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Punchestown keen on hosting Flat racing again as tracks prepare for testing time

Punchestown: last hosted Flat fixtures in 2002
Punchestown: last hosted Flat fixtures in 2002Credit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Punchestown CEO Conor O'Neill said the track would welcome the prospect of hosting Flat fixtures again, acknowledging that racecourses across the country are facing a precarious period in terms of income.

Earlier this week, the Kildare venue had the disappointing but unsurprising news confirmed that their hugely popular spring festival would be cancelled, a significant blow for the track and local area.

Flat racing at Punchestown is not a new suggestion. The track last held a fixture on the level on October 17 2002, a fixture where Aidan O'Brien's subsequent Arlington Million and Tattersalls Gold Cup hero Powerscourt survived a stewards' inquiry to get off the mark at the third attempt.

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Mark BoylanReporter

Published on 5 April 2020inCoronavirus

Last updated 15:17, 5 April 2020

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