Tommy Carmody

Thomas Michael Carmody was born on July 10, 1956, and served a six-year apprenticeship with Liam Browne. He rode his first winner, Tameric, at Sligo in June, 1972.

Tommy was a big race jockey, winning the King George at Kempton twice on Silver Buck and once on Gay Spartan. He also won the Waterford Crystal Novices' Chase (twice), the Embassy Final and the Champion Chase.

He won his first race at the Cheltenham Festival on Tuesday, March 14, 1978, when getting Mr Kildare home ahead of Flame Gun for trainer Liam Browne in the Sun Alliance Hurdle. He promptly followed this up with a win in the next race, the NH Two Mile Steeplechase, on Hilly Way.

He had his best season, numerically, in 1979-80, with 84 winners.

Tommy was married on July 8 1979 to Tina: she gave him two children, Thomas and Joanne.

Tommy enjoyed squash - and relaxing at home!

One of the great jump jockeys of the modern era, Tommy Carmody launched his National Hunt career with a flourish, winning on his first two rides - Mr Kildare (Sun Alliance Novices' Hurdle) and Hilly Way (Champion Chase) - at the Cheltenham Festival in 1978. 

Those successes led to a job with the powerful Dickinson stable in England, which yielded many big-race winners including three King George V1 Chases on Gay Spartan and Silver Buck (twice). He twice finished runner-up in the British jockeys' championship, to John Francome (1978-79) and Jonjo O'Neill (1979-80).

The three-time apprentice champion - he failed by only a short head to win the 1977 Irish Oaks on Sassabunda - returned home in 1981 and was champion jumps jockey in 1985 and 1988, riding some notable winners for trainer John Mulhern, including two successive wins in the Stayers' Hurdle on Galmoy (1988 and 87). 

 He retired on medical advice in 1992 after a crashing fall at Naas with 7 Cheltenham Festival winners to his credit, including two on Buck House (1986 Champion Chase and 1983 Supreme Novices' Hurdle) and a Supreme Novices' Hurdle on Slaney Idol (1980). Trains at Pollardstown Stables at the Curragh and enjoyed his biggest win on the Flat when Royal Diamond landed the 2012 Irish St Leger.

Biggest wins:

1978: King George Vl Chase - Gay Spartan

1978: Mandarin Chase - Tommy Joe

1978: Buchanan Whiskey Gold Cup - I'm Adriver

1978: Sun Alliance Novices Hurdle - Mr Kildare

1978: Queen Mother Chase - Hilly Way

1979: King George Vl Chase - Silver Buck

1980: King George Vl Chase - Silver Buck

1982: Waterford Crystal Novices' Hurdle - Slaney Idol

1983: Waterford Crystal Novices' Hurdle - Buck House

1987: Waterford Crystal Stayers' Hurdle - Galmoy

1988: Waterford Crystal Stayers' Hurdle - Galmoy

1990: Victor Chandler Chase - Blitzkreig