'I'm 56 But Still Enjoying It' - Niall McCullagh is the People's Favourite Few jockeys in the Irish weighing room will be able to call on the experience of Niall McCullagh, the Group 1-winning rider still going strong at the age of 56! This year McCullagh bagged victory in the Irish Cesarewitch and, despite the grey hair, he feels as fresh as ever and the will to succeed in the saddle is as strong as ever. McCullagh is also a successful jockeys' coach, passing on his knowledge to the next generation, while his son, Scott, is an apprentice jockey. Keeping it in the family The McCullagh family have always been steeped in racing. Niall, born in Co Carlow, rode his first winner - trained by his father Michael - at the Harvest Festival in Listowel in 1987, the aptly named Rose Of Carlow. When he did, many of the rivals he calls his peers in the Irish weighing room now weren't even born. He went on to achieve a solid level of success in the saddle, though he had to wait until 2012 to register his first Group 1 victory when taking the Irish St Leger on Royal Diamond at the Curragh for trainer Tommy Carmody. Now, while his own career in the saddle is undoubtedly in the autumn stages, his son Scott has started out the road to emulating his father. Riding for the top yards Down through the years McCullagh has found himself teaming up with top trainers. He has partnered winners for the likes of John Oxx, Ken Condon, Mick Halford and Johnny Murtagh, as well as getting in on the act for smaller yards, such as those of Tracey Collins, Joe Murphy and Ger O'Leary. His proven ability over the years and his reputation as a safe pair of hands have helped keep McCullagh at the forefront of Irish racing for almost four decades and there is no sign yet of him hanging up his riding boots. Puturhandstogether for Cesarewitch treble McCullagh is now a three-time winner of the Irish Cesarewitch after steering home Puturhandstogether for trainer Joseph O'Brien in the €600,000 Curragh feature for owner JP McManus in September. Puturhandstogether had run at Listowel a couple of days before the Curragh contest, finishing as runner-up in the 'Lartigue at the Kerry venue, and was second reserve for the Irish Cesarewitch. He got in and McCullagh got the nod to ride. His mount was backed into 7/1 favouritism and his rider got into a good early position from stall 30 on the four-year-old Cheltenham Festival winner, before getting to the front at the furlong marker and repelling the late challenge from Chally Chute for the Ross O'Sullivan yard. McCullagh Snr took the prize, while his son Scott was back in fifth on Dawn Rising - also for the Joseph O'Brien/JP McManus alliance. McCullagh had previously been successful in the race on Marlion (1989) and Elupa (1994), bringing up his hat-trick 31 years on. "I'm around a long time and I've seen it all, the highs and the lows," said McCullagh. "I'm 56 but still enjoying it. I've been very lucky for JP and I get a great kick out of big-race wins like this." Part of the team McCullagh may not always have been the man in the saddle for some big winners, but he has been content to play his part. He's been a key piece of the jigsaw at home for some top performers, such as Romanised, who won the Irish 2000 Guineas for Ken Condon in 2018 under Shane Foley. The budding jockeys' coach got a kick from the part he played and says his knowledge of horses has always aided him. "You get a great kick out of something like Romanised winning the Irish 2000 Guineas for Ken," he told Irish Racing. "I was in the work the week before, I always lead the work. I rode his companion Success Days and we knew he was ready for a big run. "I pride myself on my judgement a bit. I know what is going on. All my trainers seem to appreciate my feedback. That is why they bring me in."
