The great jockeys in Australian horse racing history have one experience in common: During their races, they all had the benefit of teaming up with an extraordinary Thoroughbred who not only contributed to their winning records, but also earned them rides. of quality that further added to his achievements.
However, at best, a thoroughbred lasts several years, where the careers of great jockeys span several decades.
An appropriate example of this statement, perhaps the most appropriate of all, would be described in any test that focused on a hoop known as Athol George Mulley. He contributed most of the 40 years of his life to the Australian territory, contributing along the way, but is best remembered for a remarkable period of time between December 1945 and October 1946.
During that time, he was fortunate enough to straddle one of the literal and figurative giants of all time, Bernborough. Together, Mulley and Bernborough achieved 15 consecutive victories, beating quality competitors such as Neville Sellwood and George Moore and Phar Lap in the process. The partnership came to an unceremonious conclusion when the pair failed to make it to the 1946 Caulfield Cup. Although Bernborough at the time had developed enough of a reputation to be assigned an enormous weight, they still managed to run a Close fifth, Mulley was replaced by Billy Briscoe.
Bernborough’s credentials are unassailable, so much so that he was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame with the inaugural group of horses that included Phar Lap, Carbine, Tulloch and Kingston Town. Mulley himself said of Bernborough: “It is a phenomenon. Once it begins to end, nothing can stop it.” One of Phar Lap’s riders, Tommy Woodcock, said: “A great horse. A bulldog in a finish and too bright for Phar Lap in a sprint.”
Mulley also has achievements that will back up any claims of his inclusion among Australia’s great jockeys.
Perhaps most noteworthy are the Premierships of the two Sydney Jockeys. He won it in the 1945/46 season, where he outscored his closest competitor by 15 wins, and again in 1960/61, which is notable for the longevity it represents.
He is also tied for second among winning riders in the Golden Slipper Stakes. The first of these arrived in 1958 aboard Skyline, the next in 1960 astride Sky High, and the final one in 1964 aboard Eskimo Prince.
As is often the case with many professional athletes, and jockeys are no exception, Mulley had a superstitious streak. He was known to wear an old t-shirt for luck under his racing colors and always insisted on being the last one out of the jockey room before a race.
On the track, Mulley was known to walk with abandon, to the point that journalist Max Presnell said of him: “Mulley was a hairdresser, who surpasses some stereotype, programmed like a robot”, speaking of less extravagant riders.
Nor was he above trying to gain a psychological advantage and get inside the heads of his fellow competitors. He frequently tried to employ this technique on George Moore, perhaps his most staunch rival, with varying degrees of success. While it may have prevented Moore on one or more occasions, it may have backfired on others, and Roy Higgins argued that George Moore rode better when irritated.
When the verbal joust wasn’t enough to unsettle Moore, Mulley wasn’t above getting physical.
At a race at Canterbury in 1967, shortly after Moore returned from a stint abroad, in addition to colliding with Moore and his mount during one of the undercard events, the Frank Underwood Stakes, Mulley tried to get under his skin. of Moore even more. usurping Moore’s locker in the horsemen’s room.
The two had exchanged verbal hostilities previously in the staging yard, which escalated into a fist fight when Moore discovered Mulley’s equipment in his locker. According to Moore, Mulley had “questioned my upbringing” and made some disparaging comments, “That was unnecessary in a room, particularly in front of young children.” According to a witness, Mulley received a minimum of six hits from Moore, and both riders ended up being fined $ 200 for their lack of decorum.
Mulley had a famous showdown with the Flemington marshals. He was aboard the 1956 Australian Cup favorite Cambridge when that horse failed to locate. Ultimately, an investigation resulted in Mulley being warned, a ban that was lifted several months later.
He narrowly avoided another showdown in that same race in 1961, when he claimed to be ill, he abandoned the trip on Dream King, who took the spot with odds of 33/1 and won by five lengths after running without a place in his previous 10 events. Melbourne Rails bookmaker Thomas Marney and Hollywood George Edser were some of the people of interest on that occasion.
After 25 years in the saddle, Mulley spent the next 15 years as a coach.
He died on March 12, 2001 from Parkinson’s disease.
The Athol Mulley Trophy is named after him and is presented annually to the apprentice rider with the most winners in a racing season at Royal Randwick.
