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Christmas Hurdle (Ireland)
The Christmas Hurdle is Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Ireland. It is run at Leopardstown Racecourse in December, over a distance of 3 miles (4,828 metres) and during its running there are 12 flights of hurdles to be jumped. The race is one of the feature races of Leopardstown's Christmas Festival. Prior to 2013 it carried Grade 2 status. The 2019 race was run as the Frank Ward Memorial Hurdle. Since 2022 the race has been run as the Jack De Bromhead Christmas Hurdle. Records Most successful horse (3 wins): * Apple's Jade – ''(2017, 2018, 2019)'' Leading jockey (3 wins): * Ruby Walsh – '' Commanche Court (1998), Zaidpour (2013), Vroum Vroum Mag (2016'' * Jack Kennedy – '' Apple's Jade (2018, 2019), Irish Point (2023)'' Leading trainer (5 wins): * Gordon Elliott – ''Prince of Scars (2015), Apple's Jade (2017, 2018, 2019), Irish Point (2023)'' Recent winners See also * Horse racing in Ireland Horse racing in I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
National Hunt
National Hunt Racing, also known as Jump Racing, is a form of horse racing particular to many European countries, including, but not limited to: France, Great Britain and Ireland. Jump Racing requires horses to jump over fences and ditches. In the UK, National Hunt Racing is divided into two major distinct branches: Hurdling and Steeplechase, as well as flat races called “Bumpers”. Hurdling involves horses jumping over Hurdles, while Steeplechase involves the horses jumping over a variety of different obstacles that includes fences, water jump or an open ditch. Some of the biggest National Hunt events of the year in the UK are the Grand National and the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Overview The National Hunt season primarily occurs during the winter months when softer ground conditions make jumping safer for horses. The horses are significantly cheaper compared to sport horses for other equestrian sports, reason being the majority are geldings and have no breeding value. Jum ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paul Carberry
Paul Carberry is a retired Irish National Hunt jockey. Background He was born on 9 February 1974.Paul Carberry: BBC Sport news.bbc.co.uk, 27 March 2003, retrieved 20 February 2010. He hails from a racing family. He is the son of jockey ,BBC profile – Paul Carberry /ref> who was a famous National Hunt jockey in the 1960s and 1970s. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gavin Cromwell
Gavin Cromwell (born 29 September 1974) is an Irish dual-purpose racehorse trainer. He has won multiple Grade 1 races, including the 2025 Cheltenham Gold Cup. Background Cromwell comes from Ardcath, County Meath, where his grandfather and uncle trained horses. Originally hoping to become a jockey, Cromwell worked in yards in Ireland, Newmarket and Australia, before returning to Ireland to start a four-year farrier apprenticeship. He took out a trainer's licence in 2005, while continuing to work as a farrier until he became established. Career as a trainer Cromwell sent out his first winner from his Danestown yard in April 2007, when Dodder Walk won a handicap hurdle at Cork. He achieved his first Grade 1 success when Jer's Girl won the Mares Novice Hurdle Championship Final at Fairyhouse in March 2016. His first success at the Cheltenham Festival came in 2019, when Espoir d'Allen won the Champion Hurdle. When Inothewayurthinkin, owned by J. P. McManus and ridden by Mark Wal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Flooring Porter
Flooring Porter (foaled 12 May 2015) is an Irish racehorse best known for his achievements in National Hunt racing. He was highly tried in his first season as a Novice hurdler, running nine times and winning two minor races. In the following season he made dramatic improvement, winning two Handicap hurdles before stepping up to Grade 1 class to win the Christmas Hurdle and the Stayers' Hurdle. Background Flooring Porter is a bay with no white markings horse bred in Ireland by Sean Murphy who is based at the Ryehill Stables in County Galway. Murphy had also bred the horse's dam and grand-dam. As a foal in December 2015 the colt was consigned to the Goffs National Hunt sale and was bought for €6,000 by Richard Rohan. The horse was gelded before returning to the Goffs sales ring in June when he was not sold after failing to reach his reserve price. He entered the ownership of the Flooring Porter Syndicate and was taken into training by Gavin Cromwell at Navan in County Meath. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Davy Russell
David Niall Russell (born 27 June 1979) is an Irish retired National Hunt jockey. He was Irish jump racing Champion Jockey three times, and won the Grand National (twice), the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris. Childhood and amateur career Russell was born the second youngest of six children and raised on the farm of his parents Jerry and Phyllis Russell in Youghal, County Cork, Ireland. His father owned a few racehorses and the family walked puppies for the local hunt. As a child, Russell's passions were riding his pony, hurling, and helping his father with his horses. Russell rode for four years as an amateur in point-to-points in Ireland, winning his first race in February 1999. During this period he also went hunting and worked in a fish factory. Professional career In 2002 Russell moved to Yorkshire, England, to ride for the Irish trainer Ferdy Murphy at Middleham. Russell's first win as a professional jockey was on Inn Antique in a novice hurdle ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bryan Cooper (jockey)
