1973 he won the Silk Cut Handicap Chase at Fairyhouse on Tubs VI. Also that month, he rode Costello’s chaser Slippery Slave to record a remarkable five-timer within the space of 17 days, scoring at Leopardstown, Fairyhouse, Punchestown, Down Royal and Navan. He ended the year with victory on Tom Costello’s You And I in the Thomond Handicap Chase at Limerick’s Christmas meeting.

During the summer of 1974 Jackie won four times – two chases and two hurdles – on another Costello-trained horse, Winding Way, culminating in the Paget Cup Chase at Tralee. More importantly, he won the valuable Galway Guinness Hurdle on Tom Bergin’s five-year-old mare Just For Fun. Also that summer, he won Killarney’s Rank Cup Chase on Leapman for Costello, and the Richard Power Handicap Hurdle at Waterford & Tramore on the John Murphy-trained Swing-a-Ding.

He began the 1975/76 with a string of victories at Roscommon, Ballinrobe, Tralee, Mallow, Powerstown Park (Clonmel) and Limerick. He also scored a repeat victory on Swing-a-Ding in the Richard Power Hurdle. Later that season he won four races on Tom Costello’s Churchtown Boy, at Mallow and Limerick in December, Punchestown in January and culminating in the Amberwave Handicap Chase at Fairyhouse in February. Transferred to Upper Lambourn trainer Taffy Salaman the following season, Churchtown Boy would go on to win the 1977 Topham Trophy and, two days later, chase home Red Rum in the latter’s historic third Grand National.

Jackie scored easily his biggest win of that 1975/76 season on Golden Rapper in the Leopardstown Chase, run that year as the Harold Clarke Memorial Chase. 

Another successful summer followed, including a Ballinrobe double for Tom Costello, completed by Irish Report in the Ulster Bank Chase, plus winners at Gowran Park, Wexford and Killarney, ending the year with a double on the last day of Limerick’s Christmas meeting.

His next important success came on the Costello-trained Roller Coaster in the Proudstown Handicap Hurdle at Navan in January 1978. He enjoyed a fruitful opening day of that year’s Punchestown Festival, landing a double in the Drogheda Handicap Chase on Shining Flame and the Prince of Wales Handicap Chase on Helen’s Tower. Reunited with Shining Flame the very next day in the valuable John Jameson Cup, they finished second to Jack Of Trumps, owned by JP McManus and trained by Eddie O’Grady. 

Jackie’s last productive campaign was 1978/79, in which he won three decent early-season races: the Fabri-Cast Buildings Ltd Handicap Chase at Kilbeggan on Hainey’s Machine; the Gilmartin Bookmakers Handicap Hurdle at Sligo on New Seeker; and the Pat Fallon Memorial Handicap Chase at Roscommon on Raford Problem. At Limerick’s 1978 Christmas meeting he won the Mungret Novice Chase on the strangely named Goofy Loofy. 

He retired in the early 1980s, calling time on a 20-year career that at featured several major triumphs including the Irish Grand National, Galway Hurdle, Leopardstown Chase and Ulster National.

John Cullen committed suicide at his home in Castleellis, Co. Wexford on November 24, 2001. He was 58.  A shotgun was found beside his body.

John Cullen ’s major winners included:

Ulster Harp Lager National on Quintin Bay (1967)

Kildare Handicap Chase on Quintin Bay (1967)

Downshire Handicap Hurdle on Treenahow (1971)

Irish Distillers Grand National on Tartan Ace (1973)

John Jameson Cup Chase on Tartan Ace (1973)

Silk Cut Handicap Chase on Tubs VI (1973)

Rank Cup Chase on Leapman (1974)

Galway Guinness Handicap Hurdle on Just For Fun (1974)

Richard Power Handicap Hurdle on Swing-a-Ding (1974, 1975)

Paget Cup Handicap Chase on Winding Way (1974)

Amberwave Handicap Chase on Churchtown Boy (1976)

Harold Clarke Memorial (Leopardstown) Handicap Chase on Golden Rapper (1976)

Ulster Bank Handicap Chase on Irish Report (1976)

Proudstown Handicap Hurdle on Roller Coaster (1978)

Drogheda Handicap Chase on Shining Flame (1978)

Prince of Wales Handicap Chase on Helen’s Tower (1978)

Fabri-Cast Buildings Ltd Handicap Chase on Hainey’s Machine (1978)

Gilmartin Bookmakers Handicap Hurdle on New Seeker (1978)

Pat Fallon Memorial Handicap Chase on Raford Problem (1978)

Mungret Novice Chase on Goofy Loofy (1978)