Punchestown Champion Chase
| Grade 1 race | |
| Location |
Punchestown Co. Kildare, Ireland |
|---|---|
| Race type | Steeplechase |
| Sponsor | Boylesports |
| Website | Punchestown |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 2 miles (3,219 metres) |
| Surface | Turf |
| Track | Right-handed |
| Qualification | Five-years-old and up |
| Weight | 11 st 9 lb (5yo); 11 st 12 lb (6yo+) Allowances 7 lb for mares |
| Purse |
€200,000 (2017) 1st: €118,000 |
The Punchestown Champion Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Ireland which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Punchestown over a distance of about 2 miles (3,219 metres), and during its running there are eleven fences to be jumped. The race is scheduled to take place each year during the Punchestown Festival in late April.
It was formerly a handicap race, and for much of the 1990s and early 2000s it was usually sponsored by BMW. It became a conditions race in 1999, and it was subsequently backed by Betdaq (2004) and Kerrygold (2005–09). Its present sponsor, Boylesports, began to support the event in 2010.
The field usually includes horses which ran previously in the Queen Mother Champion Chase, and the last to win both races in the same year was Sprinter Sacre in 2013.
Most successful horse since 1950 (2 wins):
Leading jockey since 1950 (5 wins):
Leading trainer since 1950 (6 wins):
1 The 2001 running took place at Fairyhouse.
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