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There are few more events in sports that are more exhilarating than that of the Triple Crown in horse racing. The Irish Triple Crown was heavily inspired by the English Triple Crown.
While the races that make up the Irish Triple crown started at various times, it wasn’t until 1921 that all three races were a part of the season, and the Irish Triple Crown was born.
The Irish Triple Crown is comprised of the Irish 2,000 Guineas, the Irish Derby and the Irish St. Leger.
Unlike Triple Crown races in most countries, the Irish Triple Crown races all take place at the same track – Curragh Racecourse. Located in Newbridge, County Kildare, Ireland, Curragh is home to all five Irish Classics, and the course dates all the way back to 1727.
Only two horses have won the Irish Triple Crown – Museum in 1935 and Windsor Slipper in 1942.
The Irish 2,000 Guineas
2,000 Guineas Stakes – takes place at Newmarket racecourse in May and is the first leg of the Triple Crown. This is a one-mile race primarily for 3-year-old colts. 1,000 Guineas Stakes – an almost identical race to the 2000 Guineas, the 1000 race is the day after 2000 Guineas at. Run on the first Saturday of May, the Kentucky Derby takes place at the Churchill Downs Racecourse in Louisville, Kentucky. The racetrack is 1 ¼ mile long dirt oval and it’s known as The Run for the Roses because the winner is get a blanket of roses at the end. Only 20 runners compete in the race.
Held annually at the Aintree Racecourse in Merseyside, England close to Liverpool, the Grand National is a highly entertaining horse race with dozens of jumps and obstacles. After all, the event is a Hunt horse racing performance that focuses on hurdles and a variety of difficult jumps.
- First Run
- 1921
- Race Type
- Group 1, Flat/Thoroughbred
- Venue
- Curragh Racecourse – Newbridge, Country Kildare, Ireland
- Surface
- Turf
- Distance
- 1 mile
- Entry Requirements
- Three-year-olds
- Sponsor
- Tattersalls
- Purse
- 300,000 Euros
- In rugby union, the Triple Crown is an honour contested annually by the 'Home Nations' – i.e. England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales who compete within the larger Six Nations Championship.If any one of these teams defeats all three other teams, they win the Triple Crown. The Six Nations Championship also includes France and Italy, but their involvement in the tournament has no influence on.
- Horse Racing Ireland boss Brian Kavanagh has outlined plans for the development of a floodlit all-weather track at Tipperary Racecourse. Kavanagh made a.
History of the Irish 2,000 Guineas
The 2,000 Irish Guineas was first run in 1921 and is the Irish equivalent of the 2,000 Guineas run in England. Taking place after it’s English counterpart, the Irish Guineas usually includes horses that raced in the English version, with 9 such horses capturing victory in both.
The leading horses in the 2,000 Irish Guineas often go on to race in the following month’s St. James Palace Stakes. The Irish 1,000 Guineas is also run during the same week of the 2,000 Guineas and is restricted to fillies only. The race takes place every year in May.
- Leading Jockey: Tommy Burns, Sr. – 5 wins (1921, 1923, 1939, 1947, 1948)
- Leading Trainer: Aidan O’Brien – 11 wins (1997, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017)
- Leading Owner: Sue Magnier – 10 wins (1999, 2001, 2002, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017)
- First Run
- 1866 (modern rendition)
- Race Type
- Group 1, Flat/Thoroughbred
- Venue
- Curragh Racecourse – Newbridge, Country Kildare, Ireland
- Surface
- Turf
- Distance
- 1.5 miles
- Entry Requirements
- Three-year-olds
- Sponsor
- Dubai Duty Free
- Purse
- 1,500,000 Euros
History of the Irish Derby
The earliest version of the Irish Derby was called the O’Darby Stakes, and was run in 1817 until it was discontinued after the 1824 race. Another rendition known as the Curragh Derby was started in 1848, but again, was short-lived.
The Irish Derby as it is known today was created by the 3rd Earl of Howth, the 3rd Marquess of Drogheda and the 3rd Earl of Charlemont in 1866. The Derby became a major international race in 1962 when the prize money saw a substantial increase.
Joe McGrath, a founder of the Irish Hospitals Sweepstakes, combined the race with the sweepstakes, creating what was known as the Irish Sweeps Derby.
The Irish Derby was sponsored by Budweiser from 1986-2007, and it’s current sponsor, Dubai Duty Free, took over sponsorship duties in 2008. The Irish Derby currently takes place on the second day of the three-day Irish Derby Festival in either late June or early July.
