Victory on Bindaree in the 2002 Grand National made him the first jockey for 26 years to complete the Cheltenham Gold Cup-National double in the same season.

He only got the plum spare Aintree ride days beforehand when regular jockey Jamie Goldstein broke his leg.

Just weeks earlier, the amiable Culloty won the Gold Cup aboard Best Mate.

The Killarney-born jockey moved to England as an 18-year-old after riding point-to-point in Ireland.

He continued riding point-to-point for two years under the guidance of Jackie Wing, but his future looked bleak when the stables were struck down by a virus.

But after the doubts - he never thought that he would make the grade as a jockey - and the downs, came a change in fortune.

Leading jockey Mick Fitzgerald pointed him in the direction of trainer Henrietta Knight and his chance to impress came sooner than expected when Jason Titley was injured.

In his first year riding out of the West Lockinge Farm stables in Wantage, Culloty took the amateur championship.

Culloty's riding style has been criticised in the past.

But there is little doubt the arrival of ex-champion jockey Terry Biddlecombe at Knight's stable has helped him - and that he has now arrived in the big league.