The Irish Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1
National Hunthurdle race in Ireland which is open to
horses aged four years or older. It is run at
Leopardstown over a distance of about 2 miles (3,219 metres), and during its running there are eight hurdles to be jumped. The race is scheduled to take place each year in late January or early February.
The event was established in 1950, and it is now one of two Irish races, along with the
Punchestown Champion Hurdle, which can be seen as equivalents of the
Champion Hurdle in England. The most recent winner of the Leopardstown version to win the Champion Hurdle in the same season was
State Man in 2024. The Irish Champion Hurdle was sponsored by
AIG Europe from 1993 to 2008, by
Toshiba in 2009 and 2010 and by BHP Insurance from 2011 to 2019. The race has been sponsored by PCI since 2020 and is now part of the Dublin Racing Festival weekend.