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J.P. & M. Doyle Leading The Field After 70 Years

Thursday 31st March 2022 – Punchestown Racecourse today announced that renowned Auctioneers & Estate Agents, J.P. & M Doyle will mark 70 years in business as they join the prestigious sponsorship line up at the home of Irish jump racing at this year’s Punchestown Festival, Tuesday 26th to Saturday 30th April. 

The three year deal will see festival Thursday’s racing action conclude under the  J.P. & M Doyle banner however, the 2022 running will include a special edition title ‘Celebrating 70 Years in Business’ in the bumper race name. This contest has a reputation of unearthing potential stars and none more so than last year’s winner Dysart Dynamo who since exploded onto the supreme champion novice hurdle market with an impressive win in the Grade 2  Moscow Flyer Hurdle at Punchestown in January before an unfortunate fall at Cheltenham ruled him out of contention. 

J.P. & M Doyle and Punchestown literally share trading ground with the majority demographic of both businesses clientele hailing from Kildare, Dublin, Wicklow and surrounding counties. Having first opened their doors in 1952 the independent property and livestock experts have witnessed first-hand the changes to the markets and how people do business over the past 70 years. In that time there has been three generations of Doyles and whilst the times have changed the business core values have remained the same.

The family run J.P. & M Doyle, like all successful businesses, have diversified over the 70 years and now deliver a wide range of residential and commercial property services along with one of Ireland’s largest livestock marts in Blesssington. Over the past two years they have embraced change and implemented virtual viewings and online auctions however the basis of the business remains meeting clients face to face. Many of the horses running at the Punchestown Festival have been born, bred, bought or sold on farms offered by JP & M Doyle or by longstanding clients and friends of the firm.

A keen racegoer and Punchestown regular J.P & M Doyle’s David Doyle expanded on the family firms involvement in sponsorship at Punchestown: “We are delighted to be in a position to mark 70 years in business with this three year agreement at Punchestown. The racecourse is somewhere we as a family enjoy many great days out but also with my business hat on it is a fantastic amenity right in the heart of our patch. We have missed meeting people at the festival for two years and really look forward to celebrating its return and our business milestone by entertaining clients and friends at this iconic sporting event”.

 

Leona Hughes, Punchestown Sponsorship Coordinator said: “It is a pleasure to welcome the J.P. & M Doyle team to Punchestown for what will be a gathering of celebration for both the return of the festival and their 70th year in business. We understand that sponsorship has to make commercial sense for a business. That is why we consider our sponsors to be event partners who are an intrinsic part of the occasion.  J.P. & M Doyle and Punchestown are similar in many ways but especially that we are independent, focus on quality and have been around for a long time so we have plenty in common and must be doing something right!”

The J.P. & M Doyle Flat Race takes place on day three, Thursday 28th April, of the Punchestown Festival. For full event details, ticket and hospitality information please visit www.punchestown.com

 

**ENDS**

 

No repro fee images available from sdreaper@punchestown.com

Caption: Punchestown Sponsorship Coordinator Leona Hughes and David Doyle of J.P. & M. Doyle Announce a three year sponsorship deal ahead of the 2022 Punchestown Festival, Tuesday 26th to Saturday 30th April.

 

 

King of the Hill to get entry to tackle Queen Bee Honeysuckle at Punchestown Festival

Henderson to “keep the option open”

Master of Seven Burrows also recalls “very special day” when Irish embraced Sprinter Sacre
 

Nicky Henderson has confirmed that Constitution Hill is likely to feature at the Punchestown Festival and has not ruled out a heavyweight clash with established hurdling queen Honeysuckle, with the facile Supreme Novices’ Hurdle victor to be entered in both the Paddy Power Champion Hurdle and the Bective Stud Champion Novice Hurdle.

