2026 Festival schedule

The Irish Champions Festival runs across three afternoons split between two courses:

Saturday — Leopardstown Champions Day

• Irish Champion Stakes (Group 1, 1m 2f) — the Festival's signature race. Winner's role-call includes Sea The Stars, Dylan Thomas, Giant's Causeway.
• Matron Stakes (Group 1, 1m) — fillies' and mares' championship mile.
• Red Mills Irish Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes (Group 1, 1m 2f).

Sunday — Curragh Champions Day

• Irish St Leger (Group 1, 1m 6f) — open-age stayers' championship. One of the oldest classics in the world.
• Flying Five Stakes (Group 1, 5f) — the Festival's sprint championship.
• Moyglare Stud Stakes (Group 1, 7f) — the 2YO fillies' championship.

Third day — National Hunt / midweek handicap card

Typically a Friday or Monday Curragh card of supporting handicaps and Group 2s — gives buffer for the Group 1 prep.

Detail	Value
Festival start	Friday 11 September 2026
First race off time	TBA
Going	TBA
Typical daily field size	per Group 1

Trials and build-up

• Juddmonte International (York, August) — often produces the Irish Champion favourite; York-form translates strongly.
• Prix du Moulin (Longchamp, early Sept) — the French miler championship; Matron Stakes contenders often use it.
• Ebor Festival (York, August) — produces Irish St Leger contenders from the Lonsdale Cup (G2 2m).

Ante-post markets

Irish Champion Stakes ante-post books open after the July Cup (early July). York's Juddmonte International (mid-August) sharpens the market. 4 places each-way as standard; books open 15-20 declared runners typical for the Group 1s. The Irish Champions Festival is the single biggest ante-post betting event in Ireland each year.

History and signature races

The Irish Champions Festival was launched in its current form in 2014 — a deliberate strategic move by Horse Racing Ireland and the courses (Leopardstown + Curragh) to create a two-course, championship-tier September meeting that could anchor the late flat season in Ireland before the Arc.

Individual Group 1 races within the festival are much older. The Irish Champion Stakes (then run as the Joe McGrath Memorial) dates to 1976, and the Irish St Leger is the oldest Group 1 in the festival — first run in 1915.

The signature races

Irish Champion Stakes (Saturday, Leopardstown, 1m 2f G1) — the headline. A 1m 2f championship that has been won by arguably the greatest modern middle-distance horses: Sea The Stars (2009), Giant's Causeway (2000), Dylan Thomas (2006, 2007), High Chaparral (2003), Hurricane Run (2005), Magician (2013), Golden Horn (2015), Almanzor (2016). A win here, followed by an Arc, is the signature double-header of a European 3YO champion season.

Irish St Leger (Sunday, Curragh, 1m 6f G1) — the oldest of the festival's Group 1s. Unlike the English St Leger which is restricted to 3YOs, the Irish St Leger is open to all ages from 3 upwards. Vinnie Roe (2001-2004) won it four times — a record matched by no other horse in any Group 1 in Europe. Yeats (2008) won it between his Gold Cup wins at Ascot.

Flying Five Stakes (Sunday, Curragh, 5f G1) — the festival sprint championship. Open to all ages; often attracts Japanese and Australian raiders ahead of the Prix de l'Abbaye.

Moyglare Stud Stakes (Sunday, Curragh, 7f G1) — the 2YO fillies' championship. Winners regularly step up to win the 1000 Guineas + Oaks the following year.

Matron Stakes (Saturday, Leopardstown, 1m G1) — the open-age fillies'/mares' mile championship.

Irish flat-racing dominance

The Irish Champions Festival both reflects and drives Irish flat-racing's modern dominance. Ballydoyle (Aidan O'Brien's stable) has the single most successful record at the festival of any European trainer in history. Moyglare Stud — whose name carries the 2YO fillies' race — is the largest thoroughbred breeding operation in Europe. Coolmore, the Aga Khan Studs, Godolphin and Juddmonte Farms all target the festival heavily.

Recent champions

This section updates after each year's meeting — see /racing-news/ for the most recent race result articles.

TV coverage and how to watch

The 2026 Irish Champions Festival is broadcast live on Racing TV (UK) and RTÉ Sport (Ireland), with selected highlights on ITV.

