Tuesday 30 April - Saturday 4 May 2019 FESTIVAL RACING GUIDE 2019 R A C I N G • S O C I A L • S T Y L E • C O R P O R A T E • F A M I L Y Overview The 2019 Punchestown Festival will take place from Tuesday 30th to Saturday 4th May and is considered to be the most prestigious jump festival in Ireland.. This year’s event boasts a record breaking prize fund of €3,222,500. Racings Hometown Heroes will take on their UK counterparts at the home of Irish racing across a programme of 39 contests. Punchestown is the 'Grand Finale' of the Irish Jump season and the champions of the season will be crowned on the final day, Saturday 4th May. Prize Money: Punchestown Festival 2019 has reached record level prize money of over €3.2 million. The official figure up for grabs throughout the week is €3,222,500. All four title races will now carry a value of €300,000, up €25,000 on last year. We are delighted to stage an additional race on Wednesday 1st May which will be the final of the Connolly's Red Mills Irish EBF Auction Hurdle Series adding a further €75,000 to Wednesday's prize fund. There are 39 fully sponsored races at the festival. #WhereChampionsGo The Punchestown Festival is considered the grand finale of the jump racing season and subsequently attracts the best of Irish and British racing talent. Home grown champions Willie Mullins, Ruby Walsh, Rachael Balckmore, Paul Townend, Gordon Elliott and Jessica Harrington take on the might of the British raiders Nicky Henderson and Colin Tizzard among many others. With 12 grade 1 contests throughout the week the Festival boasts some of the best in running action and thrilling finishes each season. Reputations are confirmed and crushed at the Punchestown Festival. Races take place over hurdles, steeplechase fences and on the flat course in what are referred to as ‘bumper’ races. Unique to Punchestown and steeped in heritage is the cross country racing discipline which is a real favourite for spectators as the horses and jockeys meander through the 400 acre site tackling banks, bush fences and steeplechase obstacles. The races get underway each day at 3.40 apart from Saturday when the first goes to post at 2.35. Each day has what is referred to as a feature race and title sponsors are as follows: Tuesday 30th April – Boylesports Champion Chase Day Wednesday 1st May – Coral Punchestown Gold Cup Thursday 2nd May – The Ladbrokes Champion Stayers Hurdle Day Friday 3rd May – The BETDAQ Punchestown Champion Hurdle Day Saturday 4th May – The AES Festival Family Fun Day – First Race 2.35 FESTIVAL RACE PROGRAMME Tuesday 30th April - BoyleSports Champion Chase Day 3.40: Kildare Hunt Club Fr. Sean Breen Memorial Cross Country Steeplechase of €15,000 over 3 miles 1 furlong 4.20: The Grade 1 Herald Champion Novice Hurdle of €100,000 2 miles 100 yards 4.55: The Killashee Handicap Hurdle (Grade B) of €60,000 2 miles 100 yards 5.30: The Grade 1 BoyleSports Champion Steeplechase of €300,000 2 miles 6.05: The Goffs Land Rover Bumper of €100,000 2 miles 100 yards 6.40: The Grade 1 Dooley Insurance Group Champion Novice Steeplechase of €100,000 3 miles 120 yards 7.15: The Sanctuary Synthetics Flat Race of €15,000 2 miles 100 yards Wednesday 1st May - Coral Punchestown Gold Cup Day 3.40: The Adare Manor Opportunity Series Final Handicap Hurdle of €30,000 2 miles 5 furlongs 4.20: The Connolly's Red Mills Irish EBF Auction Hurdle Series Final of €75,000 2 miles 4 furlongs 4.55: The Louis Fitzgerald Hotel Hurdle of €25,000 2 miles 4 furlongs 5.30: The Grade 1 Irish Daily Mirror Novice Hurdle of €100,000 3 miles 6.05: The Grade 1 Coral Punchestown Gold Cup of €300,000 3 miles 120 yards 6.40: The Grade 1 Racing Post Champion I.N.H Flat Race of €100,000 2 miles 70 yards 7.10: The Guinness Handicap Steeplechase (Grade A) of €100,000 2 miles 4 furlongs 7.45: The Weatherbys GSB Irish EBF Mares Flat Race (Grade 3) of €50,000 2 miles 70 yards Thursday 2nd May - Ladbrokes Champion Stayers Hurdle Day 3.40: The JLT Handicap Hurdle of €30,000 2 miles 40 yards 4.15: The Pigsback.com Handicap Steeplechase (Grade B) of €65,000 2 miles 4.50: The Mongey Communications La Touche Cup Cross Country race of €30,000 4 miles 2 furlong 5.30: The Grade 1 Ladbrokes Champion Stayers Hurdle of €300,000 3 miles 6.05: The Conway Piling Handicap Hurdle (Grade B) of €60,000 3 miles 6.40: The Grade 1 Ryanair Novice Steeplechase of €115,000 2 miles 7.15: The Close Brothers Mares Novice Hurdle (Listed) of €35,000 2 miles 40 yards 7.45: The Kildare Post (C&G) Flat Race of €17,500 