Epatante, who finished runner-up as Honeysuckle retained her Cheltenham Champion Hurdle crown last week, Mares’ Hurdle heroine Marie’s Rock and another exciting novice Walking On Air, who missed Cheltenham after a slight setback, are others who are set to make the cross-channel jaunt.
But all eyes will be on Constitution Hill and the possibility of a mouth-watering contest for the ages, first mooted by owner Michael Buckley after the five-year-old’s 12-length demolition job in the Tolworth Hurdle at Sandown in January.
Should the encounter take place between the mistress of all she surveys and her young pretender, it would surely prompt similar parade ring scenes to when Henderson brought Sprinter Sacre to the Kildare festival to win the William Hill Champion Chase in 2013, an occasion the legendary trainer rhapsodises about, describing it as “a very special day”. 
Honeysuckle would be defending her Punchestown crown, having done the same in sensational fashion in the Cheltenham Champion Hurdle. 
The Henry de Bromhead-trained mare is the pre-eminent National Hunt horse on the planet, unbeaten in 15 appearances under Rules, which is a record. She has a point-to-point triumph under her belt as well from her days of tutoring under Jerry Cosgrave and Mark O’Hare.
After her Dromahane romp, Honeysuckle had her first visit to Punchestown for the Goffs NH Sale during the 2018 festival.
So it was that Kenny Alexander, emboldened by his enjoyment of the hospitality on offer, acquiesced to Peter Molony’s suggestion to shell out €110,000 for the daughter of Sulamani. Now eight, Honeysuckle has brought the Scot and his family on a remarkable journey, with Henry de Bromhead, Rachael Blackmore and the entire racing public latching onto her coattails.
Constitution Hill is also a product of the Irish point-to-point scene. Bought initially by the former first jockey at Henderson’s Seven Barrows yard, Barry Geraghty, he was trained by Warren Ewing to finish a head second to Anyharminasking at Tipperary, having suffered from a muscle-wasting illness as a youngster.
Geraghty insisted to Buckley and Henderson that he would develop into a real talent and his judgement has proven spot on, with Henderson’s handling of the Blue Bresil gelding playing a huge part in that process.
The novice is unbeaten under Rules, albeit from just three appearances, but has prevailed by an aggregate 48 lengths, most recently trouncing what beforehand was considered an ultra-competitive Supreme Novices’ Hurdle field by 22 lengths, smashing the course record in the process. 
Having such a talent appear at the festival will be a gift to those in attendance, but even the possibility of taking on Honeysuckle is sparking unprecedented levels of excitement.
“I’m afraid Michael seems to have taken up the mantle,” says a chuckling Henderson on the topic. “I’ve just been reading the reports! I honestly don’t know what we’ll do. We haven’t discussed it. I know he’s very keen to take on Honeysuckle. I should think it’s quite likely he will get an entry in the Champion Hurdle as it keeps the options open. 
“Michael is a great sportsman and nothing will scare him off, that’s for sure. So we shall see.
“He’s inexperienced but he’s very straightforward. He’s the same as Honeysuckle like that isn’t he? She’s a push-button machine.”
While Constitution Hill looked like he could go around again at Cheltenham, such performances require considerable exertion and so Henderson will make sure he is in a condition to give of his best, whatever race he targets.
“This was the case when Sprinter came to Ireland. Barry always said to me, ‘You had him at 100 per cent for Cheltenham, he was on 90 per cent at Aintree and he was on 80 per cent at Punchestown.’ You thought he was having easy races but he’s not, because he’s putting an awful lot of nervous energy, adrenaline and so on into it. He psyches himself up and they have to. That’s why they’re so good. They don’t just saunter around and think, ‘Oh that was easy, I’ll go back to bed now.’ It takes much more out of them, you’d never believe it.”
Henderson felt Sprinter Sacre was “over the top” when beating a 12-year-old Sizing Europe at Punchestown nine years ago, having made a last-minute decision he now regrets to take in Aintree after his Cheltenham success. But the cacophony of noise from the heaving mass that swelled around the parade ring will never leave him.
“It was amazing. The nicest thing was the Irish reception he got was amazing. You don’t normally see a French-bred horse trained in England get such an ovation. The crowd was absolutely incredible and it was a very special day.” 
Honeysuckle’s predecessor as Cheltenham Champion Hurdle winner, Epatante was right back to her best this year and could pitch up with her Prestbury Park nemesis once more in a race Henderson won with Buveur D’Air in 2019, when the trainer also saddled Fusil Raffles and O O Seven to Punchestown Festival triumphs. 
“She’s had a good year. She’s won a Fighting Fifth and a Christmas Hurdle and now second in the Champion Hurdle. Only Honeysuckle could beat her. She will almost certainly come over. We have discussed Aintree but it’s two and a half and she doesn’t want two and a half. She’s all about speed.”
And speaking of further possible visitors, Henderson added: “There’s nothing obvious for Marie’s Rock in Aintree so I’d say she’ll go somewhere in Punchestown. What Jonbon does will probably depend on what Constitution Hill does. Walking On Air may go to Punchestown after missing Cheltenham. He’s pretty smart and has come back really well.”
With the English season concluded the week before at Sandown – Henderson gives himself no chance of finishing as champion trainer but is tickled that Willie Mullins has put it on his agenda – the trainer and his wife Sophie will begin the Punchestown Festival week as usual with a couple of days at Martinstown Stud to cast he eyes over the horses he trains for JP McManus and some of the older brigade enjoying their retirement in the Limerick air.
The couple will then travel to up to Punchestown on Tuesday morning and spend the rest of their stay at Commonstown Stud, hosted by Henderson’s long-time friend, Jessica Harrington.
“It’s great fun, isn’t it? We have a Cheltenham, which you could call fun, but it’s a bit taxing. Aintree is fun but then you’ve Punchestown, which is really good fun, with the added bonus of great racing and great prize money and we’ll try to get our hands on some of it.”
ENDS

