Irish Champion Hurdle
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The Irish Champion Hurdle
The Irish Champion Hurdle, sponsored by Toshiba, is a Grade 1 jumps horse race for four-year-olds and above, run over a distance of two miles at Leopardstown racecourse in January. First run in 1950, the race is one of the major two-mile hurdling contests of the season and, along with the Rabobank Champion Hurdle at Punchestown racecourse, it is considered one of the two Irish equivalents of the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham.
Hurricane Fly won the 2011 race which was run in January.
Horse Racing News
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Fetching RSS feed... please stand byLeopardstown Racecourse
Leopardstown racecourse opened in 1888 and was built by Captain George Quin, who modelled the design on Sandown Park racecourse, near London. The racecourse is six miles south of Dublin city centre, in the foothills of the Dublin mountains, and is one of Ireland's leading racecourses for both Flat and jumps horse racing.Leopardstown's biggest Flat horse race is the Irish Champion Stakes in September, and over jumps the major races are the Lexus Chase in December, the Irish Champion Hurdle in January and the Hennessy Gold Cup in February.
Irish Champion Hurdle History
The Irish Champion Hurdle was upgraded from Listed status to Grade 1 in 1993, when AIG Europe took over as sponsor. That sponsorship continued until 2009, when Toshiba took over.Often used as preparation for the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, the Irish Champion Hurdle has been won by some of Ireland's greatest two-mile hurdlers. The Vincent O'Brien-trained Hatton's Grace - the first horse to win three consecutive renewals of the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham - won the inaugural Irish Champion Hurdle in 1950.
Irish Champion Hurdle Winners
Along with inaugural winner Hatton's Grace (1950, other famous winners include Dawn Run (1984) - the only horse to have won the Champion Hurdle and the Cheltenham Gold Cup at Cheltenham - and Istabraq, the most successful horse in the history of the Irish Champion Hurdle with four wins (1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001).As well as Istabraq, there have been five dual winners - Albergo (1960 and 1961), Daring Run (1981 and 1982), Prominent King (1976 and 1978), Fortune And Fame (1994 and 1995) and Brave Inca (2006 and 2009).
If you're interested in who the next big winner might be then keep an eye on the Racing Post's horse racing tips ahead of the next Irish Hurdle Championship.
Istabraq claims his third successive Champion Hurdle.
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Brave Inca winning the 2005 AIG Irish Champion Hurdle.
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Brave Inca winning the 2006 AIG Irish Champion Hurdle.
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Irish Champion Hurdle Trivia
- Charlie Swan is the most successful jockey, with six wins (Nordic Surprise in 1991, Istabraq in 1998-2001 and Like-A-Butterfly in 2003).
- There have been five British-trained winners - Connaught Ranger (1979), Royal Vulcan (1983), Nomadic Way (1990), Royal Derbi (1993) and Collier Bay (1996).
- Only Prominent King (who won in 1976 and 1978) and Brave Inca (2006 and 2009) have managed to regain the Irish Champion Hurdle.
- In 1963 the race was won by the one-eyed Winning Fair.
- In 1986 Keslin was disqualified from first place at a stewards' inquiry and Herbert United, trained by Des McDonogh and ridden by Harry Rogers, was awarded the race.
- The race was run at Fairyhouse in 1995 due to a waterlogged track and was cancelled in 1955 and 1970.
- The Racing Post website offers horse racing cards for each year's running of the Irish Hurdle Championship and all other UK races.
Leopardstown Racecourse Map
Current Weather at Leopardstown
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Additional Resources
- Irish Champion Hurdle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- A very brief entry for the race on Wikipedia but it does include a list of past winners.
- Leopardstown Champion Hurdle Pedigree
- The Thoroughbred Horse Database has a list of past winners with additional information on the horses pedigree.
- Official Leopardstown Racecourse Site
- Offers a wide variety of information on the racecourse and its fixtures and happenings.
- Letheby and Christopher Chase
- A good guide to another race, the Grade 2 chase is run at Cheltenham Racecourse at the end of January
- Champion Stakes
- An interesting guide to the Champion Stakes which is a Group 1 Flat horse race run at Newmarket racecourse in October.
- Victor Chandler Chase
- A guide to the Grade 1 jumps race held every January at Ascot Racecourse.
- Craven Stakes
- A comprehensive overview of the group 3 flat race at Newmarket which serves as a trial for the 2,000 Guineas.
- Irish Derby
- An overview of the Irish Derby - the counterpart to the Epsom Derby.
- Grand National
- A guide to the Aintree Grand National horse racing meeting.
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