Tommy Carmody’s return to the training ranks, working out of Johnny Murtagh’s yard, made the news in 2012 but it is his work as a jockey that gets him into our Cheltenham Festival Hall of Fame. Tommy won on his first two rides at the Festival winning what was then the Sun Alliance (and is now the Neptune Novices Hurdle) and Queen Mother Champion Chase. With his talents adverstised he was snapped up by Michael Dickinson as stable jockey. The partnership had many big-race winners including three King George V1 Chases (Gay Spartan and Silver Buck (2)). He twice finished runner-up in the British jockeys’ championship, to John Francome (1978-79) and Jonjo O’Neill (1979-80). He moved back to Ireland in 1981 and was Irish champion jumps jockey in 1985 and 1988. He retired on medical advice in 1992 .
Tommy Carmody’s seven Cheltenham Winners included pairs of wins on the Mouse Morris trained Buck House and John Mulhern’s Galmoy.
| Year | Race | Horse | Age | Trainer |
| 1978 | Neptune | Mr Kildare | 5 | Liam Browne |
| 1978 | Champion Chase | Hilly Way | 8 | Peter McCreery |
| 1980 | Supreme Novices | Slaney Idol | 5 | Liam Browne |
| 1983 | Supreme Novices | Buck House | 5 | Mouse Morris |
| 1986 | Champion Chase | Buck House | 8 | Mouse Morris |
| 1987 | World Hurdle | Galmoy | 8 | John Mulhern |
| 1988 | World Hurdle | Galmoy | 9 | John Mulhern |
We couldnt dig out any video of Tommy in action at Cheltenham but have a clip of him riding Buck House in the famous ” Punchestown Match” with Dawn Run.
