Leopardstown and The Curragh all set for the Longines Irish Champion Weekend

Now in its fifth year, the Longines Irish Champions Weekend has developed into something of an unmissable event. It takes place at Leopardstown on Saturday 15 and at the Curragh on Sunday 16 September and is the pinnacle of the Irish Flat racing season and billed as the race meeting where the best in world come to meet as horses, trainers and jockeys compete at the highest level.

The weekend features a total of 10 Group races, six of which will be run at Leopardstown on Saturday, with four at The Curragh. There are six Group One races and €4.8 million in prize-money across the weekend which underlines why this unique racing event is now regarded as one of the richest and most glamorous meetings on the international racing calendar.

It also offers the opportunity to showcase Ireland as a world centre of excellence for horse racing and breeding.

Saturday and the first of the two-day event will take place at Leopardstown in Co. Dublin where the Qipco Irish Champion Stakes and the Coolmore Fastnet Rock Matron Stakes are the two Group 1 races share top-billing. A prestigious eight-race card offers a total prize fund of €2.45 million and features five group races, a new listed contest and two high-class handicaps each valued at €150,000.

Twenty four hours later, the action then moves to the home of Ireland’s classics, The Curragh, Co. Kildare on Sunday 16th September for day 2.

The race day will feature four Group 1 races on the eight-race card with the feature being the final Classic race of the season, the Comer Group International Irish St Leger with total prize money of €500,000.

Together with three other Group 1 races – the Moyglare Stud Stakes for the top fillies in Europe, Goffs Vincent OBrien National Stakes for the top colts in Europe and Derrinstown Stud Flying Five for the some of the fastest sprinters in Europe, it promises to be a fitting finale of the Curragh season on Sunday with the focus of completing the new Curragh development for the remainder of the year to open next Spring.

The Longines Irish Champions Weekend is regarded as one of the biggest social and sporting events in Ireland, with style and fashion at the heart of the occasion. At both of Ireland’s premiere racecourses, all racegoers will get the chance to showcase their style credentials to be in with a chance to win the coveted Longines Prize for Elegance.