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Castlestone Holiday Homes is proud to mark its first anniversary by sponsoring the Castlestone Holiday Homes Pro/Am Flat Race at Punchestown Racecourse’s Summer in Town Race Day this Saturday, 6 June.

The sponsorship represents a special milestone for the growing holiday home company, whose journey began just one year ago with an important partnership that helped launch the business.

Castlestone Holiday Homes’ very first client was Punchestown Racecourse. During the 2025 Punchestown Festival, Castlestone provided accommodation solutions for trainers, stable staff and yard teams travelling to Ireland’s premier jump racing festival. That initial partnership played a pivotal role in establishing the business and demonstrated the growing demand for high-quality short-term accommodation in the Kildare region.

Since then, Castlestone Holiday Homes has developed a strong customer base among racegoers and visitors to the area, providing five-star luxury self-catering accommodation throughout County Kildare.

Speaking ahead of the race, Louise Rawlins Traynor, owner of Castlestone Holiday Homes, said:

“As we celebrate our first year in business, it is particularly meaningful to partner with another local business, Punchestown Racecourse. Punchestown was our very first client and played an important role in helping us establish our business at Castlestone Holiday Homes. The relationship has gone from strength to strength, and we are delighted to mark our anniversary by sponsoring a race at one of Ireland’s most iconic sporting venues.”

Conor O’Neill, CEO of Punchestown Racecourse, said:

“We are delighted to welcome Castlestone Holiday Homes as a race sponsor and to celebrate this important milestone with them. It has been a pleasure to watch their business grow over the past year, and their success is a great example of the strength of local enterprise in County Kildare. We value the partnership we have developed and look forward to continuing to work together in the years ahead.”

For more information, follow Castlestone Holiday Homes on social media: @CastlestoneHoliday

Website: www.castlestoneholiday.com

Contact & Address:

Louise Rawlins Traynor
+353 (0)87 706 0146
Castlestone Holiday Homes
Haynestown Farm
Naas, Co. Kildare
W91 X3DF

ARC, Punchestown and Race and Stay Announce Major Strategic Partnership to grow travel between the UK and Ireland, and enhance the Racing Guest Experience

Arena Racing Company (ARC), Punchestown Racecourse, and premier racing tour specialists Race and Stay are proud to announce a new strategic partnership designed to cross-promote world-class racing experiences across the UK and Ireland.

This venture connects the iconic Punchestown Racecourse with ARC’s extensive UK network of 16 racetracks, creating a seamless bridge for fans to enjoy premier events on both sides of the Irish Sea. From the electric atmosphere of the Punchestown Festival to major UK highlights at Chepstow, Doncaster, Newcastle, and Windsor, the initiative aims to drive attendances and promote racing tourism.

As the official experience partner, Race and Stay will provide fans with a comprehensive, “one-stop” booking service. Beyond simple admission, these curated packages include:

Phil Bell, Regional Director at ARC, commented: “We are delighted to partner with Punchestown and Race and Stay. By combining our 16 diverse venues with Ireland’s finest National Hunt venue, we are offering fans an unparalleled variety of racing, all supported by a premium travel experience.”

Conor O’Neil CEO at Punchestown, added: “This partnership is about making world-class racing more accessible. We look forward to welcoming more UK fans to the Punchestown Festival and seeing our local fans explore the fantastic venues within the ARC network.”

Martyn Pipe, CEO of Race and Stay, stated: “Our goal is to take the stress out of travel. By handling everything from arrival to departure, we allow fans to focus on the thrill of the races. We are excited to showcase the best of British and Irish racing through this initiative.”

Bookings for these exclusive experiences are now open. For more information and to secure your place, visit www.raceandstay.com.

About ARC Racecourses:

Arena Racing Company (‘ARC’) is Britain’s largest racing group, operating sixteen racecourses and five greyhound stadia across the country.

In 2025, ARC venues welcomed over 1,000,000 racegoers and hosted some of the highlights of the British horseracing season, including the Betfred St Leger Festival, the Coral Welsh Grand National, Jennings bet Midlands Grand National, Jenningsbet Northumberland Plate Festival, All-Weather Championships Finals Day and the Berkshire Winter Million.

About Punchestown Racecourse:
Punchestown Racecourse is the home of Irish jump racing and the host of twenty fixtures each season culminating with the famous Punchestown Festival at the end of April. Under an hour from Dublin city centre and international airport, Punchestown is ideally located for visitors. Set in the foothills of the Dublin/Wicklow mountains the venue boasts 172 acres of racing ground and a unique traditional banks cross country course within a 400 acre estate. The racecourse is as famous for its wonderful hospitality across a collection of restaurants, bars and pavilions as it is for hosting the most prestigious jump racing on the sporting calendar.

