Horse Racing stats man, Andy has contributed to OLBG for 18 years - An Ipswich fan and F1 fanatic, he also contributes EFL football and Motor Sport opinion.
2025 Irish Champion Hurdle Preview
Scheduled to take place in late January or early February of each year at the Leopardstown racecourse is the Irish Champion Hurdle. The inaugural running of the Irish Champion Hurdle was in 1950 when ten-year-old Hatton's Grace won the race for Vincent O'Brien.
The race is open to runners aged four years or older and is run over a distance of two miles where eight hurdles are jumped. The race is part of the two-day Dublin Racing Festival and you can find more details here.
Irish Champion Hurdle Information:
- Irish Champion Hurdle Past Winners
- Irish Champion Hurdle Trainer Statistics
- Irish Champion Hurdle Jockey Statistics
Why not use the trends shortlist below to help you narrow down the field and then head over to the dedicated Leopardstown tips page to see which runners are being supported by the OLBG expert racing tipsters to find yourself a bet? You may also be interested in other preview blogs that we have packed full of information, head down to the Races Covered during the Dublin Racing Festival section for links to these.
How competitive is the Irish Champion Hurdle market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2024 when the race had an over-round of 107%. The race in 2020 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 127%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Irish Champion Hurdle, the over-round has been 113%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £113 which is bet.
Irish Champion Hurdle Trends:
Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? From the past 20 if you had followed the winner of the Irish Champion Hurdle next time out then you would have backed a total of 7 winners. Backing all 19 runners who have been out since to win at SP next time out, would have returned an LSP of -1.43. Ahead of the 2025 Irish Champion Hurdle why not head over to the racing predictions for tips on other races today?
The runner that holds the record over the past 20 renewals for the slowest time in the race was set in the 2005 renewal when Macs Joy from Mrs John Harrington under the guidance of Barry Geraghty, won in a time of 4:08.40, whilst at the other end of the spectrum, Petit Mouchoir, trained by Henry De Bromhead and ridden by David Mullins set the quickest time of 3:41.30 in the 2017 renewal.
These are the top three quickest-run Irish Champion Hurdle over the last 20 renewals:
- Petit Mouchoir (3:41.30) in 2017
- Apples Jade (3:44.60) in 2019
- Honeysuckle (3:49.30) in 2020
Irish Champion Hurdle Past Winners
Here are the Irish Champion Hurdle past winners for the last 10 renewals. Each row details the year of the race, the horse which won along with the age & weight of the horse. The trainer of the horse at the time of winning the Irish Champion Hurdle as well as the jockey is also displayed along with the starting price the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 4:01.00 | State Man (FR) 7yo 11-12 2/5F | Paul Townend W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2023 3:52.50 | State Man (FR) 6yo 11-12 6/5F | Paul Townend W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2022 4:06.20 | Honeysuckle (GB) 8yo 11-5 1/5F | Rachael Blackmore Henry De Bromhead (IRE) |
| 2021 4:01.50 | Honeysuckle (GB) 7yo 11-5 10/11F | Rachael Blackmore Henry De Bromhead (IRE) |
| 2020 3:49.30 | Honeysuckle (GB) 6yo 11-3 8/11F | Rachael Blackmore Henry De Bromhead (IRE) |
| 2019 3:44.60 | Apples Jade (FR) 7yo 11-3 8/11F | Jack Kennedy Gordon Elliott (IRE) |
| 2018 4:00.90 | Supasundae (GB) 8yo 11-10 8/1 | Robbie Power Mrs John Harrington (IRE) |
| 2017 3:41.30 | Petit Mouchoir (FR) 6yo 11-10 9/10F | David Mullins Henry De Bromhead (IRE) |
| 2016 3:54.00 | Faugheen (IRE) 8yo 11-10 30/100F | R Walsh W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2015 3:57.20 | Hurricane Fly (IRE) 11yo 11-10 11/10F | R Walsh W P Mullins (IRE) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Irish Champion Hurdle have been based:
- IRE: 20 winners with an additional 21 placings from 115 runners
- GB: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 5 runners
Irish Champion Hurdle Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the Irish Champion Hurdle over the last 20 renewals is W P Mullins who has won the race eight times with those eight winners coming from Hurricane Fly (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 & 2015), Faugheen (2016) and State Man (2023 & 2024). Other trainers who have recorded multiple wins in the Irish Champion Hurdle are Henry De Bromhead (5 wins), Mrs John Harrington (2 wins) and C A Murphy (2 wins).
Here are some of the top Irish Champion Hurdle trainer statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Trainer | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| W P Mullins | 33-8-12 | -20.02 | -13.26 |
| Henry De Bromhead | 10-5-7 | +1.07 | +1.29 |
| Mrs John Harrington | 11-2-6 | +0.38 | +2.97 |
| C A Murphy | 7-2-4 | -1.05 | -1.02 |
| Gordon Elliott | 10-1-4 | -8.27 | -4.24 |
| C Byrnes | 2-1-2 | -0.17 | +0.39 |
| Noel Meade | 6-0-2 | -6.00 | -3.65 |
| Edward P Harty | 2-0-0 | -2.00 | -1.00 |
| Eoin Griffin | 2-0-0 | -2.00 | -2.00 |
| A P O'Brien | 2-0-0 | -2.00 | -2.00 |
Irish Champion Hurdle Jockey Statistics
There are two leading jockeys in the Irish Champion Hurdle over the last 20 renewals with both Paul Townend and Rachael Blackmore who have both won the race three times. Paul Townend winners have been with Hurricane Fly (2011) and State Man (2023 & 2024). Rachael Blackmore winners have been with Honeysuckle (2020, 2021 & 2022).
