JIMMY Mullane, otherwise known as ‘Corky’, died in his native Mallow on the eve of the Irish Oaks, a race he had ridden the winner of, Five Spots, in 1952 to complete a notable Irish Derby-Oaks double for owner A L (Henry) Hawkins, Paddy Prendergast and himself.

Apprenticed successively to J E Davis (1946-47) and Peter Higgins (1948-49) – both private trainers for legendary bloodstock agent Bertie Kerr, Jimmy rode half a dozen winners within a month of opening his account in May, 1947. A similar flurry of winners mid-summer in 1948, followed by a blank 1949, would suggest weight problems. The move to complete his time with J M ‘Mickey’ Rogers, who considered him the finest rider of a two-year-old he had ever seen, saw him joint Irish champion apprentice in 1950 with the ill-fated P F ‘Mutt’ Conlon. Over half his 17 winners that year were two-year-olds trained by Rogers.