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 yea ...

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 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

Honeysuckle Honeysuckles are arching shrubs or twining vines in the genus ''Lonicera'' () of the family Caprifoliaceae, native to northern latitudes in North America and Eurasia. Approximately 180 species of honeysuckle have been identified in both contin ...

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 system ...

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 Hurricane Fly (foaled 5 April 2004) is a retired Irish Thoroughbred racehorse best known for his performances in hurdle races when under the care of trainer Willie Mullins at Closutton in County Carlow in Ireland. He is a dual winner of the ...

– ''2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015'' Most successful

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

(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 Britis ...

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

Winners

References

Racing Post ''Racing Post'' is a British daily horse racing, greyhound racing and sports betting publisher which is published in print and digital formats. It is printed in tabloid format from Monday to Sunday. , it has an average daily circulation of 6 ...

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pedigreequery.com
– ''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