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Following 26mm of rain overnight and a further 27mm since 8am this morning racing at Punchestown has been cancelled today 9th February. The meeting is now scheduled to take place on Tuesday 11th February. 

For information on ticket and hospitality arrangements please contact 00 353 45 897704 or email info@punchestown.com 

Bollinger, sponsor of the Best Dressed Competition at the Punchestown Festival in April has announced a most exciting change of format to the high-profile event for 2020. The Bollinger Best Dressed Competition will not only include the most fashionable ladies from all across the country this year but also the most stylish gents will now compete for the much-coveted title and amazing prizes too!

The Punchestown Festival, the social and sporting highlight of the Irish calendar takes place from Tuesday 28th of April until Saturday, May 2nd. The search for the best dressed ladies and gentlemen will be held over the first four days of the festival. Each day style scouts will be tasked with finding the most stylish attendees and selecting finalists, from which a daily winner will be chosen to progress to the grand final on Ladies’ Day, held on Friday, May 2nd.

The decision to widen the format of the competition to include the thousands of men in attendance at the festival was an obvious one according to organisers. Michelle O’Sullivan, Champagne Bollinger said “It’s a very exciting year, with the highly anticipated release of the new Bond movie in April, which celebrates 25 years of James Bond. Bollinger’s association with the world’s most famous spy is synonymous and we felt it was an appropriate fit to celebrate this with a new improved format at Punchestown. Champagne Bollinger, distinctive, elegant and stylish – reminiscent of the famous special agent and the qualities that our judges will be looking for in this year’s Punchestown winner.”

Shona Dreaper, Punchestown Racecourse commented “When it comes to high profile sporting events Punchestown bucks the demographic trend with the number of ladies and gents in attendance pretty much equal and so it’s time for the guys to enter the style stage! It is a festival in the truest sense and race goers really enjoy the opportunity to dress for the occasion. As you stroll through the enclosures the sharp tailoring and attention to detail by the gents certainly merits strong contention for the coveted Bollinger Best Dressed Title. Afterall, Bollinger is the champagne of choice for the ultimate male style icon James Bond. It will be interesting to see how the judges handle it as there can only be one Bollinger Best Dressed Winner! One thing’s for certain, the judges will have their work cut out for them.”

The Punchestown Festival takes place from Tuesday 28th of April to Saturday 2nd of May. The action-packed, fun-filled, style showcase attracts over 125,000 people to the Co. Kildare venue with packages ranging from high-end hospitality to great value admission only tickets available at www.punchestown.com or by calling +353 (0)45 897704. Prices start from as little as €30pp with concessions for groups, seniors and students. The famous Punchestown hospitality package range is available from just €129pp.

 

Young trainer Gearoid O’Loughlin is gearing up for a potentially big day at Punchestown on Sunday where he will field strong contenders for both of the day’s main events with Space Cadet set to represent him in the featured €100,000 BoyleSports Grand National Trial Handicap Chase. 

Space Cadet is among 23 entries for the three and a half mile contest in which he finished fourth two years ago. The ten-year-old pulled up in the Welsh National last time but would be among the leading contenders if returning to the form of his fine fourth in the Troytown Chase at Navan in November. 

“Space Cadet is in great form. He didn’t travel over that well to Chepstow so we are happy to put a line through that Welsh National run and we’re looking forward to Sunday. He’s going to have a lovely weight and he’s run well in the race before and this is the sort of test that should bring out the best in him,” said the trainer. 

Gordon Elliott has won this race for the last two years and he has a team of eight engaged this time around with his entry headed by the Paddy Power Chase hero Roaring Bull and the impressive Cork winner Minella Till Dawn. 

Top weight in Sunday’s €100,000 contest is the 2018 Aintree Grand National runner-up Pleasant Company, while the in form trainer James Nash could be represented by Forza Milan. 

O’Loughlin, who sent his first winner 13 months ago and runs owner Chris Jones’s pre-training base at Killeen Glebe nearing Dunsany in Co Meath, also hopes to field the exciting Cedarwood Road in Sunday’s Listed I.N.H. Stallion Owners EBF Novice Hurdle for which eleven horses have been entered. 

Cedarwood Road emerged as one of this season’s most exciting novices when winning a maiden hurdle at Leopardstown’s Christmas Festival by an impressive eleven lengths. 

“He’s in good form and worked well this morning so all being well he will run on Sunday. For us it’s great to have a horse like him in the yard. It’s what you get up for in the morning and there’s a great buzz around the yard at the moment as he’s a horse we really like. This is going to be step up in class for him but we’re really looking forward to running him,” commented O’Loughlin. 

Other entries for this race including the promising Front View. Joseph O’Brien’s charge won a bumper at last season’s Punchestown Festival and chased home Envoi Allen at Down Royal on his first run of the season before defeating the high class Uhtred in a Cork maiden hurdle in November. The Jessica Harrington-trained Exit Poll may also make the step up in class following his Fairyhouse success recently. 

Cheltenham Festival clues will be on offer in the opening P.P. Hogan Memorial Cross Country Chase in which Enda Bolger has included specialists in this sphere Josies Orders and Yanworth.

A seven race card on Sunday is due to start at 1.45pm and the ground at Punchestown is currently described as yielding. 
 

 

CLICK HERE FOR FULL LIST OF ENTRIES FOR SUNDAY