Tuesday 22nd March 2022 – Barberstown Castle was today unveiled as a major player on the Irish hotel and sporting hospitality scene with the announcement of a dual racecourse sponsorship that will see the county Kildare venue feature at both Punchestown, the home of Irish jump racing and The Curragh, home of Irish Flat racing.

The newly sponsored €125,000 Grade 1 Barberstown Castle Novice two mile chase is one of the features on Punchestown Festival Thursday. The race is arguably one of the most prestigious of its category on the calendar with an all-star line-up of previous winners including Douvan, Moscow Flyer, Un De Sceaux, War Of Attrition, Chacun Pour Soi and Big Zeb. British trainers have fared well in this contest with Tom George’s Gods Own and the Philip Hobbs trained Captain Chris both landing the spoils. This feature sponsorship is part of a multi-year accommodation partner arrangement at the famous jump season grand finale.

Meanwhile, across the county at flat racing headquarters, Barberstown Castle will become an official hotel partner of the racecourse in an overall package that includes the sponsorship of the five race ‘Barberstown Castle Series’. The first leg of this initiative kicks off on the opening day of the flat season, this Saturday 26th March and takes in races at some of the major classic weekends before the finale on 23rd October.

Amanda Torrens, the new owner of Barberstown Castle who also has enjoyed success as a racehorse owner commented on the announcement: “Our vision is clear, we wish to establish Barberstown Castle as the first choice for the racing community, horse tourism and bloodstock industry. We embrace the wonderful opportunity to partner with both the home of Irish jump and flat racing. Barberstown Castle is open for business and we look forward to welcoming the racing family here. It is wonderful to be in a position to combine two of my passions, racing and Barberstown in this exciting venture”.

Highly regarded in the hotel industry, Barberstown Castle’s Managing Director Ted Robinson welcomed the news: “ These are exciting times at Barberstown Castle because with racing power houses like The Curragh and Punchestown preparing to launch their seasons we here at the hotel are preparing to relaunch and rebuild this wonderful historic venue. We have 60 bedrooms, are located 30 minutes from Dublin airport, 20 minutes from both racecourses. We are situated at the gateway to the thoroughbred county and Hidden Heartlands and we are excited for what this venture will bring.

Punchestown’s Conor O’Neill commented: “This partnership is the ideal collaboration in the sense that both the Barberstown Castle and Punchestown teams share the ethos that the racing experience does not begin and end at the racecourse. Indeed, it is the hospitality, value, quality of food and accommodation and the money can’t buy aspect of genuine friendliness that sets the experience apart and makes visitors return again and again. This is why the whole package needs to work. There is no more powerful marketing tool than the word of mouth and we look forward to working with Amanda, Ted and the Barberstown team to achieve this joint ambition. O’Neill added “We’d like to take this opportunity to thank outgoing sponsor Ryanair who have transported so many of our overseas clients to the festival and will continue to do so before their onward journey to our hotel partners like Barberstown Castle!”

Evan Arkwright, Curragh Racing and Sponsorship Manager said,“We are delighted that Amanda Torrens and her team at Barberstown Castle have joined our portfolio of sponsors and look forward to developing a long and successful partnership with particular emphasis to work with them on a variety of initiatives to raise the profile of the hotel and to ensure the Castle is one of the premier destinations for our many overseas visitors. The race series will be an exciting addition to our season and it is very positive that stable staff will be acknowledged for their hard work and dedication

The Barberstown Castle Series will kick off this Saturday, 26th March, followed by races taking place during the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby Festival, Juddmonte Irish Oaks Weekend and Goffs Million Race Day, while the finale of the series will feature on Sunday 23rd October.

The winning owner, trainer and jockey of all five races will win a voucher to include an overnight stay in the hotel, while the trainers of the first four horses in each race will accumulate points with the highest point scorer winning a cash prize to be donated to the charity of their choice.

The Grade 1 Barberstown Castle Novice Champion Chase will take place on Thursday 28th April on day three of the 2022 Punchestown Festival.

For further information please visit www.punchestown.com and www.curragh.ie