The Leopardstown Christmas Festival is held over four days from December 26th to December 29th 2026. Starting on St. Stephen’s Day, it is one of many extraordinary Boxing Day horse racing meetings, and Leopardstown’s superb horse racing Christmas festival has become a traditional hotspot for post-Christmas get-togethers.
The Christmas Festival at Leopardstown Racecourse offers a great day out for horse racing fans.
With over €1.4 million in prize money up for grabs and seven races each of the four days, the Leopardstown Christmas Festival is four days of top-class Irish racing.
The Leopardstown races over the Christmas festive period attract large crowds to watch the fast-paced National Hunt jump racing meeting.
There are many highlights for the four days, including seven Grade 1 races featuring The Paddy Power Steeplechase and Paddy Power Future Champions Hurdle, Savills Chase and Matheson Hurdle.
In our Leopardstown Christmas Festival guide, we provide all the latest betting tips, information and odds for the 4 days of National Hunt horse racing.
Contents
Racing Post Day
The first day of the Leopardstown Christmas Festival is held on December 26th 2026 and is called St. Stephen’s Day.
St Stephen’s Day at the Leopardstown Racecourse is known as one of the highlights in the racing and social calendar, and a must if you’re visiting Dublin over the Christmas period.
The Grade 1 Racing Post Chase is the feature of the day on a 7-race card.
12:05 TRI Equestrian Maiden Hurdle (4yo) 2m
12:35 Thorntons Recycling Maiden Hurdle (5yo+) 2m
1:10 O’Driscolls Irish Whiskey Juvenile Hurdle (Grade 2) 2m
1:45 Christmas Cheer Novice Handicap Hurdle 2m
2:20 Racing Post Novice Chase (Grade 1) 2m1f
2:55 Racing Post Handicap Chase 2m1f
3:30 Race And Stay INH Flat Race (4yo) 2m
- Gates Open at 10.00 am
- First Race is at 12.00 pm
- Last Race is at 3.30 pm
The Racing Post Novice Chase (Grade 1) is the feature on a 7-race card and has been won by some brilliant horses in the past, such as Ferny Hallow, Sizing Europe, Min, Douvan and Moscow Flyer.
Paddy Power Chase Day
The second day of Leopardstown’s Christmas Festival is held on the 27th of December 2026 and is called the Paddy Power Chase Day.
The 2nd day features two Grade 1 races as well as the Paddy Power Chase (Grade B), the most valuable Handicap Chase over the Christmas period.
- Gates Open at 10.00am
- First Race is at 12.00pm
- Last Race is at 3.30pm
12:05 Paddy Power “I Have No Idea What Day It Is” 3-Y-O Maiden Hurdle (3yo) 2m
12:37 Paddy Power From The Horses Mouth Podcast Beginners Steeplechase 2m1f
1:12 Paddy’s Rewards Club Steeplechase (Grade 1) 2m1f
1:47 Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle (Grade 1) 2m
2:22 National Maternity Hospital Foundation Handicap Hurdle 2m
3:00 (Listed in some sources) additional steeplechase later afternoon
3:30 Paddy Power The Flat One INH Flat Race 2m4f
The Savills Day
The third day of Leopardstown’s Xmas Festival is held on the 28th of December 2026 and is called The Savills Day.
The 3rd day features The Savills Chase (Grade 1), a race rich in history.
The Savills Chase race is a key indicator of the best-staying chasers in Ireland and is the target for all the leading yards.
- Gates Open at 10.00am
- First Race is at 12.00pm
- Last Race is at 3.30pm
12:10 Savills Maiden Hurdle 2m4f
12:45 Mercedes Benz South Dublin Handicap Hurdle 2m4f
1:20 Ballymaloe Relish Rising Stars Beginners Chase 2m5f70y
1:55 Christmas Hurdle (Grade 1) 2m7f80y
2:30 Savills Chase (Grade 1) 3m100y
3:05 Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle (Qualifier) 2m7f80y
3:40 Forest Fest INH Flat Race 2m34y
Style is a key element of the day, with the Benetti Menswear Style Awards offering up to €7,000 in prize money to be won.
Matheson Hurdle Day
The 4th day of the Leopardstown Xmas Festival is held on the 29th of December 2026 and is called The Matheson Hurdle Day.
The Grade 1 Matheson Hurdle is associated with some of the greatest 2m hurdlers of our time, Istabraq (4-time winner), Hurricane Fly (4-time winner) and most recently, Sharjah.
The day also features our Family Day, where kids under 12 get in free, and a range of fun activities are available for the whole family to enjoy.
- Gates Open at 10.00am
- First Race is at 12.00pm
- Last Race is at 3.25pm
11:40 Irish EBF Academy Hurdle
12:12 Donohue Marquees Maiden Hurdle
12:47 SIS Supporting Irish Racing Irish EBF Novice Handicap Hurdle
1:22 Irish EBF Mares Hurdle (Kerrymount)
1:57 Adare Manor Handicap Chase
2:32 December Hurdle (Grade 1)
3:05 Neville Hotels Premier Handicap Hurdle
3:40 Christmas Festival Finale Flat Race
Leopardstown Tips for the Christmas Festival
Our horse racing tipsters’ strongest bets for this meeting are:
Leopardstown Betting Free Bets
Most of the biggest bookmakers will have daily offers for their existing customers on the Irish Xmas Horse Racing Festival.
With plenty of special offers, from betting odds boosts to enhanced place races, punters will not be short of great festive free bets.
We strongly advise taking a look at the latest horse racing free bets updated in July 2026 for new customers.
Popular Questions
Where can I watch Leopardstown races?
All the best horse racing betting companies allow you to live stream the races when you place a bet.
On television, all the Leopardstown races will be broadcasted on Racing TV Live.
What are the Best Leopardstown Xmas Festival Betting Offers?
The best betting offers for the 2026 Leopardstown Xmas Festival are:
The market-leading Irish betting brands like Boylesports and Paddy Power will have enhanced betting odds for many of the feature races at Leopardstown’s Xmas meeting.
Summary of the Leopardstown Christmas Festival
The Leopardstown Christmas Festival is one of the highlights of the Irish racing calendar, with lots of competitive and top-class racing.
It’s highly recommended whether you’re just watching on television or going to the racecourse yourself.
Definitely worth a visit!