Here are some of the top Irish Champion Hurdle jockey statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Jockey | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Townend | 13-3-7 | -7.96 | -3.85 |
| Rachael Blackmore | 6-3-4 | -1.16 | -0.19 |
| Robbie Power | 6-1-3 | +3.00 | +2.30 |
| Jack Kennedy | 3-1-3 | -1.27 | +1.46 |
| Mark Walsh | 6-0-0 | -6.00 | -5.00 |
| Danny Mullins | 5-0-1 | -5.00 | -1.50 |
| Sean Flanagan | 3-0-0 | -3.00 | -3.00 |
| Daryl Jacob | 2-0-0 | -2.00 | +0.00 |
| Mr P W Mullins | 2-0-0 | -2.00 | -2.00 |
| Jonathan Moore | 1-0-1 | -1.00 | +1.50 |
2025 Irish Champion Hurdle Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 1, 1, 2, (2, 3), 4, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1
The percentage shown is the percentage of the total number of runners who fell under that factor. High percentages are less appealing than lower ones as you would expect them to do well.
- 20 / 20 (51%) - Within the first 3 of the market
- 20 / 20 (57%) - No bigger than 9/1
- 20 / 20 (63%) - Achieved an RPR of 151+ (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (66%) - Beaten no more -5l (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (70%) - No bigger than 7/1 (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (75%) - Placed within last 2 starts
- 20 / 20 (77%) - Not on GS/GF/FM/STD (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (78%) - Highest Won is not G2/LST/Cl2-3
- 20 / 20 (78%) - Achieved an RPR of 151+ (Career)
- 20 / 20 (78%) - Furthest ran 2m2f - 3m½f
- 20 / 20 (80%) - Had 5 - 25 placings (Non-Hcps)
- 20 / 20 (80%) - Not in a LST/Cl2-4 (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (83%) - Made 2 - 7 starts (1 Year)
- 20 / 20 (84%) - Had 2 - 6 placings (1 Year)
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Fewer than 5 starts (180 Days)
Remember to use the trends listed above along with the Leopardstown racing predictions to see if you can find the winner of the Irish Champion Hurdle. How well do you know your horse racing? Are there certain types of races that you are unsure of? Why not take a look at this Types Of Horse Race article to familiarise yourself with the different types of racing, that is just one of many helpful horse racing articles in the OLBG Betting School.
Are you already a member? If not, then why not? With over £6,000 given away each month in the tipster competition, why not get involved? Remember, It is completely FREE! So, head over to the registration page to sign up today! If you are already a member, then share your thoughts on the Irish Champion Hurdle by adding a tip on the race here.
Irish Champion Hurdle Trend Analysis
The trend factor which had produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +6.86 is when runners were 1st in the betting market. The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had 0 season places, when backing these the trend shows a record of 0-23.
The course which has produced the most winners of the Irish Champion Hurdle is Leopardstown, there has been a total number of 13 winners of this race who ran at Leopardstown last time out. The next best course which has produced the second most winners is Fairyhouse, there has been a total number of 3 winners of this race who ran at Fairyhouse last time out.
The race is open to both sexes with the Male runners having produced a total of 16 winners from a total of 105 runners whilst the Female runners have produced 4 winners from a total of 15 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, these are the stallions whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Irish Champion Hurdle:
- Montjeu (5 Wins)
- Sulamani (3 Wins)
- Doctor Dino (2 Wins)
- Good Thyne (2 Wins)
Looking over the past renewals, there is only one stallion whose offspring have been disappointed with multiple attempts but no wins in the Irish Champion Hurdle, that stallion is Authorized who has failed to produce a winner from 5 runners.
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Hardy Eustace in 2007, winning for D T Hughes at odds of 9/1 under the guidance of Conor O'Dwyer. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals there have been 16 winning favourites in the race. Ahead of the 2025 Irish Champion Hurdle why not head over to the best racing tipster page to see what the tipsters are backing today?
Races Covered during the Dublin Racing Festival
Remember to head over to the Leopardstown predictions page to see which runner the racing tipsters are supporting in the Irish Champion Hurdle and don't forget we also cover the following races at the Dublin Racing Festival.
| Races - Day 1 (Saturday) | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| Golden Cygnet Novice Hurdle | Dancing City (FR) 7yo - 16/1 | W P Mullins Danny Mullins |
| Irish Arkle Novice Chase | Il Etait Temps (FR) 6yo - 6/1 | W P Mullins Danny Mullins |
| Irish Gold Cup | Galopin Des Champs (FR) 8yo - 1/3 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| Spring Juvenile Hurdle | Kargese (FR) 4yo - 7/2 | W P Mullins Danny Mullins |
| Races - Day 2 (Sunday) | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| Irish Champion Hurdle | State Man (FR) 7yo - 2/5 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| Ladbrokes Novice Chase | Fact To File (FR) 7yo - 6/4 | W P Mullins Mark Walsh |
| Leopardstown Handicap Chase | Heart Wood (FR) 6yo - 6/1 | Henry De Bromhead Rachael Blackmore |
| Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle | Ballyburn (IRE) 6yo - 10/11 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| Timeless Sash Windows Handicap Hurdle | Lord Erskine (IRE) 11yo - 40/1 | H Rogers Darragh O'Keeffe |
Article Contributor Information
We are blessed with an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to creating and maintaining this Irish Champion Hurdle Preview are at hand, Andy Powell and Darren Brett. They both work on the Horse racing tips team team looking after the tipsters and managing the tips settlement, whilst also creating and managing all of the horse racing event previews.
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