Bryan Cooper (born 7 August 1992) is a retired Irish National Hunt jockey and is the son of trainer Tom Cooper and his mother is Geraldine Cooper née O'Brien. Cooper was born in Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland and in his short career scored notable wins at the National Hunt Cheltenham Festival. Background and early life Coming from a horsey family it was virtually inevitable that Cooper would be involved in that industry. Around the time he was born his parents won a pony in a raffle and this was named Snowy by the family. At an early age Cooper jumped up on Snowy's back and rode him around his father's yard. He then progressed to the pony and show jumping circuit and retained an interest in these events until he was around 15 years old. Cooper took part in his first race when he was just 14, learning his trade in his father's yard and spending his school holidays in the yard of Dessie Hughes. Knowing that a life in the horse industry was for him, Cooper left school before compl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Andrew Lynch (jockey)
Andrew Lynch is a retired Irish National Hunt jockey. Lynch had his first ride in a bumper at Fairyhouse in April 2001 and his first winning ride in May 2002 on Tristernagh in a novice hurdle at Downpatrick. Lynch won 2 races in the Cheltenham Festival in 2010 and 2011. His 2 Cheltenham Festival wins in 2010 were on Sizing Europe and Berties Dream in the Arkle Challenge Trophy and Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle and respectively while his 2011 wins were on Sizing Europe and Sizing Australia in the Queen Mother Champion Chase and Cross Country Chase respectively. In May 2012 Lynch broke his leg after a fall at Cork. TV In 2013 he appeared on documentary The Irish Road To Cheltenham which was shown on RTÉ One television in Ireland. Major wins Ireland * Punchestown Gold Cup -(1) Notre Pere (2009) * Punchestown Champion Chase -(2) Sizing Europe (2012,2014) * Ryanair Gold Cup -(2) Jadanli (2010), Flemenstar (2012) * Hatton's Grace Hurdle -(1) Voler la Vedette (2011 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paul Townend
Paul Townend (born 15 September 1990) is an Irish people, Irish jockey who competes in National Hunt racing. From Lisgoold in County Cork, he has been attached to the yard of Irish trainer Willie Mullins since he was fifteen, beginning his career as an apprentice flat racing jockey. Following the retirement of Ruby Walsh in 2019, Townend became the number one jockey to the Willie Mullins, Mullins yard. In 2019 Cheltenham Gold Cup, 2019 he gave Willie Mullins his first Cheltenham Gold Cup winner with Al Boum Photo and he repeated this success in 2020. He recorded his third and fourth win in the race on Galopin Des Champs in 2023 and 2024. He won the 2023 Irish Grand National and the 2024 Grand National, 2024 Aintree Grand National on I Am Maximus for Mullins. He is a seven-time Irish jump racing Champion Jockey (2010/11, 2018/19, 2019/20, 2020/21, 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2024/25 seasons). Early life Townend (born 15 September 1990) comes from a racing background and grew up on a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Andrew McNamara (jockey)
Andrew McNamara is a retired Ireland, Irish National Hunt jockey. McNamara had his first winning ride on La Captive in a bumper at Wexford in July 2002. He turned professional at the beginning of the 2004-05 season. In 2006 he won the Queen Mother Champion Chase on Newmill. He also won the 2010 Irish Grand National on Bluesea Cracker. On 14 August 2015 he won on his last ride, which was on The Right Honourable at Tramore Racecourse, Tramore. McNamara retired on a winner when he partnered the 'Shark' Hanlon-trained Most Honourable at Tramore on 14 August 2015 and immediately turned his attentions to training. He trained his first winner at Punchestown on 14 May 2016 when Double Speak won the opening maiden hurdle in the hands of Robbie Power TV In 2013 he appeared on documentary The Irish Road To Cheltenham which was shown on RTÉ One television in Ireland. Major wins Ireland * Irish Gold Cup -(1) Beef Or Salmon (2007) * Irish Champion Hurdle -(1) Sizing Europe (2008) * Punchesto ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Adrian Maguire
Adrian Maguire (born 29 April 1971 in Kilmessan, County Meath, Ireland), is a racehorse trainer and former jockey. Maguire began his career in Irish pony racing at the age of nine, in which he rode more than 200 winners. In 1990 he rode his first winner under rules, at Sligo, before his first victory in the United Kingdom a year later. In the 1993–1994 season he rode 194 winners but lost the jockeys' championship by a margin of three to Richard Dunwoody. Maguire won a total of 1,024 races in the UKMontgomery, Sue. ''Racing: Maguire resists the lure to ride his luck one last time.'' ''Independent''. 29 October 2002. Retrieved 30 December 2008. and has been desc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Timmy Murphy
Timothy James Murphy (born 20 August 1974 in County Kildare, Republic of Ireland, Ireland), known as Timmy Murphy, is a retired Irish jockey who competed mostly in National Hunt racing, National Hunt racing. A multiple Grade 1-winning rider, he is best known for his victory on Comply or Die in the 2008 Grand National. He overcame problems with alcohol, which had led to a prison sentence after a drunken incident on a plane in 2002, to resume a successful career and win the 2005 jump jockey of the year Lester Award. He won the Irish Grand National on Davids Lad in 2001, and the Scottish Grand National on Merigo in 2010 and 2012. He had eight winners at the Cheltenham Festival, the first in 1997 and the last in 2009. He recorded his 1000th win in Britain in 2010. Following an injury in a fall in 2010 he was unable to regain his licence to ride over jumps and switched codes, riding on Flat racing, the flat from 2015 until 2018, when he retired from race riding. Background Murphy wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Noel Meade
Noel Meade is a horse trainer from Castletown, County Meath, Ireland. He established Tu Va Stables in County Meath as a place to train his horses. Early career: flat racing Meade began his career as a horse trainer in 1971,Noel Meade Racing noelmeade.com, accessed 30 January 2010. but it was not until 1978 that Meade started to become well recognised. Sweet Mint, winner of the Cork and Orrery Stakes in 1978 at , was the first winner trained by Meade. That win generally thought of as the one that gained Meade notoriety in the [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |