'The Punchestown festival would mean more to the town of Naas than Christmas'

The coronavirus pandemic has led to upheaval and massive changes to sporting calendars the world over. For Irish racing, one of the most keenly felt blows was the loss of this season's Punchestown festival. Brian Sheerin spoke to four professionals across the spectrum about how they have been affected by the cancellation of the meeting.

The owner

Instead of sipping champagne in the owners and trainers bar, some of the best in the business have been doing their bit for Dan Donoher by necking raw eggs at home, including Gigginstown’s Eddie O’Leary.

Crowned champion owners in Ireland for the sixth time on the trot, and eighth all told, Gigginstown had adopted a slightly different approach to the 2019-20 season by setting out to keep some of their powder dry for the big spring festivals.