The Spring and Autumn months are lit up by a feast of National Hunt action thanks to the twin titans of the Cheltenham and Aintree Festivals, but (much like in many of the Grade 1 events at those meetings) the Irish beat Britain to the punch with February’s Dublin Racing Festival. Taking place over a Saturday and Sunday early in the month, this prestigious event crams in eight Grade 1 contests – headlined by the Irish Gold Cup.
First run in 1987, the 3m trip of this contest is a little less than that of its Cheltenham counterpart but regularly attracts many of the same performers and is a key contest for the leading staying chasers on the Emerald Isle. Since that inaugural running, four horses have completed the Irish Gold Cup and Cheltenham Gold Cup double in the same season, with Galopin Des Champs becoming the first to achieve that feat on two occasions when landing both races for the second time in 2024.
2024
- 1st - Galopin Des Champs 1/3F, Jockey: Paul Townend, Trainer: Willie Mullins
- 2nd - Fastorslow 7/2, Jockey: J J Slevin, Trainer: Martin Brassil
- 3rd - I Am Maximus 14/1, Jockey: Jody McGarvey, Trainer: Willie Mullins
2023
- 1st - Galopin Des Champs 30/100F, Jockey: Paul Townend, Trainer: Willie Mullins
- 2nd - Stattler 11/2, Jockey: Mr P W Mullins, Trainer: Willie Mullins
- 3rd - Fury Road 18/1, Jockey: Davy Russell, Trainer: Gordon Elliott
2022
- 1st - Conflated 18/1, Jockey: Davy Russell, Trainer: Gordon Elliott
- 2nd - Minella Indo 11/2, Jockey: Robbie Power, Trainer: Henry De Bromhead
- 3rd - Janidil 7/1, Jockey: Mark Walsh, Trainer: Willie Mullins
2021
- 1st - Kemboy 11/4, Jockey: Danny Mullins, Trainer: Willie Mullins
- 2nd - The Storyteller 20/1, Jockey: Keith Donoghue:, Trainer: Gordon Elliott
- 3rd - Delta Work 5/1, Jockey: Jack Kennedy, Trainer: Gordon Elliott
2020
- 1st - Delta Work 5/2, Jockey: Jack Kennedy, Trainer: Gordon Elliott
- 2nd - Kemboy 5/4F, Jockey: Paul Townend, Trainer: Willie Mullins
- 3rd - Presenting Percy 100/30, Jockey: Davy Russell, Trainer: Patrick Kelly
2019
- 1st - Bellshill 2/1, Jockey: Ruby Walsh, Trainer: Willie Mullins
- 2nd - Road To Respect 5/6F, Jockey: Sean Flanagan, Trainer: Noel Meade
- 3rd - The Storyteller 8/1, Jockey: Davy Russell, Trainer: Gordon Elliott
2018
- 1st - Edwulf 33/1, Jockey: Mr Derek O’Connor, Trainer: Joseph O’Brien
- 2nd - Outlander 6/1, Jockey: Jack Kennedy, Trainer: Gordon Elliott
- 3rd - Djakadam 13/2, Jockey: Mr P W Mullins, Trainer: Willie Mullins
2017
- 1st - Sizing John 100/30, Jockey: Robbie Power, Trainer: Jessica Harrington
- 2nd - Empire Of Dirt 9/2, Jockey: Jack Kennedy, Trainer: Gordon Elliott
- 3rd - Don Poli 9/4F, Jockey: David Mullins, Trainer: Gordon Elliott
2016
- 1st - Carlingford Lough 20/1, Jockey: Mark Walsh, Trainer: John E Kiely
- 2nd - Road To Riches 5/4F, Jockey: Bryan Cooper, Trainer: Noel Meade
- 3rd - Fine Rightly 33/1, Jockey: Andrew Lynch, Trainer: Stuart Crawford
2015
- 1st - Carlingford Lough 4/1, Jockey: A P McCoy, Trainer: John Kiely
- 2nd - Foxrock 7/2, Jockey: Adrian Heskin, Trainer: Ted Walsh
- 3rd - Lord Windermere 7/1, Jockey: Jim Culloty, Trainer: Davy Russell