Punchestown Champion INH Flat Race

James Dooley avatar

Written By:

Updated:

The Punchestown Champion Bumper (or INH Flat Race) is a Grade 1 race for amateur riders over two miles at the April Punchestown Festival meeting.

The Champion INH Flat Race takes place on the 1st of May 2024.

It was first run in 1992 and is an obvious target for horses who ran in the Cheltenham Champion Bumper the previous month.

Notable winners include Like-A-Butterfly (2001), Champagne Fever (2012), Bellshill (2015) and Tornado Flyer (2018).

The race frequently includes horses that have already competed in the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham, and Cousin Vinny won both events in 2008 as did Fayonagh in 2017 and Facile Vega in 2022.

Find out more about the Punchestown Champion Flat Race:

Punchestown Champion INH Flat Race

Race Overview – Punchestown Bumper

The Champion INH Flat Race is a Grade 1 National Hunt flat race for amateur riders held in Ireland.

It is available to horses aged four to seven years old. It is held annually at Punchestown over a distance of approximately 2 miles and 1/2 furlong during the Punchestown Festival in late April or early May.

The Punchestown Champion INH Flat Race is the Irish equivalent of the Cheltenham Champion Bumper.

Punchestown Champion INH Flat Race Previous Winners

Check out the previous winners for this race:

YearWinnerAgeJockeyTrainer
2013The Liquidator5Jane ManganDavid Pipe
2014Shaneshill5Jamie CoddWillie Mullins
2015Bellshill5Patrick MullinsWillie Mullins
2016Blow By Blow5Katie WalshWillie Mullins
2017Fayonagh6Jamie CoddGordon Elliott
2018Tornado Flyer5Richie DeeganWillie Mullins
2019Colreevy6Jamie CoddWillie Mullins
no race 2020 [c]
2021Kilcruit6Derek O’ConnorWillie Mullins
2022Facile Vega5Patrick MullinsWillie Mullins
2023A Dream To Share5John GleesonJohn Kiely

Famous Punchestown Champion INH Flat Race Winners

The inaugural running in 1992 was won by the four-year-old Tiananmen Square, trained by Noel Meade and ridden by Tim Hyde.

Willie Mullins was always likely to prosper in this event and he won it for the first time in 1995 with Maringo. Surprisingly, he had to wait until Cousin Vinny in 2008 for his next victory.

Like-A-Butterfly won in 2001 for Christy Roche and JT McNamara. The mare went on to win the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle in 2002 and the Irish Champion Hurdle in 2003. Her other victories included the Royal Bond Novice Hurdle and the Deloitte Novice Hurdle.

Mullins took a firm grip on the Punchestown Bumper from 2011 to 2022, winning it on a further eight occasions during that ten-year spell. 2012 winner Champagne Fever won ten of his 21 career starts including the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle the following season. He came within a whisker of winning the Arkle Challenge Trophy, being caught in the final stride by 33-1 outsider Western Warhorse in 2014.

Mullins domination of the race has only been punctuated by David Pipe’s Liquidator (2013) and Gordon Elliott’s Fayonagh (2017). Bellshill (2015) went on to win the Irish Gold Cup in 2019. Tornado Flyer (2018) sprang a huge surprise when lifting the King George VI Chase in 2021. 2019 winner Colreevy won the Punchestown Champion Novice Chase in 2021, defeating her better-fancied stable companion Monkfish.

Key Punchestown Champion Bumper Trials

Six of the last eleven winners of the Punchestown Champion Bumper had their previous start in the Cheltenham Champion Bumper. Two of the six had won and three had been placed, making this by far the most significant trial.

Five of the last eleven winners ran in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham the following season. Only Champagne Fever (2012) was successful while 2014 winner Shaneshill finished second. The 2016 winner Blow By Blow also ran at the Cheltenham Festival the following year, winning the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Title.

Surprisingly there have only been two winning favourites in this race in the last eleven renewals. Champagne Fever was 11-4 favourite in 2012 and Fayonagh returned a well-backed 11-8 favourite in 2017.

A further six of those winners were either second or third favourite so shock results are rare.

The longest-priced winning during the last eleven seasons was Blow By Blow at 14-1 in 2016.

Tornado Flyer was a 12-1 shot when winning this race in 2018.

All but one of the last eleven winners were aged five or six.

Hidden Universe won as a four-year-old in 2010 for Dermot Weld and Robbie McNamara.

Like-A-Butterfly (2001) and Leading Run (2006) won this race at the age of seven.

All eleven winners had raced at least twice under rules and won at least once.

Four had a least one previous victory in a Grade 1 to 3 race.

Punchestown Champion Bumper – Top Trainers and Jockeys

Willie Mullins has a phenomenal record in the Punchestown Bumper with eleven victories. His full list; Maringo (1995), Cousin Vinny (2008), Lovethehigherlaw (2011), Champagne Fever (2012), Shaneshill (2014), Bellshill (2015), Blow By Blow (2016), Tornado Flyer (2018), Colreevy (2019), Kilcruit (2021) and Facile Vega (2022).