- Leading Jockey: Morny Wing – 6 wins (1921, 1923, 1930, 1938, 1942, 1946)
- Leading Trainer: Aidan O’Brien – 12 wins (1997, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2017)
- Leading Owner: Michael Tabor – 13 wins (1997, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2017)
- First Run
- 1915
- Race Type
- Group 1, Flat/Thoroughbred
- Venue
- Curragh Racecourse – Curragh, County Kildare, Ireland
- Surface
- Turf
- Distance
- 1.75 miles
- Entry Requirements
- Three-years-old and up
- Sponsor
- Comer Group
- Purse
- 500,000 Euros
History of the Irish St. Leger
The Irish St. Leger began in 1915 and was originally restricted to only three-year-old horses. The first horse to ever complete the St. Leger Double, winning both the English and the Irish St. Leger, was Royal Lancer in 1922.
The St. Leger doesn’t restrict a horse’s age beyond three-years-old, so there have been repeat winners of the Irish St. Leger unlike in the other two races.
The race has been sponsored by the Comer Group since 2014 and takes place on the second day of the Irish Champions Weekend in September.
- Most Successful Horse: Vinne Roe – 4 wins (2001, 2002, 2003, 2004)
- Leading Jockey: Morny Wing – 7 wins (1920, 1923, 1930, 1938, 1942, 1945, 1947)
- Leading Trainer: Vincent O’Brien – 9 wins (1959, 1966, 1969, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1980, 1985, 1988)
- Leading Owner: Seamus Sheridan – 4 wins (2001, 2002, 2003, 2004) Susan Magnier – 4 wins (2007, 2008, 2015, 2017)
The Curragh Racecourse, or The Curragh as it is commonly referred to, is Ireland’s most important and prestigious racecourse. The name “Curragh” comes from the Gaelic word “Cuirreach,” which translates to “the place of the running horse.”
The first race on record at Curragh was in 1727. The Irish Derby was first held here in 1866, and in 1868, the course was officially declared a horse racing and training facility by an act of Parliament.
The Curragh is home to all five of the Irish Classics and offers the highest purses and quality level of horse racing in Ireland.
Place in History
In horse racing, there are three major Triple Crown renditions; the U.S. version, the U.K. version, and the Irish version. History has shown that the Irish Triple Crown has been the toughest feat of the three to conquer.
The Triple Crown in the U.S. has been achieved 12 times. Horses in the U.K. have accomplished the trifecta 15 times. The Irish Triple Crown, however, has only been reached by two horses, making it by far the hardest of the three to be reached.
So when it comes to betting, if the stats teach us anything, it’s that betting against any horse in contention of achieving the trifecta is one of the safest bets out there.
For more on the best places to place those Irish Triple Crown wagers check out our Best UK Horse Racing Betting Sites page.
The Triple Crown of Hurdling is one of the biggest attractions of the jump season in the UK. It’s highly prestigious and comes with some of the best Grade 1 hurdling races that the country has to offer.
The prestige is underlined even more by the fact that since 2010 it’s still been running successfully but without the bonus money that used to be on offer. This highlights that even though there is no additional money to be won (horses will still get the prize money from each of the races) it’s one that many of the elite still target to this day.
The Triple Crown of Hurdling has been running since 1979. The three races that are included are that of the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle, Christmas Hurdle at Kempton Park and the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham. Each of the races is very similar, which is why they are linked in the Triple Crown and therefore attract very similar fields as a result.
![Triple crown senior Triple crown senior](/uploads/1/3/6/7/136716037/982459175.png)
Prize Money
Prize money has not always been a part of the Triple Crown of Hurdling, but in fairly recent times it has attracted some sponsorship deals which raised the profile.
This came in the form of the betting exchange, WBX. In 2006 it was announced that they would become main sponsors of the event and in return would put up a reward of £1 million for any horse that wins all three races in the same season. This would make it the richest prize fund n hurdling history at the time.
The idea was that the bonus money would be paid out to all those involved with the horse. The owner got the largest share at 70%, with 15% to the trainer, 10% to the stable lad and 5% to the stable staff. Interestingly, none of the bonus money went to the jockey, which is rare for these types of awards.
WBX ran it from 2006 through to 2010. They later went out of business but throughout their time never had to pay any bonus money as no horses were able to win the elusive Triple Crown.
Since then no sponsorship deals have been arranged and therefore, it now runs without any prize money. That being said, the winner of all three races will pick up close to £400,000 in prize money alone, so it’s still highly lucrative.
