Irish Champion Stakes: Date, venue, runners, history & more

The Irish Champion Stakes is the headline act on day one of the Irish Champions Festival, a two-day weekend meeting in mid-September that celebrates the stars of the Flat season.

The Irish Champion Stakes was rated sixth in the IFHA World's top 100 races in 2023 and is a prestigious Group 1 contest open to horses aged three-years-old and up.

The race was won in 2023 by Auguste Rodin for Aidan O'Brien and Ryan Moore.

Irish Champion Stakes date

The 2024 Irish Champion Stakes will be run on Saturday 14th September, with a scheduled off time of 15:20 BST.

Irish Champion Stakes venue

The Irish Champion Stakes takes place at Leopardstown Racecourse, which is situated just 8km south of Dublin city centre in Foxrock.

It is considered the premier dual-purpose racecourse in Ireland, joint-hosting the Champions Festival alongside the Curragh and also boasting major National Hunt meetings at Christmas and via the Dublin Racing Festival in February.

A wide, left-handed oval track of around a mile and three quarters, it is a galloping track with soft turns and a slight incline from the home turn to the winning post.

Irish Champion Stakes how to watch

The Irish Champion Stakes will be available to watch on the bet365 Sports Live Streaming service, alongside every race from the UK and Ireland.

Racing TV will have full live coverage of every race from the Irish Champions Festival, while selected races will be broadcast to terrestrial viewers via ITV Racing (UK) and RTE (Ireland).

Irish Champion Stakes expected runners

Winner of the Epsom Derby, the Eclipse at Sandown and York's Juddmonte International, this race could be the next stopping point for Aidan O'Brien's City Of Troy as the Ballydoyle handler bids to win for the sixth year running and a record-extending 13th time overall.

He could also have this race in mind for the 2023 hero Auguste Rodin, with O'Brien's Dylan Thomas (2006 and 2007) and Magical (2019 and 2020) the only previous winners of multiple renewals.

John Murphy's White Birch is another possible contender for the home team, while UK hopes of a first win since Roaring Lion scored for John Gosden in 2018 could be focused on Economics for William Haggas and Ambiente Friendly for James Fanshawe.

Irish Champion Stakes history

The event was established in 1976 and has been run as the Irish Champion Stakes since 1991. It is one of key Group 1 races in the second half of the season.

The winner gets an invitation to compete in the same year's Breeders' Cup Turf, while winners of this contest have gone on to win the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in the same season on five occasions and six Leopardstown scorers have subsequently added the British Champion Stakes in the same season on six occasions.

Irish Champion Stakes most successful trainer

Unsurprisingly, Aidan O'Brien holds that honour with 12 wins, including five in a row from 2019 onwards.

The Ballydoyle handler has won this race with 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) and Auguste Rodin (2023).

Irish Champion Stakes most successful jockey

Mick Kinane has ridden more Irish Champion Stakes winners than anyone else, with seven victories. They came on board Carroll House (1989), Cezanne (1994), Pilsudski (1997), Giant's Causeway (2000), High Chaparral (2003), Azamour (2004) and the brilliant Sea the Stars (2009).

With four wins in the last five years taking his tally to five overall, Ryan Moore is the most successful active jockey in the race.

Irish Champion Stakes famous winners

Dylan Thomas and Magical are the only horses to win the race more than once, both being trained by Aidan O'Brien. His standout winners also include Giant's Causeway and Luxembourg, who won a thrilling renewal in 2022.

The magnificent Sea The Stars bagged this race during an unbeaten campaign in 2009, sandwiched in between victories in York's Juddmonte International and the Arc at Longchamp in a magnificent training performance from John Oxx.

John Gosden has been responsible for three of the last five UK-based scorers, including memorable wins for Golden Horn (2015) and Roaring Lion (2018).