Patrick Mullins rode three of those winners while Jamie Codd rode two and was also successful on Gordon Elliott’s Fayonagh (2017). They currently share the honour of leading jockey in the race with three winners apiece. Nina Carberry won it on Leading Run (2006) and Mick The Man (2007) and Katie Walsh won it on Blow By Blow (2016).

Noel Meade has trained four Punchestown Champion Bumper winners, the most recent being Mick The Man.

There have been five British-trained winners; Arctic Camper (1997), King’s Road (1998), Royal Rosa (2003), Refinement (2005) and The Liquidator (2013).

Betting on the Punchestown Champion Bumper

The Punchestown Champion Bumper has turned into a Willie Mullins benefit in recent times.

The field sizes have stood up pretty well and, rather like in the Cheltenham Champion Bumper, it is not necessarily the stable number one who finishes in front.

The Cheltenham Bumper form is the most obvious form guide but there could still be some each-way value in a race which has produced numerous Grade 1 winners over both hurdles and fences.

  • bet365 Punchestown Offer

    bet365 logo
    BET £10 GET £30
    bet365 is a market leading sportsbook bookmaker with amazing offers on the 5 day Punchestown Festival in Ireland.

    Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of qualifying bets. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply. #AD Registration required.

    Full T&C's Apply

  • Betfred Punchestown Offer

    betfred logo
    BET £10 GET £40 IN FREE BETS
    Betfred have an amazing sign up offer for Punchestown Festival punters who are betting on the 5 day Irish event.

    New 18+ UK customers only. Register using the promo code WELCOME40, deposit and place first bet of £10+ on Sports (cumulative Evens+) within 7 days of registration. First bet must be on Sports. £30 in Free Bets and £10 in Free Spins (50x20p) credited within 10 hours of bet settlement. Free Bet stakes are not included in any returns. Bonuses have a 7-day expiry. Payment restrictions apply. SMS verification and/or Proof of I.D and address may be required. #AD Full T&Cs apply.

    Full T&C's Apply

  • BetVictor Punchestown Offer

    betvictor logo
    GET £40 IN FREE BETS
    BetVictor is a very popular bookmaker providing many offers and deals during the Punchestown Festival, home of the National Hunt.

    18+ New Customers only. Opt in, bet £20 on Horse Racing, 1/1+ odds in 7 days, no cash out. Get £40 in Free Bets on set markets valid 7 days. Debit Card / Apple Pay payments only. begambleaware.org | Please Gamble Responsibly.

    Full T&C's Apply

  • Betfair Punchestown Offer

    betfair logo
    BET £10 GET £30
    The world’s biggest online betting exchange is offering specials for the Punchestown Festival with competitive welcome offers for the races in Ireland.

    New Customer offer. Place a min £10 bet on the Sportsbook on odds of min 1/2 (1.5), get £30 in Free Bets. Rewards valid for 30 days. SMS verification required. Only deposits via cards will qualify. #AD Please Gamble Responsibly.

    Full T&C's Apply

  • BetUK Punchestown Offer

    betuk logo
    BET £10 GET £30 IN FREE BETS
    BetUK is providing new customers with excellent offers on the five-day Punchestown festival in what is expected to be a corker in Irish racing!

    New customers, Deposit & Place a Bet within 7 days, and settle a £10 minimum bet at odds of 4/5 (1.8) or greater, to be credited with 3x £10 free bets: 1 x £10 Horse racing, 1 x £10 Free Bet Builder and 1 x £10 Football. #AD Stake not returned.

    Full T&C's Apply

  • BoyleSports Punchestown Offer

    boylesports logo
    BET 10 GET 20 IN FREE BETS
    The BoyleSports Punchestown Festival betting offers £30 free bets to new customers for upcoming meeting in Ireland.

    New UK customers (Excluding NI) only. Mobile exclusive. Min Deposit £10. Min stake £10. Min odds Evs. Free bet applied on 1st settlement of any qualifying bet. 30 days to qualify. Free bets expire in 7 days. Cashed out/Free Bets won’t apply. Account & Payment method restrictions apply. 1 Free Bet offer per customer, household & IP Address only. 18+. #AD T&Cs apply.

    Full T&C's Apply

  • Coral Punchestown Offer

    coral logo
    GET £20 IN FREE BETS
    Take advantage of Coral’s Punchestown betting offer where racegoers will be treated to five fabulous days of quality National Hunt racing.

    18+ New UK+IRE Customers only. Certain deposit methods & bet types excl. Min first £5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 to get 1x £20 free bets. Free bets available to use on selected sportsbook markets only. Free bets valid for 7 days, stake not returned. #AD Restrictions apply.

    Full T&C's Apply

  • Ladbrokes Punchestown Offer

    ladbrokes logo
    BET 5 GET 20 IN FREE BETS
    Claim competitive free bets and Punchestown offers with leading bookmaker Ladbrokes and gets one step ahead at the upcoming Festival.

