€100,000 Galway Hurdle bonus for any horse who can follow up Punchestown success

The Galway Hurdle will come with the carrot of a €100,000 bonus for the winner of next Saturday's Fitzwilliam Sports Handicap Hurdle at the Punchestown festival if they go on to complete the double at Ballybrit this summer.

The members-only bookmaker have announced their sponsorship of the €100,000 Fitzwilliam Sports Handicap Hurdle on the final day of the Punchestown festival, but will also offer winning connections the temptation of a six-figure bonus at Galway.

Camprond won the Punchestown race last year, but Willie Mullins has been a dominant figure in recent seasons and has Risk Belle, Saint Sam and Winter Fog among his initial 13 entries.

One of the principals behind Fitzwilliam Sports is Paul Byrne, who enjoyed his own fair share of bonus success when The Shunter landed the Morebattle Hurdle at Kelso before following up in the Plate Handicap Chase at Cheltenham in 2021, taking advantage of a £100,000 bonus offered by Kelso and bet365.

Paul Byrne (centre): one of the principals behind Fitzwilliam Sports, who are putting up the six-figure bonusCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

John Sheil, trading director at Fitzwilliam Sports, said: "When we established Fitzwilliam Sports, we had a very clear concept of what we wanted to achieve – to lay decent bets at fair prices and to provide a high-quality service to our clients. 

"As one of Ireland's leading National Hunt racetracks, the parallels with Punchestown are obvious. The Punchestown team always delivers a fantastic festival, with exceptional racing on the track and world-class customer service off the track. 

"We also wanted to add some extra incentive for the first year of our sponsorship, so we are delighted to offer a €100,000 bonus to the winner of this race, should they go on to win the 2023 Galway Hurdle. 

"With many of our team involved in racehorse ownership themselves, we understand the importance of offering good prize-money and added bonuses, so we’re really excited about this initiative. 

"We are delighted to partner with Punchestown and look forward to welcoming clients and racing fans to Punchestown on Saturday, April 29."

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