2025 Irish Champion Hurdle Trends geegeez.co.uk

The Irish Champion Hurdle is a Grade One race run over 2m and held at Leopardstown racecourse each year in early February.

In recent years, top hurdlers like Istabraq, Hardy Eustace, Brave Inca, and, more recently, Hurricane Fly, Honeysuckle and State Man have graced the roll of honour.

While it's a race that has always been a decent guide ahead of the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival with State Man in 2024 the most recent horse win win both races in the same season.

Top Irish trainer Willie Mullins has won 8 of the last 14 runnings, including 12 months ago again with State Man, so anything he runs is always respected.

It’s also been a big race for punters in recent years with 14 of the last 15 Irish Champion Hurdle favourites winning! The only non-favourite to win was Supasundae in 2018 - when he beat the jolly Faugheen.

The favourites record was backed up again for the last two years with State Man winning and he's back for more, but won't be favourite this time. That will go to Lossiemouth - his stablemate.

Here at GeeGeez we are on hand with all the key stats ahead of the 2025 renewal – this year staged on Sunday 2nd February.

Recent Irish Champion Hurdle Winners

2024 - STATE MAN (2/5 fav)
2023 – STATE MAN (6/5 Fav)
2022 - HONEYSUCKLE (1/5 fav)
2021 - HONEYSUCKLE (10/11 fav)
2020 – HONEYSUCKLE (8/11 fav)
2019 – APPLE’S JADE (8/11 fav)
2018 – SUPASUNDAE (8/1)
2017 – PETIT MOUCHOIR (9/10 fav)
2016 – FAUGHEEN (3/10 fav)
2015 – HURRICANE FLY (11/10 fav)
2014 – HURRICANE FLY (4/7 fav)
2013 – HURRICANE FLY (1/6 fav)
2012 – HURRICANE FLY (4/5 fav)
2011 – HURRICANE FLY (4/9 fav)
2010 - SOLWHIT (5/6 fav)
2009 – BRAVE INCA (11/4)
2008 – SIZING EUROPE (10/3)
2007 – HARDY EUSTACE (9/1)
2006 – BRACE INCA (6/5 fav)
2005 – MACS JOY (11/8 fav)
2004 – FOREMAN (8/1)

Key Irish Champion Hurdle Trends

20/21 – Placed in the top three last time
18/21 – Raced within the last 2 months
18/21 – Had won at Leopardstown before
18/21 – Returned 10/3 or shorter in the betting
18/21 – Rated 158 or higher
17/21 – Winning distance – 1 length or more
17/21 – Won last time out
16/21 – Winning favourites
15/21 – Went onto finish in the top six of that season’s Champion Hurdle
13/21 – Raced within the last 5 weeks
13/21 – Raced at Leopardstown last time out
11/21 – Irish bred
8/21 – Trained by Willie Mullins (8 of last 14 runnings & 8 in total)
5/21 - Trained by Henry De Bromhead (4 of the last 8 runnings)
6/21 – Went onto win the Champion Hurdle
3 of the last 16 winners were second season hurdlers
The average winning SP in the last 22 runnings is 7/4