Carrigaline's links to Cheltenham glory

Summerfield in Carrigaline has a special place in Cheltenham folklore, especially with the exploits of retired jump jockey champion Tony McCoy.

The horse racing legend, who retired in 2015 after a glittering career which saw him win a number of the sport's top honours including the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Grand National, rode a horse from the Summerfield Stud at the 2003 Cheltenham Festival.

That year, a horse called Liberman from Summerfield in Carrigaline pushed McCoy to break a long-standing ‘hex’ of disappointments for the Irish at Cheltenham when the pair won the Champion Bumper by a half a length.

That same year at the Curragh, another horse from Summerfield, Vintage Tipple, which was ridden by Frankie Dettori, won the Irish Oaks.