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 2022 Winners

Irish Champion Stakes

Aidan O'Brien

Aidan O'Brien had already trained a winner of this race: St Mark's Basilica (2021). The stable had come close here before: Armory was third in 2020. With this win, the stable closed to within three wins of leader Chad C Brown.

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Matron Stakes

Pearls Galore

In 2021, Pearls Galore had finished second here behind No Speak Alexander. The horse was an outsider, returned at decimal odds of 17. The winning margin over Saffron Beach was 3 lengths. The field numbered 9 runners.

Flying Five Stakes

Highfield Princess

Former winner Romantic Proposal (2021) was among the beaten runners, finishing ninth. With this win, the horse now has 3 Group 1 wins this season. The field numbered 19 runners. The winning time was 1m 2.51s.

Irish St. Leger

Kyprios

With this win, Kyprios now has 3 Group 1 wins this season. The field numbered 11 runners. The four-year-old colt is by Galileo out of Polished Gem. The win was worth EUR 289,999 to the winner. The winning time was 3m 4.67s.

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Vincent O'Brien National Stakes

Al Riffa

Al Riffa was an outsider, returned at decimal odds of 10. The field numbered 6 runners. The horse is by Wootton Bassett out of Love On My Mind. The win was worth EUR 240,000 to the winner. The winning time was 1m 29.31s.