Born on August 6, 1952, James William Mooney, known as Jimmy, served a five-year apprenticeship with Willie Stephenson at Royston. He went on to win 18 races under National Hunt rules when based in Scotland, achieving a best score of seven in the 1975/76 season.
He had his first ride over jumps at Windsor on November 14, 1970, when Straight Cuttle finished ninth of 18 runners in the Player’s No.6 National Hurdle Championship qualifier. It was to be more than three years – and a relocation north of the border – before his first win, but it finally came at Newcastle on May 18, 1974, when Brief| Chance, trained by Tommy Craig at Dunbar, took the lead at the last flight and came home six lengths clear of Ron Barry on Colspar in the Warrenford Novices’ Hurdle.
Brief Chance provided Jimmy with two of his three wins in the 1974/75 campaign. The following season he recorded seven victories, including a hat-trick in 22 days on the four-year-old hurdler Henry’s Lady. There were four successes in 1976/77, including James Three defying his odds of 9/1 outsider in a field of three to lead all the way and land the Nenthorne Novices’ Chase at Kelso by four lengths.
There was then a gap of nearly three years before Jimmy had his 17th win when Sea Lad held off the challenge of Maurice Barnes on Tappy Lappy to take the Stokesley Novices’ Hurdle at Sedgefield on September 30, 1980.
All of Jimmy’s winners with the exception of Pub Crawl (trained by John Vickers) had been trained by Tommy Craig.
Jimmy took out a trainer’s licence in 1985, based at Derum Mohr Stables, Levenhall, near Musselburgh, while continuing to hold a jockey’s licence. He trained and rode New Kingsgrove, owned by Mr P. Jerome-Smyth, to win the Causby Hill Selling Hurdle at Hexham on Whit Monday, May 27, 1985, the 18th and final win of his career.
He rode many of his own string over the next three years but had no further success. His last ride was when finishing 13th of 17 runners on The Fixer in the Sprouston Selling Handicap Hurdle at Kelso on April 6, 1988.
Jimmy Mooney’s winners were, in chronological order:
1. Brief Chance, Newcastle, May 18, 1974
2. Brief Chance, Carlisle, September 28, 1974
3. Brief Chance, Kelso, December 11, 1974
4. Cobbler’s March, Kelso, April 5, 1975
5. Henry’s Lady, Sedgefield, September 13, 1975
6. Henry’s Lady, Perth, September 25, 1975
7. Henry’s Lady, Kelso, October 4, 1975
8. Cobbler’s March, Newcastle, October 30, 1975
9. Tanville Lad, Catterick Bridge, January 23, 1976
10. Colspar, Kelso, March 24, 1976
11. Colspar, Perth, April 13, 1976
12. Pub Crawl, Market Rasen, August 14, 1976
13. Robin John, Hexham, September 6, 1976
14. Story Teller, Perth, September 23, 1976
15. Aragosta, Sedgefield, April 5, 1977
16. James Three, Kelso, October 1, 1977
17. Sea Lad, Sedgefield, September 30, 1980
18. New Kingsgrove, Hexham, May 27, 1985