Punchestown festival: essential information for the five-day spectacular

What is the Punchestown festival?

The Punchestown festival is the climax to the Irish jumps season, featuring 39 races across five days with a total prize-money of more than €3.2 million. The meeting attracts the best jumps horses from Ireland with some stars heading over from Britain.

When is the Punchestown festival?

The 2019 Punchestown Festival will take place over five days, starting on Tuesday, April 30 and ending on Saturday, May 4. Racing begins at 3.40pm each day, except for Saturday when the first race is 2.35pm. Gates open at 12pm for the first four days and 11.30am on Saturday.

Where is the Punchestown festival?

The festival takes place at Punchestown racecourse near Naas, County Kildare in Ireland. The full address for the track is Punchestown racecourse, Punchestown, Naas, Co Kildare, Ireland W91 VCX4.

Punchestown day one racecards

Punchestown day two racecards

Punchestown day three racecards

Why is the Punchestown festival important?

Punchestown racecourse is known as the home of Irish jumps racing and the festival provides a thrilling finale to the season. With a total of 12 Grade 1 contests taking place, the action is of the highest quality and champions are crowned – both equine and human – with scores from Cheltenham and Aintree often settled.

Jumping greats such as Istabraq, Moscow Flyer, Master Minded, Hurricane Fly and Neptune Collonges left lasting legacies with victories at the Punchestown Festival and, going further back, the legendary Arkle and Dawn Run also made their mark.

Where can I watch the Punchestown festival?

If you are unable to get to the track, there are different ways to watch the Punchestown festival. For the first time this year, Racing TV will show every race and Irish channel RTE2 will also broadcast the action. You can also bet and stream the racing on the Racing Post website and mobile app.

Which horses are running at the Punchestown festival?

Most of Irish jumps racing's biggest stars are set to run at the Punchestown festival and although the British presence is not as strong as the Irish at Cheltenham, some of the leading contenders will cross the Irish Sea.

Perhaps the most eagerly awaited clash of the week with take place in the Punchestown Gold Cup as Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Al Boum Photo takes on impressive Betway Bowl winner Kemboy.

Min, another brilliant winner at Aintree, will be strongly fancied for the Champion Chase, while high-class hurdlers Buveur D'Air, Apple's Jade and Laurina could also feature during the week.

Min: likely to be part of Willie Mullins' strong team at PunchestownCredit: Michael Steele

JLT Novices' Chase winner Defi Du Seuil is also set to run, with connections favouring a drop in trip to two miles in the Ryanair Novice Chase.

Which are the biggest races at the Punchestown festival?

There are notable feature races on the first four days of the Punchestown festival, with the BoyleSports Champion Chase the highlight of day one.

The €300,000 Coral Punchestown Gold Cup, for many the showpiece contest of the week, takes place on day two.

The main event on day three is the Ladbrokes Champion Stayers Hurdle, with the famous La Touche Cup – run on the cross country course and a firm favourite with spectators – on the same card.

The Betdaq Punchestown Champion Hurdle is the day four highlight.

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