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Irish Champion Stakes

Flat horse race in Ireland

Field	Value
class	Group 1
horse race	Irish Champion Stakes
image	ASSERT.jpg
caption	Assert, oil on canvas
Painting by Bob Demuyser (1920–2003)
location	Leopardstown
County Dublin, Ireland
inaugurated	1976
race type	Flat / Thoroughbred
sponsor	None (2020)
website	[Irish Champions Weekend](https://www.irishchampionsweekend.ie/)
distance	1m 2f (2,012 metres)
surface	Turf
track	Left-handed
qualification	Three-years-old and up
weight	9 st 1 lb (3yo);
9 st 7 lb (4yo+)
Allowances
3 lb for fillies and mares
purse	€1,000,000 (2022)
1st: €580,000

Painting by Bob Demuyser (1920–2003) County Dublin, Ireland 9 st 7 lb (4yo+) Allowances 3 lb for fillies and mares 1st: €580,000 |} The Irish Champion Stakes (Irish: Curadh-Dhuais na hÉireann) is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Leopardstown over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlongs (2,012 metres), and it is scheduled to take place each year in September.

History

The event was established in 1976, and it was initially held at Leopardstown as the Joe McGrath Memorial Stakes. It was named in memory of Joe McGrath (1887–1966), the founder of the Irish Hospitals' Sweepstake and a successful racehorse owner.

The race was transferred to Phoenix Park and renamed the Phoenix Champion Stakes in 1984. Its present title was introduced in 1991, when the event returned to Leopardstown after the closure of its former venue.

The Irish Champion Stakes became part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge series in 2009. The winner now earns an automatic invitation to compete in the same year's Breeders' Cup Turf.

The Irish Champion Stakes has become a very useful prep race for the remaining major races in the Autumn schedule such as the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, Champion Stakes, Breeders Cup, Hong Kong International Festival and major Group 1 races in Japan. The 2016 edition of the race was possibly one of its strongest editions with eight out of 12 participants winning 17 career Group 1's between them prior to the race. The form of the race would later see four of the participants win further Group 1 honours by the end of the 2016 season, producing a first & second in that year's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, first and second in the Champion Stakes, the winner of the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, and first and second in the Breeders' Cup Turf.

Winners of the Irish Champion Stakes have gone on to win the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in the same season on five occasions: Carroll House (1989), Suave Dancer (1991), Dylan Thomas (2007), Sea The Stars (2009) and Golden Horn (2015), and a sixth Arc win was achieved when 2016 Irish Champion Stakes runner-up, Found, won the 2016 edition of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

Winners of the Irish Champion Stakes have gone on to win the Champion Stakes in the same season on six occasions: Triptych (1987), Indian Skimmer (1988), Pilsudski (1997), New Approach (2008), Almanzor (2016) and Magical (2019). The race has produced two further winners of the Champion Stakes with the 1986 third, Triptych, and the 2010 third, Twice Over, subsequently winning the British race that season.

Participants in the Irish Champion Stakes have gone on to win several Breeders' Cup titles in the same season. This includes five winners of the Breeders' Cup Turf, with Irish Champion Stakes winners such as Daylami (1999), Fantastic Light (2001), High Chaparral (2003) achieving a season double, while 2015 Irish Champion Stakes runner-up, Found, and a 2016 participant, Highland Reel, found success in the respective season's edition. In 2006, third placed Ouija Board went on to win that season's edition of the Breeders Cup' Filly & Mares Turf.

Success has been also achieved in Japan where the Irish Champion Stakes winners, Stanerra (1983) and Pilsudski (1997) won the Japan Cup in the same season. Meanwhile, 2011 runner-up, Snow Fairy, gained compensation by winning that year's Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup

Records

Most successful horse (2 wins):

Dylan Thomas – 2006, 2007
Magical - * 2019, 2020 *

Leading jockey (7 wins):

Michael Kinane – Carroll House (1989), Cezanne (1994), Pilsudski (1997), Giant's Causeway (2000), High Chaparral (2003), Azamour (2004), Sea the Stars (2009)

Leading trainer (13 wins):

Aidan O'Brien – *Giant's Causeway (2000), High Chaparral (2003), Oratorio (2005), Dylan Thomas (2006, 2007), Cape Blanco (2010), So You Think (2011), Magical (2019, 2020), St Mark's Basilica (2021), Luxembourg (2022), Auguste Rodin (2023), Delacroix (2025) *

Leading owner (13 wins): (includes part ownership)

Sue Magnier / Michael Tabor – *Giant's Causeway (2000), High Chaparral (2003), Oratorio (2005), Dylan Thomas (2006, 2007), Cape Blanco (2010), So You Think (2011), Magical (2019, 2020), St Mark's Basilica,Luxembourg (2022), Auguste Rodin (2023), Delacroix (2025) *

