The Irish Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1

National Hunt In horse racing in the United Kingdom, France and Republic of Ireland, National Hunt racing requires horses to jump fences and ditches. National Hunt racing in the UK is informally known as "jumps" and is divided into two major distinct branches: ...

hurdle race in Ireland which is open to

horses The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million ...

aged four years or older. It is run at Leopardstown over a distance of about 2 miles (3,219 metres), and during its running there are eight hurdles to be jumped. The race is scheduled to take place each year in late January or early February. The event was established in 1950, and it is now one of two Irish races, along with the

Punchestown Champion Hurdle The Punchestown Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Ireland which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Punchestown over a distance of about 2 miles (3,219 metres), and during ...

, which can be seen as equivalents of the

Champion Hurdle The Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a ...

in England. The most recent winner of the Leopardstown version to win the Champion Hurdle in the same season was

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in 2022. The Irish Champion Hurdle was sponsored by AIG Europe from 1993 to 2008, by

Toshiba , commonly known as Toshiba and stylized as TOSHIBA, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Its diversified products and services include power, industrial and social infrastructure systems ...

in 2009 and 2010 and by BHP Insurance from 2011 to 2019. The race has been sponsored by PCI since 2020 and is now part of the Dublin Racing Festival weekend.

Records

Most successful horse (5 wins): * Hurricane Fly – ''2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015'' Most successful jockey (6 wins): * Charlie Swan – ''Nordic Surprise (1991), Istabraq (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001), Like-A-Butterfly (2003)'' *

Ruby Walsh Rupert Walsh (born 14 May 1979 in Kill, County Kildare, Ireland) is an Irish former jockey. He is the second child, and eldest son, of former champion amateur jockey Ted Walsh and his wife Helen. Walsh is the third most prolific winner in Brit ...

– ''Brave Inca (2009), Hurricane Fly (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015), Faugheen (2016)'' Most successful trainer (6 wins): * Willie Mullins – ''Hurricane Fly (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015), Faugheen (2016)''

Winners

References

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– ''Leopardstown Champion Hurdle – Leopardstown.'' {{Race Meeting, Dublin Racing Festival, Turf National Hunt races in Ireland National Hunt hurdle races Leopardstown Racecourse Recurring sporting events established in 1950 1950 establishments in Ireland

Records

Winners

See also

References