'Faugheen was a nice horse but we'd never have imagined he'd win 11 Grade 1s'

Killenaule in County Tipperary has long been a bulwark for the sport of hurling, but nowadays it is just as well known for its racing connections. That’s thanks in large part to the town’s most famous daughter, Grand National-winning jockey Rachael Blackmore, but the Slattery family based at Meadowview Stables have also done their bit to swell civic pride.

Patriarch Billy Slattery, a former jump jockey who piloted Champion Hurdle hero Winning Fair to nine victories in Ireland, is in his 80s now but is still busy on the farm, from where one son, Andy, runs his successful training operation and two other sons, William and Brian, oversee a sales operation that has turned out numerous high-class horses under both codes.

The family is also a dab hand at producing human talent as well as equine, as Billy Slattery is the grandfather of two rising stars of the weighing room in Andrew Slattery and Ben Coen, both of whom have lent a hand in the smooth running of the farm from an early age.