About Race and Stay:
Race and Stay are Ireland’s largest racing tour specialists. Established in 2012 we have welcomed over 80,000 guests to Irish and International race meetings.  We provide guests with unique and exciting packages from 1 night to 10-night tours for all race meetings in Ireland and now, in association with ARC, the UK too.

 

Media Contact:
Martyn Pipe

info@raceandstay.com
+353 87 708 9685

Teahupoo leads the way in wide‑open Ladbrokes Champion Stayers Hurdle

 

Teahupoo is the 15/8 favourite to make it three in a row in the Ladbrokes Champion Stayers Hurdle, according to the sponsor.

 

Ladbrokes say the market is shaping up to be one of the most open renewals in recent years.

 

Bob Olinger heads the list of challengers at 11/4, with Kawaboomga close behind at 4/1. Honesty Policy is priced at 9/2, while Jimmy Du Seuil is a 9/1 chance.

 

Nicola McGeady of Ladbrokes said: “Teahupoo will be hard to beat if he bounces back to his best but this is shaping up to be one of the most competitive renewals we’ve seen in years. Bob Olinger and Kawaboomga are both attracting plenty of support, and with several live contenders close behind, it’s a wide‑open market.”

 

**Ladbrokes Champion Stayers Hurdle

 

15/8 Teahupoo, 11/4 Bob Olinger, 4/1 Kawaboomga, 9/2 Honesty Policy, 9/1 Jimmy Du Seuil, 33/1 bar

 

++ends++

TWENTY of the best jockeys across Ireland will swap saddles for runners on Ladbrokes Gold Cup Day at Punchestown for the first ever Irish Ladbrokes Jockey Sprint.

This Wednesday some of the most successful names in racing will lace up for the inaugural Irish Ladbrokes Jockey Sprint Cup before the first race, featuring a stellar line-up including Patrick Mullins, Danny Mullins, Darragh O’Keefe, Brian Hayes and Aine O’Connor to name but a few.

Ladbrokes hosted the first ever UK Jockey Sprint at Ayr in September 2025 and since then Irish jockeys have been clamouring for their own edition to crown the fastest jumps jockey at a fitting Irish jumps course.

Jockeys were encouraged to join the race with Ladbrokes pledging €250 per jockey running to be donated to the Irish Injured Jockeys.

Nicola McGeady of Ladbrokes commented: “We’ve all seen how fast these jockeys can go on horseback, but just how fast can they go on their own two legs across 200m? This cup would definitely hold pride of place in any jockey’s trophy cabinet and for a very worthy cause too.”

Janet Creighton, of Punchestown commented: “With €250 charity donation per athlete on the table it’s truly is a case of taking part that counts although knowing some of the jockeys in the line up it’s as much about winning on horseback or on foot! . Thank you to them and of course to Ladbrokes for this engaging initiative for a great cause. ”

The Ladbrokes Irish Jockey Sprint is due to take place at approx. 1.15pm on Ladbrokes Gold Cup Day – Wednesday 29th April.

Visit www.punchestown.com for ticket bookings and full event details.

 

Punchestown Festival Traffic Management Plan 2026

VIEW TRAFFIC PLAN HERE

VISIT ‘GETTING HERE’ INFO

 

📍 Location: Punchestown Racecourse W91 VCX4    📅 Dates: Tuesday 28 April – Saturday 2 May 2026

 

🚧 General Advice |  Traffic Management 🚧

It will be busy please allow extra time.

Peak times  2.00pm – 3.00pm (inbound) | 6.30pm – 7.30pm (outbound)

One Way System may be in operation at peak times.

Use public transport or shuttle services wherever possible – fast track service.

Follow Garda directions and event signage at all times.

Take note of where you parked with a photo on your phone.

 

🚍 Public Transport Options – https://punchestown.com/getting-here/

Please use shuttle Bus from Naas Town. We have trebled capacity.

€5 each way. Walk up service from 12.30pm. Every 15 minutes.

Pickup/drop-off: Poplar Square, Naas @ Lawlors Hotel and opposite Post Office south main street.

