Irish Champions Festival

Aidan O'Brien has trained 13 winners of the Irish Champion Stakes, the centrepiece of the Irish Champions Festival. His first came with Giant's Causeway in 2000 and his latest with Delacroix in 2025, ridden by Christophe Soumillon. His dual winner Magical (2019 and 2020) shares the record for a horse with Dylan Thomas. In 2026 his favourite Constitution River was third behind the 50-1 winner Hotazhell.

4Irish St Leger
wins

Four Irish St Legers in a row, 2001 to 2004

Vinnie Roe is the only horse to have won the Irish St Leger four times. Trained by the Curragh-based Dermot Weld and ridden each time by Pat Smullen, he won the Curragh Classic every year from 2001 to 2004. The fourth, in 2004, came as 7-2 joint-favourite, two and a half lengths clear of Brian Boru. Since then Order Of St George, Search For A Song and Kyprios have each won it twice, but none has managed a third victory.

7Irish Champion
Stakes wins

The jockeys' record in the Irish Champion

Michael Kinane rode seven winners of the Irish Champion Stakes, the most by any jockey. The first came on Carroll House in 1989 and the last on Sea the Stars in 2009, the year he retired. In between he won on Cézanne (1994), Pilsudski (1997), Giant's Causeway (2000), High Chaparral (2003) and Azamour (2004). Sea the Stars won six Group 1 races under Kinane that season, including the Derby and the Arc.

Stories of the 2021 Winners

Irish Champion Stakes

St Mark's Basilica

With this win, St Mark's Basilica now has 4 Group 1 wins this season. The winning margin over Tarnawa was three-quarters of a length. The three-year-old colt is by Siyouni out of Cabaret. The winning time was 2m 11.19s.

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Matron Stakes

No Speak Alexander

Former winner Champers Elysees (2020) was among the beaten runners, finishing sixth. The horse was an outsider, returned at decimal odds of 27.65. The field numbered 13 runners. The win was worth EUR 180,000 to the winner.

Flying Five Stakes

Romantic Proposal

Former winner Glass Slippers (2020) was among the beaten runners, finishing third. The horse was an outsider, returned at decimal odds of 20.2. The field numbered 13 runners. The win was worth EUR 180,000 to the winner.

Irish St. Leger

Sonnyboyliston

Former winner Search For A Song (2020) was among the beaten runners, finishing sixth. The winning margin over Twilight Payment was three-quarters of a length. The field numbered 13 runners. The winning time was 3m 2.05s.

Vincent O'Brien National Stakes

William Buick

With this win, William Buick now has 5 Group 1 wins this season. On the same weekend, the jockey also took the St. Leger Stakes with Hurricane Lane. All 5 of them came for trainer Charlie Appleby.