2 miles 40 yards Friday 3rd May - BETDAQ Champion Hurdle Day 3.40: The KFM Hunters Steeplechase for the Bishopscourt Cup of €15,000 2 miles 4 furlongs 4.20: The EMS Copiers Novice Handicap Steeplechase (Grade A) of €100,000 2 miles 5 furlongs 4.55: The Hanlon Concrete Irish EBF Mares Handicap Steeplechase (Grade B) of €75,000 2 miles 5 furlongs 5.30: The Grade 1 BETDAQ Punchestown Champion Hurdle of €300,000 2 miles 6.05: The Grade 1 Alanna Homes Champion Novice Hurdle of €100,000 2 miles 4 furlongs 6.40: The Star Best For Racing Coverage Champion Hunters Chase €30,000 3 miles 120 yards 7.10: The SalesSense International Novice Hurdle of €25,000 2 miles 7.45: The GVA Donal O'Buachalla Property Advisors INH Flat Race of €15,000 2 miles 2 furlongs Saturday 4th May - AES Festival Family Day 2.35: The Dooley Insurances WFA Cross Country Steeplechase(Banks) of €15,000 3 miles 3.10: The Boylesports Handicap Steeplechase of €50,000 3 miles 7 furlongs 3.50: The Grade 1 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Annie Power Mares Champion Hurdle of €100,000 2 miles 4 furlongs 4.25: The Grade 1 AES Champion Four Year Old Hurdle of €100,000 2 miles 5.00: The Palmerstown House Pat Taaffe Handicap Steeplechase (Grade B) of €60,000 3 miles 120 yards 5.35: The Ballymore Handicap Hurdle (Grade B) of €100,000 2 miles 4 furlongs 6.10: The K Club Hotel and Resort (Pro -Am) Flat Race of €15,000 2 miles 6.40: The Carry An Organ Donor Card Punchestown Charity Sweepstakes 1 mile 7 furlongs Day 1: Tuesday April 30th Entries Close: Thursday April 25th at 12 noon Overseas Entries Close: Thursday April 25th at 11am Boylesports Day Total Prizemoney €690,000 RACE 1: 3.40PM The Kildare Hunt Club Fr. Sean Breen Memorial Cross Country Steeplechase for the Ladies Perpetual Cup of €15,000 (Bank Course) 3 Miles 1 Furlong Conditions: A steeplechase for Certified Hunters five year olds and upwards that have between 26th Sept 2015 and 24th April 2018 been 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th in a steeple chase or point to point steeplechase and have not won a race more than two steeplechases confined to certified Hunters in Ireland or Great Britain. Weights 5yo 11st 2lb; 6yo+ 11st 7lb. Penalties 5lb extra for each steeplechase won. Mares allowed 7lb. PREVIOUS WINNERS Year Horse Age/Wt Trainer Jockey SP 2018 Just Wait And See 9-11-0 John Gleeson Billy Gleeson 16/1 2017 Enniskillen 12-11-7 Peter Maher Jamie Codd 6/4F 2016 Wish Ye Didnt 7-11-5 Enda Bolger Nina Carberry 5/4F 2015 Wish Ye Didnt 6-11-0 Enda Bolger Nina Carberry 8/13F 2014 Be Positive 5-10-12 Enda Bolger Nina Carberry 3/1F OVERVIEW The first of the three banks races run at the Punchestown Festival, this race provides the perfect curtain raiser to the five day meeting with the runners for the Ladies Cup having to negotiate their way across Punchestown’s unique cross country track which contains a variety of banks and other obstacles. In all the runners will encounter 27 obstacles over the course of this extended three miles. RACE FACTS Cross county kingpin Enda Bolger has farmed this race over the last 15 years and has won it eight times since 2003 while locally based trainer Peter Maher has won the race twice including when striking with Big Shu who went on to win Cheltenham’s cross country chase the following season. The 2018 renewal was the first time favourite backers didn’t get the Punchestown Festival off to a winning start since Zest For Life won in 2013. Punchestown have run the Ladies Cup in honour of Fr Sean Breen since the passing of the popular Ballymore-based priest died in 2009. Breen was an ever present at the Punchestown Festival. RACE 2: 4.20PM Grade 1 Herald Champion Novice Hurdle of €100,000. 2 miles 100 yards Conditions: A novice hurdle race for five year olds and upwards. Weights 11st 12lb. Mares allowed 7lb. PREVIOUS WINNERS Year Horse Age/Wt Owner Trainer Jockey SP 2018 Draconien 5-11-12 Clipper Logistics Group Willie Mullins Noel Fehily 25/1 2017 Cilaos Emery 5-11-12 Luke McMahon Willie Mullins David Mullins 8/1 2016 Don’t Touch It 6-11-12 J P McManus Jessica Harrington Barry Geraghty 16/1 2015 Douvan 5-11-12 Susannah Ricci Willie Mullins Ruby Walsh 1/6 Fav 2014 Faugheen 6-11-12 Susannah Ricci Willie Mullins Ruby Walsh 1/2 Fav OVERVIEW This race has produced a host of subsequent stars over both hurdles and fences and in the last 15 years four winners – Brave Inca, Hurricane Fly, Jezki and Faugheen – have all gone on to win the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.