 

🚖 Taxis & Shuttles:

→ Enter via Main Gate From Watch House Cross South  or Dublin Road Gate via Beggars End North

→ Drop-off at designated areas Only

→ Exit via Ballymore Road or Walshestown / Balltreacy routes

Pick-Up

Must arrive before the second last race each day (6pm all except  7pm Friday)

 

🚌 Private Coaches:

→ Via R410 → Beggars End Gate

 

🛣️ Primary Travel Routes

  1. From Dublin / North (M1, N2, N3, N4)

M50 → N7 (Dublin/Limerick Road)

Exit 9 (Naas) → R410 (Blessington Road) → Punchestown

 

  1. From South Dublin

Option A: N81 → Blessington → R410

Option B: N81 → Ballymore Eustace → R411 → Punchestown

 

  1. From South East (M9, N9, N78, N80)

Via Carlow/Athy → Kilcullen → Naas Road

At Mylerstown Cross → right onto L2023 → Punchestown

Alternative Route:

M9 → Exit 10 (Naas)

→ Divert at Chadwick’s → South Ring Road → R411

 

  1. From South / South West (N7 / M7)

Exit 11 (Newbridge) → Kilcullen → follow Route 3

 

  1. Additional South East Route

N81 → Ballymore Eustace → R411 → follow signage

 

 

 

Friday-Only Traffic Restrictions 

 

⚠️ Friday-Only Traffic Restrictions

🚖🚌 Pick-Ups (Friday)

All buses, taxis and pick-up vehicles must be on-site before the second last race 6pm  (7pm Friday)

🚪 Friday Entry Routes for Pick-Ups (after 6pm)

Ballymore Eustace Road Entrance  &  Walshestown Quarry Road  / Balltreacy Entrance

 

Buses and large vehicles cannot turn right at Mylerstown Cross

Must instead → Continue to Naas → use South Ring Road (R447)

 

🚫 Parking Restrictions

No parking allowed on approach roads / Illegally parked vehicles will be towed

 

🚌 Coaches / Buses

Enter via R410 (Blessington Road)

Exit via R411 (Ballymore Eustace Road)

One-way system may apply

 

🚧 Local Access Restrictions

No access from Mullacash Cross → Watch House Cross during peak exit times

Diversions via Killashee → Naas

Some temporary disruption to local residents expected

Mullins hails unsung heroes as big guns primed for Punchestown

Gaelic Warrior has such ability that he could win at any trip.    Lossiemouth is “entering Quevega territory”.   And the reformed Il Etait Temps benefited from the ride of the week by Paul Townend in the shadow of the Cotswolds, to score in the Champion Chase. So says the man who has overseen the development of the Cheltenham Triple Crown-winning trio, Willie Mullins.

Each has presented a puzzle to solve at various points in their careers and one suspects that solving such conundrums and ruminating upon the best course of action for any given horse is as much the reason why the enduring behemoth of the jumps game gets as much a kick out of his staggering success now, as ever.
Mullins heads to the Punchestown Festival, which kicks off next Tuesday, armed with such artillery that even though he trails Gordon Elliott by €154,000 in the race to be champion trainer, he is an unbackable favourite to garner enough of the record €3.6 million in prize money on offer throughout the five days, to secure his 20th title.

The aforementioned superstars are all on target for a bid at following up on home turf, but in the case of Gaelic Warrior and Il Etait Temps, there are considerable challenges from stablemates to face. Fact Or File comes into the Ladbrokes Punchestown Gold Cup fresh, having been withdrawn from the Ryanair Chase due to unsuitable ground, while in the William Hill Champion Chase, Majborough represents the latest enigma for the master conditioner to deal with, capable of blowing a race apart but also of shooting himself in the foot.

This is championship racing, in every sense.

It is funny now, to reflect on how many column inches went into Mullins’ slow start to the season. It was relative, of course, but it wasn’t totally imagined. The man himself has acknowledged it. And coupled with Elliott’s blistering campaign, it is why Closutton still has ground to make up if the yard is to record a 19th consecutive trainers’ gong.
“We were very happy with the season, how it played out and is playing out,” says Mullins now, with the festival just days away. “We still have Punchestown to go but we are very happy that we’ve had a good season.

“What can we say? We had a great Cheltenham, then there was winning the Grand National and we had a good home season as well.”
He has spoken before about the impact of the sustained rain as Autumn transitioned to Winter, arriving as it did, on the back of a near drought. Delaying seasonal debuts caused a backlog in terms of finding races for all the horses. It felt like a race against time, on occasion, but as sure as night follows day and Punchestown brings the curtain down on the Irish jumps season, the Closutton crew got it right when it mattered most. The boss hails the endeavours of his staff for ensuring this was the case. “A really prolonged wet period is tough on staff, tough on horses… I must compliment my staff this year with the year that was in it, how good they are. Every day, they’re all dressed for wet weather, and they appear in and get their work done, and there’s never a grumble from them. We’re very grateful to have such fine staff, who seem to enjoy the challenge that we had. Yeah, we owe them a big thanks.