    18+ New UK+IRE Customers only. Certain deposit methods & bet types excl. Min first £/€5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 to get 4x £/€5 free bets. Free bets available to use on selected sportsbook markets only. Free bets valid for 7 days, stake not returned. #AD Restrictions apply.

    Full T&C's Apply

  • LiveScoreBet Punchestown Offer

    livescorebet logo
    BET £10 GET £20 IN FREE BETS
    The Livescore bet 10 get 20 in free bets bonus is a great betting promotion for Punchestown punters with a qualifying bet for the Irish Festival.

    New members. £10 min deposit & bet on sportsbook, placed & settled at 1.5 min odds within 14 days of sign-up. Win part of E/W bets. 2 non-withdrawable £10 Free Bet Tokens: accept in 7 days, valid for 7 days from crediting (ex. E/Ws & Multiples), stakes not returned. **UK and Irish horse racing win/each-way bets placed after 9am on race day. Max enhancement £50k/day. Bet Responsibly. #AD BeGambleAware.org. 18+.

    Full T&C's Apply

  • SkyBet Punchestown Offer

    skybet logo
    BET £5 GET £30 IN FREE BETS
    Sky Bet Punchestown offers are available for new and existing customers at the Punchestown Festival this year.

    NEW CUSTOMERS ONLY. FIRST SINGLE & E/W BET ONLY. 5P MINIMUM STAKE. 3 X £10 BET TOKENS. FREE BET STAKES NOT INCLUDED IN RETURNS. FREE BETS EXCLUDE VIRTUALS. FREE BETS ARE NON WITHDRAWABLE. NO FREE BET EXPIRY. ELIGIBILITY RESTRICTIONS AND FURTHER T&CS APPLY. 18+. #AD BEGAMBLEAWARE.ORG

    Full T&C's Apply

  • Unibet Punchestown Offer

    unibet logo
    GET £30 FREE BETS + £10 CASINO
    If you are looking to earn some extra winnings from the National Hunt races at Punchestown, Unibet have some fantastic offers.

    18+ begambleaware.org. New customers only. Min deposit £10. Money back as bonus if first racing bet loses. Wagering: sportsbook 3x at min. odds of 1.40 (2/5), casino 50x. Sports bonus must be wagered before using the casino bonus. #AD Bonus expires 7 days after opt-in.

    Full T&C's Apply

  • Virgin Bet Punchestown Offer

    virginbet logo
    BET £10 GET £20 FREE BETS
    If you are a new Member of Virgin Bet, you will be eligible for a free bet offer for the 5 day Punchestown Festival.

    *New members. £10 min deposit & bet on sportsbook, placed & settled at 1.5 min odds within 14 days of sign-up. Win part of E/W bets. 2 non-withdrawable £10 Free Bet Tokens: accept in 7 days, valid for 7 days from acceptance (ex. E/Ws & Multiples), stakes not returned. Bet Responsibly. #AD BeGambleAware.org. 18+.

    Full T&C's Apply

  • Paddy Power Punchestown Offer

    paddypower logo
    £20 Money Back Free Bet
    Get the best Paddy Power Punchestown free bets and betting offers available for new customers for the home of the National Hunt.

    The Paddy Power free bet sign-up offer for new customers allows you to place a £20 bet and get the money back in cash if it loses. #AD

    Full T&C's Apply

  • Parimatch Punchestown Offer

    parimatch logo
    BET £10 GET £30
    Parimatch is offering new customers exciting free bet bonuses for the highly anticipated five-day Punchestown Festival.

    18+ New Customers Only. Opt-in, bet on Horse Racing within 7 days of registration. Get your stake refunded up to £30 in Free Bets for set markets if your bet loses (odds 3.00+). Free bets expire in 7 days. Card payments only. Offer valid from 16:00 UK time 04/08/2023. begambleaware.org | #AD Please Gamble Responsibly

    Full T&C's Apply

  • William Hill Punchestown Offer

    williamhill logo
    BET £10 GET £30 IN FREE BETS
    William Hill will offer free bet promotion for new customers at all 28 races at the Punchestown Festival.

    New customers using Promo code H30 only, Min £10/€10 stake, min odds 1/2, free bets paid as 2 x £15/€15, free bets credited after settlement of first qualifying bet, free bets will expire 30 days after the qualifying bet is placed, payment method/player/country restrictions apply. #AD

    Full T&C's Apply

Summary of the Punchestown Champion Bumper

The Champion Bumper at Punchestown is a highlight of the festival.

Often many of the runners from the Cheltenham equivalent lock horns again, it has produced many top-class horses over the years.

Always a race to enjoy and saviour!

If you have enjoyed this Punchestown Festival page, here are some other articles related to Punchestown betting you may also like:

These include reviews of betting sites and Punchestown Festival races, Punchestown tips and more.