What’s the Form of the Races Involved?
There are three races involved which include:
![Crown Crown](/uploads/1/3/6/7/136716037/377440685.jpg)
- Fighting Fifth Hurdle – Newcastle
- Christmas Hurdle– Kempton Park
- Champion Hurdle – Cheltenham
To win the Triple Crown of Hurdling a horse must win each of these races in the same season. Any horse that qualifies for the first race at Newcastle will be in with a chance of winning the overall award.
Whilst each is highly respected races in their own right, there would be few that would argue that the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham is the standout race of the three. This is one of the main reasons as to why there have only been 2 winners over the years. The field for the Champion Hurdle goes up a notch in terms of class compared to the first two races.
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Let’s take a look at how each of the races works:
Fighting Fifth Hurdle – Newcastle
The Fighting Fifth takes place in late November to early December. Even though the hurdle season will be in full flow by then, it’s seen as one of the early highlights of the season and it’s a race that many trainers will target with horses that have shown early promise in their career to take the next step.
It’s a race that has been running since 1969 and it takes place over 2m 98y, open to four-year-old horses and older. It comes with a purse of £110,000 with 1st place getting £61,897 of that money. The race has had its Grade 1 status since 2004 and even though it’s a part of the Triple Crown of Hurdling, is very much seen as a curtain-raiser for potential horses to run at the Cheltenham Festival.
There are two standout horses in the race’s history which comes in the form of Comedy of Errors and Birds Nest, both winning this race 3 times each throughout the seventies. In more recent times, Buveur d’Air is probably the start name here, winning twice in 2017 and 2018. However, other notables include Go Native, Punjabi, Straw Bear, Harchibald and Overturn.
Christmas Hurdle – Kempton
Like the Fighting fifth, the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton Park Racecourse has also been running since 1969. It comes in dead on 2 miles and takes place as part of the Boxing Day meeting, sharing the limelight with the King George VI race.
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It’s another Grade 1 National Hunt race and again is one of the highest-profile races of the season. The purse of £130,000 means that first place will pick up £74,035. It’s had some of the world’s best hurdlers run the race and with it include the likes of Coral Diver (first multiple winners), Kribensis, Harchibald, Binocular, Faugheen, Buver d’Air, Go Native and Intersky Falcon.
Champion Hurdle – Cheltenham
Not only is the Champion Hurdle the biggest of the three races, but it’s also the most lucrative. It comes with a purse of £450,000, and a 1st place cheque of £253,215. This is more than the other two races combined.
The Champion Hurdle is a firm favourite as part of the Cheltenham Festival which takes place in March. The race itself is run over 2m 87y and attracts horses from all over the world to come and compete. It’s generally thought that any winner of the race will go down in hurdling history. The likes of National Sprint, Istabraq and Lanzarote, who are all previous winners, now have races named in their honour as a result.
The race has been running since 1927 and in that time has had some of the best hurdlers to have ever raced win it. Istabraq, See You Then, Persona War, Sir Ken and Hatton’s Grace are 5 horses that have won this race an incredible three times, more than any other. Ruby Walsh and Tim Molony have the record for most jockey wins with 4 apiece and the leading trainer is that of Nicky Henderson, with 7 wins in total.
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Other notable winners include Buveur d’Air, Annie Power, Hurricane Fly, Rock on Ruby, Binocular, Jezki, Punjabi, Brave Inca and Collier Bay.
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Winners and Close Calls
There have only been two winners of the Triple Crown of Hurdling since its inauguration in 1979. The first was that of Kribensis, a grey Irish horse that was trained by Sir Michael Stoute. The other is a lot more recent and comes in the form of Buveur d’Air, who managed the feat in 2017/18.
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Buveur d’Air is an incredible horse and won the Champion Hurdle the year before winning it to claim the Triple Crown, meaning that he won 4 in a row in total. It’s likely that the horse, trained by Nicky Henderson, is going to go down as one of the all-time greats. As it stands, they’ve already won the Top Novices’ Hurdle, Champion hurdle twice, Aintree Hurdle, Fighting Fifth Hurdle twice and the Punchestown Champion Hurdle in 2019 to name but a few.
Whilst there hasn’t been many winners and almost 30 years between the two that have won, there has been several close calls. Winners of both the Fighting Fifth Hurdle and the Christmas Hurdle include Landing Light, Intersky Falcon, Harchibald, Go Native and My Tent or Yours.