| Location | Punchestown Co. Kildare, Ireland |
|---|---|
| Race type | National Hunt flat race |
| Sponsor | Paddy Power |
| Website | Punchestown |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 2 miles (3,219 metres) |
| Track | Turf, right-handed |
| Qualification | Four to seven years old geldings and mares |
| Weight | 11 st 4 lb (4yo); 12 st 0 lb (5–7yo) Allowances 5 lb for mares |
| Purse | €80,000 (2010) 1st: €52,000 |
The Champion INH Flat Race is a Grade 1 National Hunt flat race in Ireland for amateur riders which is open to horses aged four to seven years. It is run at Punchestown over a distance of about 2 miles (3,219 metres), and it is scheduled to take place each year during the Punchestown Festival in late April or early May.
The event has been sponsored by the bookmaker Paddy Power since 1999. It was formerly open to horses aged four or older, but an upper age limit of seven was introduced in 2007.
The field usually includes horses which ran previously in the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham, and both races were won by Cousin Vinny in 2008. The feat was repeated the following year by Dunguib, but he was later disqualified from the Irish version after testing positive for a banned substance.
Contents |
Leading jockey since 1992 (2 wins):
Leading trainer since 1992 (4 wins):
| Year |
Winner |
Age |
Jockey |
Trainer |
| 1992 | Tiananmen Square | 4 | Tim Hyde | Noel Meade |
| 1993 | Dramatic Touch | 5 | David Marnane | Liam Browne |
| 1994 | Aries Girl | 5 | Eoghan Norris | Pat Flynn |
| 1995 | Maringo | 6 | Tony Martin | Willie Mullins |
| 1996 | Noble Thyne | 6 | Tom Mullins | Paddy Mullins |
| 1997 | Arctic Camper | 5 | Robert Thornton | David Nicholson |
| 1998 | King's Road | 5 | Gordon Elliott | Nigel Twiston-Davies |
| 1999 | Our Bid | 8 | Philip Carberry | Kevin Prendergast |
| 2000 | Liss A Paoraigh | 5 | Paul Crowley | John Kiely |
| 2001 | Like-a-Butterfly [1] | 7 | J. T. McNamara | Christy Roche |
| 2002 | Supreme Developer | 5 | Pat Murphy | Tony Mullins |
| 2003 | Royal Rosa | 4 | Aidan Fitzgerald | Nicky Henderson |
| 2004 | Geill Sli | 6 | Alan Crowe | Noel Meade |
| 2005 | Refinement | 6 | Alan Berry | Jonjo O'Neill |
| 2006 | Leading Run | 7 | Nina Carberry | Noel Meade |
| 2007 | Mick the Man | 6 | Nina Carberry | Noel Meade |
| 2008 | Cousin Vinny | 5 | Patrick Mullins | Willie Mullins |
| 2009 | Sweeps Hill [2] | 5 | J. P. Magnier | John Kiely |
| 2010 | Hidden Universe | 4 | Robbie McNamara | Dermot Weld |
| 2011 | Lovethehigherlaw | 5 | Patrick Mullins | Willie Mullins |
1 The 2001 running took place at Leopardstown.
2 Dunguib finished first in 2009, but he was subsequently disqualified after testing positive for a banned substance.