Ireland terrestrial — RTÉ

RTÉ Sport carries the full Irish Champions Festival live on RTÉ Two each day, free-to-air in Ireland. The Irish Champion Stakes and Irish St Leger are national event-tier broadcasts — RTÉ's Derek Thompson-era coverage regularly features full parade-ring, paddock and post-race analysis.

UK — Racing TV

Racing TV carries every race of the three-day festival live in the UK. Subscription or day-pass required. The festival is one of Racing TV's highest-profile flat-season broadcasts.

UK — ITV highlights

ITV Racing typically picks up the Irish Champion Stakes and Irish St Leger as part of its UK Saturday afternoon schedule when they align with the ITV Saturday slot. Coverage is partial (not every race) and depends on the ITV scheduling vs UK festivals on the same weekend.

Sky Sports Racing

Sky Sports Racing does not hold rights to the Irish Champions Festival — it's Racing TV's meeting. Sky will show the complementary UK Saturday fixtures.

International

• US: TVG / FanDuel Racing for the Group 1s; US-turf-betting punters follow the festival heavily.
• Australia: Sky Thoroughbred Central — the Irish Champion Stakes often attracts Australian attention ahead of Melbourne Cup prep.
• Japan: Green Channel — the Flying Five Stakes and Moyglare Stud Stakes are regularly watched by Japanese breeders.

Replays

Racing TV subscriber archive + RTÉ Player keep the races on demand after the event. The Racing Post and Horse Racing Ireland's YouTube channels post the Group 1 race videos within hours.

Off-time reminders

Irish Champion Stakes is traditionally the 17:05 (Irish time) race at Leopardstown Saturday. Expect TBA to match the published schedule within 1-2 minutes — Irish racing runs tight on the TV clock.

Raceday at Leopardstown and the Curragh

Leopardstown — Saturday (Irish Champion Stakes Day)

Leopardstown Racecourse is at Foxrock, Dublin 18, D18 W1P9 — 10km south of Dublin city centre. Direct from Dublin city by Luas (Green Line to Central Park stop), or by car via the M50 (exit 14 or 15).

Enclosures: Premier Enclosure (best views + paddock + reserved bar access), Grandstand (main public), Picnic Area (free grass-banking at the far end). Premier sells out first — book 3-4 weeks in advance for the Irish Champion Stakes.

The Curragh — Sunday (Irish St Leger Day)

The Curragh is at Newbridge, Co. Kildare, R56 E577 — 50km southwest of Dublin, in the heart of Ireland's thoroughbred breeding country. By car (45-60 min from Dublin city via the N7). A special bus service typically runs on festival days.

The Curragh is one of the oldest and flattest racecourses in the world — 2 miles around, wide, right-handed, and almost perfectly level (no camber, minimal gradient). The 1m 6f Irish St Leger is run on the full stamina course.

Enclosures: The Curragh redeveloped its grandstand in 2019 — the new Stands area is premium; the Paddock enclosure is the main public; the Lawn enclosure (picnic-style) is free access.

On the day

• Gates open ~10:30am at both courses.
• First race ~1:30pm on Saturday (Leopardstown) and ~1:45pm on Sunday (Curragh).
• Irish Champion Stakes is traditionally the 17:05 race on Saturday — the sixth on the card.
• Irish St Leger is traditionally the 16:45 race on Sunday.

Dress code

Leopardstown Premier: smart-casual strongly recommended; many attendees wear suit-and-tie or dress-and-hat for the Champion Stakes. Curragh Stands: same — smart business-casual. Paddock / Lawn: no dress code but festival crowd dresses up. Irish racing festivals are social events — expect smart-dress, especially in the parade ring.

Food and drink

Leopardstown has excellent on-course hospitality (Fillies Cafe, Leopardstown Pavilion). The Curragh's 2019 rebuild added premium dining options. Both courses offer picnic packages for the outer enclosures. Guinness is of course widely available — the festival's unofficial ambassador.

Betting

Tote facilities and on-course bookmakers at both courses. Irish bookmakers (Paddy Power, Boylesports, BoyleSports) have a heavy on-course presence. Online punting from the stands is popular — our bookmaker comparison guide covers UK-friendly options. Each-way markets on the Group 1s typically offer 4 places as standard.