2024 Irish Champion Hurdle Tips

State Man has secured back to back wins and the latest victory came at Leopardstown when beating three other runners at Leopardstown over the festive season. This came after a win at Punchestown in November, with the only defeat coming at the Cheltenham Festival last season where the Irish raider found Constitution Hill far too strong.

Aside from this, there have been a spate of wins achieved at odds-on in the betting, with the rest of the field potentially competing for second spot. Impaire Et Passe could be the horse to give the favourite the most to think about, with the runner having finished runner-up on his two performances to date. Perhaps there will be another second spot here.

The horse finished three lengths behind State Man at Leopardstown on 29 December, with this coming after finishing closely behind Teahupoo at Fairyhouse at the beginning of December. At the 2023 Cheltenham Festival, the runner was able to achieve a six and a half length win over Gaelic Warrior and has to have claims when it comes to this encounter.

Bob Olinger has posted back to back successes this season and looks like a backable each-way price, with the horse achieving a New Year’s Day success at Cheltenham Racecourse when fending off Marie’s Rock by seven lengths. This came after beating Zanahiyr by a length at Navan, with Henry de Bromhead training this runner.

Ever since winning the Goffs Punchestown Sale 4yo Mares Maiden on 22 April 2018, there has been no stopping Honeysuckle who has spent her entire career winning horse races. There was a Maiden Hurdle victory in November of that year when Honeysuckle was a shade of odds-on, with the horse then enjoying a string of wins in Ireland including several at Fairyhouse.

When it comes to Cheltenham Festival betting odds, Honeysuckle was sent off at horse racing odds of 9/4 to win the 2020 Mares’ Hurdle before beating Benie Des Dieux, while there were then plenty of Cheltenham betting tips for the horse twelve months later when she was sent off as the 11/10 favourite to win the 2021 Champion Hurdle.

Honeysuckle is something special and she will turn up at Leopardstown Racecourse on 6 February bidding to score a third consecutive win in the Irish Champion Hurdle. The leading horse racing betting sites are taking no chances with their odds-on quotes and she might be a selection for horse racing accumulators when it comes to this racecard.

Appreciate It Bidding for First Irish Champion Hurdle Win

Willie Mullins will know that the Henry de Bromhead-trained horse racing betting favourite is going to take all the beating, although horse racing is never completely predictable. Appreciate It is clearly a talented horse and perhaps a potential superstar based on that amazing victory in the 2021 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the previous Cheltenham Festival.

The Cheltenham betting odds suggested that Appreciate It was an uncertain Cheltenham betting favourite at 8/11, although that was before a twenty-four length victory which blew away the field in the opening race of the Festival. Since that win, Appreciate It hasn’t been seen at a racecourse and it will be interesting to see if he’s improved even more.

Mullins also has the reliable Sharjah who has racked up a couple of wins already this National Hunt season, with the nine-year-old winning the Unibet Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown on 14 November before triumphing in the Matheson Hurdle at Leopardstown Racecourse when being sent off as the 5/6 betting favourite.

Previously to these two wins, Sharjah twice finished second behind Honeysuckle, with the former finishing six-and-a-half lengths behind the race winner in the 2021 Champion Hurdle, while there was less between the two runners in the 2021 Irish Champion Hurdle and it does make Sharjah an interesting each-way horse racing bet.

Can Gordon Elliott Win With Zanahiyr or Teahupoo?

Zanahiyr represents Gordon Elliott’s best chance according to the Champion Hurdle betting odds, with the five-year-old having produced some bright performances this season and the horse was second behind Sharjah in the Matheson Hurdle, with the horse looking like a decent each-way racing bet in this race.

Teahupoo is another five-year-old contender in the Elliott stable and the horse most recently landed a victory in the BoyleSports Sporting Limerick Hurdle on 29 December 2021. Previously, the Grade 3 BetVictor Fishery Lane Hurdle was conquered with the horse beating Quilixios and there could be further improvement to come.

Can Honeysuckle Land Irish Champion Hurdle Double?

Honeysuckle narrowly beat Darver Star in this race last year before lowering the colours of Benie Des Dieux in the Mares Hurdle at the 2020 Cheltenham Festival, with Henry de Bromhead now looking for his horse to achieve the same targets this coming year.

Honeysuckle has only been seen once at a racecourse this season, with Rachael Blackmore guiding her to victory in the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle at Fairyhouse on 29 November 2020, with the horse just about doing enough to edge out Ronald Pump in this race.

Honeysuckle has never lost during her career although there are many other pretenders to the crown and perhaps we should consider the possibility that she’ll be beaten by some other charge.

Sharjah Bidding to Topple Honeysuckle at Leopardstown

Sharjah is wearing the famous Rich Ricci colours and comes from the same stable as Chacun Pour Soi and Min, with Willie Mullins capable of putting in the sort of training performance that could see the eight-year-old win the race at attractive odds of 5/2.

Sharjah was the two-length winner of Grade 1 Matheson Hurdle and jockey Patrick Mullins gave the charge a brilliant spin over two miles on soft ground, with Aspire Tower beaten into second on that occasion.

We should also reflect on that superb performance in last season’s English Champion Hurdle where the horse completely outran his odds to finish second at 16/1 behind Epatante and many will think he’s a decent price for this clash.

Saint Roi and Aspire Tower Next in Irish Champion Hurdle Betting

Saint Roi runs in the JP McManus colours although he’s also trained by Willie Mullins and the horse was sent off as favourite for the Matheson Hurdle at betting odds of 13/8, although the six-year-old was only able to finish fourth on that occasion.

Saint Roi could bounce back in a race like this and it shouldn’t be forgotten that the horse won the County Hurdle at last year’s Cheltenham Festival, although Aspire Tower is another runner to consider and Henry de Bromhead saw his horse follow Sharjah closely home in that race over the festive season.