Irish Champions Festival is bringing serious style to the races

If your idea of the perfect September weekend involves great fashion, exceptional food, ice-cold spritzes and some of the best horse racing on the planet, then Irish Champions Festival has your name all over it. The two-day sporting and style extravaganza returns to Leopardstown on Saturday 12 September and The Curragh on Sunday 13 September, and it’s shaping up to be an absolute event of the year contender.

With over €5 million in prize money across 17 races, including seven Group 1 races, the racing credentials speak for themselves. But let’s be honest, for a lot of us the real draw is the fashion, the social scene and the sheer buzz of it all.

The Style Stakes Are Very Real

At Leopardstown on day one, the Champion Style competition will be front and centre, sponsored by Ardán Collective and Louis Copeland & Sons. Judging duties fall to Aoife Dunican, founder of The Stylebob and one of Ireland’s most respected image consultants, so you’ll want to bring your actual A-game.

The prizes are genuinely spectacular. The top-placed woman wins a weekend in London for two at The Exhibitionist Hotel in Kensington, complete with flights, breakfast, €500 spending money and cocktails. Second place gets a two-night stay for two at the gorgeous Bellinter House Hotel & Spa in the Boyne Valley, with dinner and full thermal suite access. Third place takes home an overnight stay at Bellinter with a half-day pamper experience. Not bad for wearing a great outfit.

For the most stylish man in the room, Louis Copeland & Sons will be handing over a made-to-measure suit worth €1,000, with the two runners-up each winning a made-to-measure shirt valued at €250. Both overall winners also receive a professional studio photoshoot courtesy of Lafayette Photography.

Grace and Glory at The Curragh

The Curragh on Sunday brings its own style moment with Grace and Glory, sponsored by The Grace, Westport Estate, the stunning luxury hotel in Co Mayo that takes its name and inspiration from two extraordinary women: Grace O’Malley, the legendary 16th-century pirate queen, and Hollywood icon Grace Kelly. That is quite the energy to bring to a fashion competition.

Choosing the finalists and winner will be Sarah Butler of Sarah Butler at Home, the Mayo-based content creator, graphic designer and bestselling cookbook author, alongside renowned fashion stylist and TV presenter Marietta Doran. The overall Grace and Glory winner will take home a two-night stay in the Grace Kelly Suite at The Grace, Westport Estate, with breakfast, a champagne dinner at the Black Sheep restaurant, two signature spa treatments and a half-day chauffeur-driven tour of Clew Bay and Achill Island. Second and third place each receive an overnight bed and breakfast stay at the hotel.

Beyond the Racing: What to Expect

At Leopardstown, the Silks Garden will be the social heart of the day, with a preview panel, live music and serious food and drink on offer. The brand new Aperol Terrace is the addition we’re most excited about, an open-air premium lounge overlooking the parade ring with a full spritz menu. Consider it your afternoon sorted.

Over at The Curragh on Sunday, the Tattersalls Champagne Bar on the first floor offers a premier outdoor terrace with views over the parade ring, and is already one of the most popular spots on the entire Irish racing calendar.

Angela Scanlon, who was among the guests at the festival’s official launch earlier this month at Lennan’s Yard in Dublin, summed it up well. “There really is nothing quite like the energy of a big sporting weekend at home in Ireland,” she said. “The style and, of course, the epic people watching make it such a brilliant weekend.”

Suzanne Eade, CEO of Horse Racing Ireland, described it as “the undisputed pinnacle of our Flat racing calendar,” noting that the festival is “a global shop window that brilliantly showcases the unmatched excellence, dedication, and passion of the Irish racing and breeding industry.”

Tickets and full information are available at irishchampionsfestival.ie.