The Irish Christmas Hurdle is one of the feature races of Leopardstown’s Christmas Festival.
Run over three miles, with 12 hurdles to be jumped, the race is a Grade 1 contest that regularly attracts the best staying hurdlers in training, using the race as a potential stepping stone to the Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
Trainers Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott have trained the race’s winner on four occasions, with Apple’s Jade winning the race for Elliott for three consecutive years.
And both trainers will be eyeing up this year’s Irish Christmas Hurdle in the hope one of them can land the race for a record fifth time.
Irish Christmas Hurdle Betting Offers
How To Get Free Bets For The 2023 Irish Christmas Hurdle
The festive period brings a sports betting extravaganza for punters, and the top online bookmakers ensure plenty of betting offers for new and existing customers to get stuck into.
Paddy Power are a leading sponsor of Leopardstown’s Christmas Festival, and they are the go-to bookmaker for many horse racing fans, attracted by their odds boosts, justice payouts, and generous welcome bonus.
Betfred have a strong association with horse racing, offering comprehensive horse racing markets, live streaming, and exclusive promotions, perfect for use on the Irish Christmas Hurdle.
Irish Christmas Hurdle Tips
Our top tipping duo of Alan Kelly and Charlie McCann have their Irish Christmas Hurdle selections on-site, with Charlie’s Nap of the Day running in the race - click on their links below for full details!
Irish Christmas Hurdle Betting Tips & Stats Guide
Check out more from the Freebets horse racing hub, including tips, stats, market movers and today’s racecards!
What Happened Last Year?
The Joseph O’Brien-trained Home By The Lee was a surprise winner of the 2022 Irish Christmas Hurdle under jockey JJ Slevin.
Sent off at odds of 7/1, Home By The Lee was always prominent and took the lead three hurdles from home, running out a comfortable winner from Ashdale Bob in 2nd place.
The market leaders, Flooring Porter and Bob Olinger, could only finish 4th and 5th, respectively.
When & Where Is The 2023 Irish Christmas Hurdle?
This year’s Irish Christmas Hurdle will be run on Thursday, December 28, at Leopardstown Racecourse alongside the Savills Chase.
Recent Irish Christmas Hurdle Winners
The Irish Christmas Hurdle was first run in 1996 but has already become an important race for staying hurdlers and has been won by some top-quality horses, including Limestone Lad and Apple’s Jade, who won the race three times between 2017 and 2019.
We’ve listed the last five winners of the Irish Christmas Hurdle below.
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2022 | Home By The Lee |
| 2021 | Klassical Dream |
| 2020 | Flooring Porter |
| 2019 | Apple’s Jade |
| 2018 | Apple’s Jade |
FAQs
When is the 2023 Irish Christmas Hurdle?
The 2023 Irish Christmas Hurdle will be run on Thursday, December 28.
Where is the Irish Christmas Hurdle run?
Leopardstown Racecourse, near Dublin, is the venue for the Irish Christmas Hurdle.
How many times did Apple's Jade win the Irish Christmas Hurdle?
Apple's Jade was a three-time winner of the Irish Christmas Hurdle, winning it in 2017, 2018, and 2019.