Winners

Year	Winner	Age	Jockey	Trainer	Owner	Time
1976	Malacate	3	Lester Piggott	François Boutin	María Félix Berger	2:07.60
1977	North Stoke	3	Ron Hutchinson	John Dunlop	Mrs M. Lequime	2:09.20
1978	Inkerman	3	Lester Piggott	Vincent O'Brien	Simon Fraser	2:05.20
1979	Fordham	4	Tommy Carberry	Vincent O'Brien	Robert Sangster	2:07.00
1980	Gregorian	4	George McGrath	Vincent O'Brien	Danny Schwartz	2:07.80
1981	Kings Lake	3	Pat Eddery	Vincent O'Brien	Mrs Jean-Pierre Binet	2:06.30
1982	Assert	3	Christy Roche	David O'Brien	Robert Sangster	2:06.30
1983	Stanerra	5	Brian Rouse	Frank Dunne	Frank Dunne	2:09.50
1984	Sadler's Wells	3	Pat Eddery	Vincent O'Brien	Robert Sangster	2:00.90
1985	Commanche Run	4	Lester Piggott	Luca Cumani	Ivan Allan	2:09.20
1986	Park Express	3	John Reid	Jim Bolger	Paddy Burns	2:02.50
1987	Triptych	5	Tony Cruz	Patrick Biancone	Alan Clore	2:06.70
1988	Indian Skimmer	4	Michael Roberts	Henry Cecil	Sheikh Mohammed	2:06.50
1989	Carroll House	4	Michael Kinane	Michael Jarvis	Antonio Balzarini	2:04.00
1990	Elmaamul	3	Willie Carson	Dick Hern	Hamdan Al Maktoum	2:02.90
1991	Suave Dancer	3	Cash Asmussen	John Hammond	Henri Chalhoub	2:06.80
1992	Dr Devious	3	John Reid	Peter Chapple-Hyam	Sidney Craig	2:10.00
1993	Muhtarram	4	Willie Carson	John Gosden	Hamdan Al Maktoum	2:06.10
1994	Cezanne	5	Michael Kinane	Sir Michael Stoute	Godolphin	2:07.90
1995	Pentire	3	Michael Hills	Geoff Wragg	Mollers Racing	2:04.40
1996	Timarida	4	Johnny Murtagh	John Oxx	Aga Khan IV	2:06.20
1997	Pilsudski	5	Michael Kinane	Sir Michael Stoute	Lord Weinstock	2:04.70
1998	Swain	6	Frankie Dettori	Saeed bin Suroor	Godolphin	2:10.20
1999	Daylami	5	Frankie Dettori	Saeed bin Suroor	Godolphin	2:08.40
2000	Giant's Causeway	3	Michael Kinane	Aidan O'Brien	Magnier / Tabor	2:03.10
2001	Fantastic Light	5	Frankie Dettori	Saeed bin Suroor	Godolphin	2:01.80
2002	Grandera	4	Frankie Dettori	Saeed bin Suroor	Godolphin	2:04.70
2003	High Chaparral	4	Michael Kinane	Aidan O'Brien	Tabor / Magnier	2:03.30
2004	Azamour	3	Michael Kinane	John Oxx	HH Aga Khan IV	2:01.90
2005	Oratorio	3	Kieren Fallon	Aidan O'Brien	Magnier / Tabor	2:03.90
2006	Dylan Thomas	3	Kieren Fallon	Aidan O'Brien	Magnier / Tabor	2:02.90
2007	Dylan Thomas	4	Kieren Fallon	Aidan O'Brien	Magnier / Tabor	2:02.27
2008	New Approach	3	Kevin Manning	Jim Bolger	Princess Haya of Jordan	2:07.57
2009	Sea the Stars	3	Michael Kinane	John Oxx	Christopher Tsui	2:03.90
2010	Cape Blanco	3	Seamie Heffernan	Aidan O'Brien	Smith / Magnier / Tabor	2:03:89
2011	So You Think	5	Seamie Heffernan	Aidan O'Brien	Derrick Smith et al.	2:04.20
2012	Snow Fairy	5	Frankie Dettori	Ed Dunlop	Anamoine Limited	2:00.92
2013	The Fugue	4	William Buick	John Gosden	Andrew Lloyd Webber	2:05.22
2014	The Grey Gatsby	3	Ryan Moore	Kevin Ryan	Frank Gillespie	2:03.18
2015	Golden Horn	3	Frankie Dettori	John Gosden	Anthony Oppenheimer	2:05.41
2016	Almanzor	3	Christophe Soumillon	Jean-Claude Rouget	Ecurie Antonio Caro	2:08.93
2017	Decorated Knight	5	Andrea Atzeni	Roger Charlton	Al Homaizi / Al Sagar	2:08.36
2018	Roaring Lion	3	Oisin Murphy	John Gosden	Qatar Racing Ltd	2:07.21
2019	Magical	4	Ryan Moore	Aidan O'Brien	Smith / Magnier / Tabor	2:06.49
2020	Magical	5	Seamie Heffernan	Aidan O'Brien	Smith / Magnier / Tabor	2:05.08
2021	St Mark's Basilica	3	Ryan Moore	Aidan O'Brien	Smith / Magnier / Tabor	2:11.19
2022	Luxembourg	3	Ryan Moore	Aidan O'Brien	Westerberg / Smith / Magnier / Tabor	2:12.10
2023	Auguste Rodin	3	Ryan Moore	Aidan O'Brien	Tabor / Smith / Magnier / Westerberg	2:02.68
2024	Economics	3	Tom Marquand	William Haggas	Isa Salman Al Khalifa	2:03.20
2025	Delacroix	3	Christophe Soumillon	Aidan O'Brien	Smith / Magnier / Tabor	2:04.69

References

Paris-Turf:
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Racing Post:
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galopp-sieger.de – Irish Champion Stakes.
horseracingintfed.com – International Federation of Horseracing Authorities – Irish Champion Stakes (2018).
irishracinggreats.com – Irish Champion Stakes (Group 1).
pedigreequery.com – Irish Champion Stakes – Leopardstown.

References

"2011 Breeders' Cup Challenge Schedule". breederscup.com.

Info: Wikipedia Source

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