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“Have the conversation – say YES to Organ Donation”
Punchestown Charity Race – Saturday 4th May 2024

Kidney Transplant recipient Sara Jane Tracy to ride at the Punchestown Festival to highlight the success of Organ Donation and Transplantation
The 33rd running of the annual Punchestown Charity Race will take place on Saturday 4th May at the Punchestown Festival. To date this race has raised over €1.8 million for various kidney related projects for the Kildare based, registered Irish Charity, The Punchestown Kidney Research Fund.

This year will be a very special year as amongst the 25 jockeys taking part will be Sara Jane Tracy who is a kidney transplant recipient from Kill, Co. Kildare.
Sara Jane explains “In a life-altering moment in November 2021, my godfather Alex Tracy gifted me a second chance at life by donating his kidney. This selfless act, supported by his family and the exceptional medical teams at Beaumont and St. Vincent’s hospitals, marked the end of a challenging five-year wait on the transplant list and catapulted me from severe illness to robust health. Overwhelmed with gratitude, I am now committed to giving back to those who face similar challenges.”

Along with Sara Jane all the riders will have lots of local support as the race is the curtain closer to the week’s racing and is always a highlight for the 30,000 people in attendance on the big day.

In 2024 there were 74 applicants for the 25 places and all the 25 amateur jockeys have completed a fitness assessment at the jockey’s apprentice school R.A.C.E. in Co. Kildare. Also, they have all had to pass a medical in order to participate. On top of that before taking part all 25 jockeys have to raise a minimum of €1,500 for the Punchestown Kidney Research Fund, which is a Kildare based, registered Irish Charity.

For more information please contact James Nolan at 086/2349919.

The 2023 Punchestown Kidney Research Fund Rider Line Up

The 32nd running of the Punchestown Kidney Research Fund Charity Race takes place at 6.40 pm on Saturday 29th April at the Punchestown Festival. To date, this race has raised over €1.7 million for kidney projects.

From an initial 71 applicants the final list of 25 lucky Jockeys for the “Have the conversation – Say YES to Organ Donation” PKRF Charity Race was released today. The 25th and final Jockey to make the cut was Hannah Smullen – and she is sure to draw a huge following. Hannah is the daughter of the late Pat Smullen and will appropriately ride for the Dermot Weld stable. The 20-year-old from county Offaly is studying Law at Trinity College  and said she was so excited about having her first race at the Punchestown Festival.

The 2023 Punchestown Kidney Research Fund Rider Line Up

In no particular order:

  1. MARGARET KILROY – Representing county Westmeath. Director of sales at Nordics UK and IRE.
  2. DEAN RYAN – High performance coach. Took part in Corinthian Challenge.
  3. RAYMOND LOFTUS – Rides out in Gordon Elliotts mad keen to have his first ride on racecourse and has a huge gang of supporters coming to watch.
  4. EDDIE TOBIN – Carlow’s Eddie Tobin ensures Jessica Harrington’s record of having a runner in the “Kidney” Race every year since Jessy rode Banker’s Benefit for John Fowler in the first running of this Charity Race back in 1990..
  5. TRIONA BURBAGE – County Laois part of the Jarlath Fahy racing team. Always involved in horses. A dream come true to ride at Punchestown
  6. KEITH HEDDERMAN – Keith Hedderman complete the Kildare quota and the latter has won Senior County Football championship medals with Moorefield and is from the well- known Newbridge Meats, which is a local family business.
  7. KAITE MCMANMON – works in the RACE academy and has access to some top training skills!
  8. ALFONSO VIDAL – representing Brazil! Works for trainer Oliver McKiernan. Won rally cross motor races in his native Brazil.
  9. PAUL DEMPSEY – Three day event rider, took part in 2016 and has been training in Gavin Cromwells.
  10. EIMEAR SMULLEN – Kilcullen local and one of two sisters taking part has been riding out in Denis Cullen’s yard.
  11. SINEAD SMULLEN – hair stylist to the stars, well Kildare ones at least! Trains with Denis Cullen
  12. JOHN MOLLOY – Runs the busy Molloy & Sherry Transport company but is really excited about being a jockey for a day
  13. FIONA AHERN – From the sunny south east in County Wexford and looking forward to the experience.
  14. JAMIE KAVANAGH – Another from the point to point stronghold county of Wexford.
  15. CIAN FENELON – Wicklow man. Was at Ptown in 2022 washed out of it didn’t affect him as he blown away by charity race and applied the day after. Studying law and criminology
  16. KATE MACKLIN – flying in from Italy to take part.
  17. PAUL BELL – Kilcullen local and Double Championship winning GAA football star Paul Bell who is back after enjoying the experience in 2022 with huge help from Gordon Elliott.
  18. RONAN WILSON – represents Wicklow and his own well known food business Dun Luain Foods
  19. AOIFE MARTHA KIERNAN – County Meath trained as a nurse, rides out in Noel Meades. Inspired by patients she met in Tallaght Hospital
  20. MICHAEL PURCELL –  Aunctioneer from Dublin rides out in Durkans. Doing it for a best friend Karl who is on the list for a transplant.
  21. ELAINE BROWNE – Galway woman. Agri Consultant. Ran half and full marathons and 70 k iron woman in denmark. Fittness shouldnt be a problem.
  22. MAURICE MCCARTHY – From Fylde in Lancs UK. Rode in 2016.Previous winner of Newmarket Town Plate. Family and friends travelling from UK To support.
  23. KILLIAN RYAN – Thurles man. 23 year old accounts manager CS Pharma. Making his racecourse debut.
  24. JOY BENNETT –  From Malahide in Dublin. Daughter of Dave Bennett who received a kidney transplant a year ago to the day of the charity race.
  25. HANNAH SMULLEN – 20 year old student from county offaly is studying in Trinity college. Hannah is the daughter of former trainer and amateur jockey Frances Smullen and the much loved and missed Pat Smullen.

