The December Festival Hurdle, currently known by its sponsored title of the Matheson 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
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
which is open to
horses aged four years or older. It is run at
Leopardstown
Leopardstown () is a suburb of Dublin in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, within the traditional County Dublin, Ireland. Located at the foot of the Dublin Mountains, it is a residential suburb with institutional lands and a large racecourse. It is ...
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 during the Christmas Festival meeting in late December.
Prior to 2013 the race was named the Istabraq Festival Hurdle in honour of
Istabraq
Istabraq (born 23 May 1992) is a retired Irish Thoroughbred racehorse who was most famous for his hurdling. He won the Champion Hurdle on three occasions. He was trained by Aidan O'Brien and owned by John Patrick McManus. Jockey Charlie Swan ...
, who won it four times. The race was run as the Ryanair Hurdle from 2013 to 2018 when
Ryanair sponsored the race.
Matheson took over the sponsorship from the 2019 running.
Former titles of the event included the paddypower.com iPhone App Hurdle, Sean P. Graham Memorial Hurdle and the Bookmakers Hurdle. The race was first run in 1986, and it has held Grade 1 status since 2002. It is often used as a trial for the
Champion Hurdle at the
Cheltenham Festival. Three horses have won both races in the same season – Istabraq three times,
Hurricane Fly twice and Brave Inca once.
Records
Most successful horse (4 wins):
*
Istabraq
Istabraq (born 23 May 1992) is a retired Irish Thoroughbred racehorse who was most famous for his hurdling. He won the Champion Hurdle on three occasions. He was trained by Aidan O'Brien and owned by John Patrick McManus. Jockey Charlie Swan ...
– ''1997, 1998, 1999, 2001''
*
Hurricane Fly – ''2010, 2012, 2013, 2014''
* Sharjah - '' 2018,2019,2020,2021''
Most successful
jockey (6 wins):
*
Charlie Swan – ''Novello Allegro (1992), Theatreworld (1996), Istabraq (1997, 1998, 1999, 2001)''
Most successful
trainer (10 wins):
*
Willie Mullins
William Peter Mullins (born 15 September 1956) is an Irish racehorse trainer and former jockey.
Career
He commenced racehorse training in 1988 having previously worked as an assistant to his father Paddy Mullins and Jim Bolger. Willie is a fo ...
- ''Hurricane Fly (2010, 2012, 2013, 2014), Nichols Canyon (2015), Sharjah (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021), State Man (2022)''
Winners
See also
*
Horse racing in Ireland
*
List of Irish National Hunt races
References
*
Racing Post:
** , , , , , , , , ,
** , , , , , , , , ,
** , , , , , , , , ,
** , , ,
----
pedigreequery.com– ''December Festival Hurdle – Leopardstown.''
{{Race Meeting, Christmas Festival (Leopardstown), Turf
National Hunt races in Ireland
National Hunt hurdle races
Leopardstown Racecourse