Jock by name, jock by trade, that was Jimmy Tulloch. Born in Dunbar on September 26, 1941, Jimmy ‘Jock’ Tulloch began his apprenticeship in 1958 with Sam Hanley, who trained at Seabright Stables in Epsom, before having his indentures transferred to fellow Epsom trainer Ted Smyth in 1960.
He rode his first winner on Ted Smyth’s three-year-old gelding Graval in the Tishy Maiden Handicap at Newmarket on May 19, 1962. He won again on Graval at Yarmouth in June and followed that with two more winners in July, both in apprentice handicaps, on Smyth’s eight-year-old Evyan’s Golden Shadows at Salisbury and the Arthur Thomas-trained Big Chance at Manchester.
An Easter Monday victory on Ted Smyth’s juvenile Stone The Crows at Birmingham proved a false dawn in 1963, for that was to be Jock’s sole success of that season. However, he was back in business in 1964, riding nine winners. Although not getting off the mark for the year until the end of June, he made up for lost time by winning twice within 48 hours on Ted Smyth’s filly Rapella, rode another winner the next day, then won on Smyth’s two-year-old Golden Shadows the following week. He then rode winners for Epsom trainers Sid Dale and Harold Wallington in August.
Jock won a nursery on John Benstead’s Our Diana at Salisbury in September but completed his apprenticeship at the end of that month, hence it was as a fully-fledged professional jockey that he won another nursery on October 3, this time on the Tommy Gosling-trained Happy Nick at Windsor. Ten days later, on October 13, Jock got married.
The loss of his claim proved tough going. He left Ted Smyth, had a short stint at Ron Mason’s Guilsborough stables and then joined John Sutcliffe in October 1965. He spent the winters riding in India and enjoyed a fair measure of success there.
Back in Britain, he rode for John Waugh and Ted Smyth but had just one more winner, that being on Fair Decision for Lewes trainer Tom Gates at Lingfield Park on Saturday, May 18, 1968. He relinquished his licence the following year.
Jimmy Tulloch’s winners were, in chronological order:
1. Graval, Newmarket on May 19, 1962
2. Graval, Yarmouth, June 28, 1962
3. Evyan’s Golden Shadows, Salisbury, July 10, 1962
4. Big Chance, Manchester, July 14, 1962
5. Stone The Crows, Birmingham, April 15, 1963
6. Rapella, Windsor, June 27, 1964
7. Rapella, Brighton, June 29, 1964
8. Greenhills Lad, June 30, 1964
9. Golden Shadows, July 7, 1964
10. Shepherd, Epsom, August 1, 1964
11. Be Grateful, Windsor, August 7, 1964
12. Pall-Mallann, Newmarket, August 8, 1964
13. Our Diana, Salisbury, September 9, 1964
14. Happy Nick, Windsor, October 3, 1964
15. Fair Decision, Lingfield Park, May 18, 1968