Ultimately the message from James Nolan, Chairman of The Punchestown Kidney Research Fund is to please have the conversation about Organ Donation with your family and loved ones.

Please don’t take your Organs to Heaven – as Heaven knows we need them here on Earth……

For more information please contact James Nolan at 086/2349919 or visit www.pkrf.ie

Have the conversation – say yes to organ donation”

 

PUNCHESTOWN  CHARITY RACE PILOTS PEER SUPPORT PROGRAM FOR PATIENTS.

Wednesday 20 April 2022: The 2022 Punchestown Festival will host the 31st running of the Annual Charity Race on Saturday 30th April in aid of the Punchestown Kidney Research Fund. (P.K.R.F.).

This fantastic fundraising initiative has stood the test of time and remains as popular as ever with applications oversubscribed each year. This year was particularly challenging with a much reduced preparation time but a huge effort by organisers and participants saw the plan come to fruition. The race involves 25 ‘amateur’ riders, battling it out over one mile and seven furlongs around the famous Punchestown course. Each rider must raise €1,500 for the P.K.R.F.  and pass an assessment in order to participate. 

In 2022, the PKRF is looking forward to partnering with the Irish Kidney Association to set up a Pilot Peer Support Program to help kidney patients and their families who are starting out on the road to dialysis or looking at the possibility of a life-saving kidney transplant.  This support network will enable people to reach out and connect with a trained volunteer  to discuss their concerns about dialysis and transplantation.

Kilcullen Butcher, James Nolan initiated both the charity and the race having received the GIFT OF LIFE when his sister Catherine Doyle donated one of her kidneys to him on the 25th July 1987. He has ridden in the race himself 13 times and won it on 50 to 1 shot Nero’s Dancer in 2002, an experience he describes as one of the highlights of his life.

The Punchestown Kidney Research Fund Charity Race was founded in 1990 and has raised €1.6 million to date.  They have invested these funds in projects that improve the quality of life for patients on dialysis, projects that establish ways to maximise the life span of the transplanted kidney and identify projects that examine the causes that lead to renal failure. Unfortunately, due to the Covid19 pandemic the race could not place in both 2020 and 2021. As a result, the PKRF had no major projects during this time but have supported the following projects from 2016 to 2019:

Leona Hughes, Punchestown Sponsorship coordinator explains why she is taking part in this year’s race “Whatever about challenging yourself I think this race makes you consider how lucky we are to be in a position to choose. There are plenty of people who would love to take part in something like this but unfortunately cannot due to illness. I hope we raise plenty of money for James and his team because the work they do is amazing. The atmosphere is always brilliant and we feel it is the most important race of the entire festival because it makes such a difference to so many lives”.

The Punchestown Kidney Research Fund uses the Charity Race as a major Organ Donor Awareness Event in Ireland.  Indeed the simple measure of carrying an Organ Donor Card or having the conversation about Organ Donation and informing one’s next of kin of one’s wish to donate organs can save someone’s life.

*ENDS*

For further information please contact: The Punchestown Kidney Research Fund 

C/o James Nolan – 086 2349919

Main Street, Kilcullen, co. Kildare