Jim Culloty, trainer of Gold Cup hero Lord Windermere, hands in his licence

Jim Culloty, the man who steered Best Mate to three Gold Cup successes before saddling Lord Windermere to land the Cheltenham showpiece in 2014, has handed in his training licence.

His 12-year stint as a trainer yielded 44 winners across both codes in Ireland and a further four in Britain, including Lord Windermere's triumph in a dramatic edition of the sport's marquee event when he survived a stewards' inquiry after denying On His Own by a short-head.

Jim Culloty celebrates Lord Windermere's dramatic 2014 Gold Cup successCredit: Alan Crowhurst

However, Culloty, 44, who also saddled 14 point-to-point winners, struggled to build on that heady triumph and managed just a single winner from 16 runners over jumps last season.

His two most recent runners were at Clonmel on June 8, when Matin D'Anjou, who makes his first start for Robbie McNamara at Limerick on Saturday, finished second in a beginners' chase. Lake Takapuna also contests the two-mile handicap chase at Limerick after switching from Culloty.

Like Lord Windermere and most of Culloty's runners in recent times, both horses are owned by Dr Ronan Lambe, who also owned the Kerry native's most recent winner, Crown Of Gold, last seen landing a handicap hurdle at Limerick on October 8.

"Jim rang me last week and said the two horses were there and Ronan was happy to send them up, so I've got them," McNamara said. "They are two nice horses.

Culloty's Irish National Hunt totals since 2010

"It's a pity if Jim has retired, because for a trainer who won an RSA, a Gold Cup and a Kim Muir, he didn't get the recognition for how well he was able to train."

Culloty, who bought a 300-acre farm in Churchtown, County Cork, before developing it into a state-of-the-art training facility, was not in a position to comment on his future when contacted by the Racing Post, although confirmation that his licence had been relinquished was provided by the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB).

He partnered a total of 440 winners in Britain and Ireland during his 16-year riding career, with Grand National success aboard Bindaree in 2002 and a hat-trick of Cheltenham Gold Cup victories on Henrietta Knight's outstanding chaser Best Mate between 2002 and 2004 representing his crowning moments.

Jim Culloty (right) pictured with Henrietta Knight and the late Terry Biddlecombe and Best Mate's three Gold CupsCredit: Edward Whitaker

It was Prestbury Park that would again provide the sweetest of memories for Culloty as a trainer.

In 2013, he sent out Lord Windermere to plunder the RSA Chase before the horse left behind three inconspicuous efforts to land jump racing's biggest prize a year later, when Davy Russell brought him from last to first to secure glory at odds of 20-1 in thrilling fashion.

A day earlier, Spring Heeled had won the Kim Muir under McNamara to tee up a memorable double for the Mount Corbitt stable.

After Lord Windermere was pulled up two out in the following year's Gold Cup Culloty famously jocked off Russell. The horse was last seen being beaten 45 lengths into tenth off a rating of 142 in a Punchestown handicap in April, the 12-year-old's 12th defeat since his unforgettable triumph.

Culloty and Best Mate after the horse's second Gold Cup success in 2003

Culloty was the subject of much criticism at the time for replacing Russell and McNamara, who was meant to step in for the ride in the 2015 Grand National until he suffered the Wexford fall that left him paralysed the night before, feels Culloty was harshly treated.

"Jim got slated over taking Davy Russell off Lord Windermere as it was made out to be unexpected, when it was in the offing for five or six weeks beforehand," McNamara recalled.

"He got a raw deal as a result from the media. I got the ride on Lord Windermere, so I was in the middle of it all, but I was riding all of the other owners' horses for six weeks before that, so it was coming. It wasn't as big a shock as it was made out to be at the time."

McNamara added: "I always had faith in Jim's horses when I was riding and I have great time for him. It's a pity to see him go because there's a hell of a lot worse trainers out there.

"He did brilliant as a jockey and a trainer, and when the big days came around he had the horses right, but people just didn't have faith in him."

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