“I think in any business to have good staff morale is important. And when you take that into context, the horses have to be in good form as well. If you have happy staff, you’ll have happy horses. If horses are happier, they’ll work a lot more for you. That’s a big thing.” The fruits of all those labours are illustrated best in Spring. Gaelic Warrior is a case in point, a horse that has had many people scratching their heads at different times. Can’t go left-handed, needs a trip. Then wins a Cheltenham Arkle Chase over two miles, after an exhausted fall at Leopardstown that offered proof positive he would not even be a Ryanair horse. Begins this season with triumph in the John Durkan Memorial in an epic battle with Fact Or File, after running away with Townend. That made it three from four at Punchestown, the first victory coming in what is now the Channor Real Estate Group Novice Hurdle in 2023, the only defeat being inflicted by Il Etait Temps in the Barberstown Castle Novice Chase 12 months later. And most recently, one of the most impressive winners of the Cheltenham Gold Cup in recent memory.
“I just think Gaelic Warrior has such ability, on a given day, he could do two miles, two and a half or three, depending on opposition. He’s got such ability, he can do that. But he was brilliant in the Gold Cup.”

Il Etait Temps bouncing back from a below par effort at Ascot in January was probably the team’s best feat though, Mullins indicates.
“I would take more from the likes of Il Etait Temps. A lot of people put a line through him when he fell in Ascot and for him to come back and win the Champion Chase was great.
“But to me, that victory as much down to Paul’s, what I would have thought was ride of the week in Cheltenham. Now I might be a bit biased. I’d be only looking at our own horses, but I thought his ride in the Champion Chase was just something else.

“That’s the difference, having a man on board who is not afraid to sit when he thought the pace was too fast and if it didn’t work out, he was going to get a lot of criticism. I’m looking at Paul and thinking, ‘He knows something. He knows they’re going too fast.’ I had such confidence in him. I just thought it was a huge ride from him in a race like that.”
There was a time when Townend just could not get it right with Il Etait Temps and on more than one occasion, the Cork pilot – who has made a virtue out of being on the right one more often than not – chose a stablemate, only to see the eight-year-old owned by Hollywood Racing and Barnane Stud gallop away into the distance in front of him.
Prior to this season’s two Grade 1 victories in which Townend has done the navigating, the son of Jukebox Jury had scored five times at elite level and Danny Mullins was on board for four of them. Seemingly always under-appreciated, from his seven top-flight successes, he has only been favourite once, when careering to a nine-length victory in the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown last December.

“Il Etait Temps was a tough ride in his early stages, he was hard to ride. Apart from riding him right, he was just hard to ride. He was very keen. He was tough on jockeys. Danny got a great tune out of him in the early days.” Townend has always been a regular on Lossiemouth, however, and it was the desire to maintain that partnership that had connections preferring the Mares’ Hurdle option at Prestbury Park until this season, when injury ruled State Man out. Indeed, the manner of her victory at Cheltenham is clearly a direct compliment to the ability of State Man, another apparently underrated Closutton stalwart, albeit that Rich Ricci’s mare is now in the throes of establishing her own legendary status. “Paul would never have gotten off State Man to ride Lossiemouth any day of the week and told me that more than once over the last couple of years, so it just shows (how good he is),” Mullins acknowledges.
“But it shows what a mare she is too. She’s been to Cheltenham four times and won four times. That’s a fair statistic. She’s getting into Quevega territory.”
Lossiemouth also has a fantastic record at Punchestown, where she has a blemish-free record from three outings, all in Grade 1s. Most recently, she has added the Unibet Morgiana Hurdle in November to her festival successes in the Ballymore Champion Hurdle (2023) and SBK Irish EBF Mares’ Champion Hurdle.
Mullins reports the trio and indeed all of his Cheltenham Festival-winning squad to have come out of proceedings well and on track to rock up to Punchestown. The Kildare venue is one he appreciates and the festival is one he relishes.

“We have a good team coming next week. The key to Punchestown is the fact that they water so well and provide safe jumping ground.
“It’s one of the biggest meetings in our season, we enjoy going there. The weather is usually good, the ground is good, the prize money is good. It’s just a fabulous meeting and we take it very seriously. It’s been good to us over the years.”
It is the first time since he nabbed Elliott in the dying embers of the 2018 festival that Mullins goes into Punchestown trailing in the trainers’ championship.
“Yes! It’s going to make it a very interesting week. And we’ll enjoy it either way. Everyone’s in good form at Punchestown and you’ve got to take it as it comes. We’ve had upsets there before, and we’ll have more, but largely, it’s been very good to us.”

Willie Mullins Stable Tour
LADBROKES PUNCHESTOWN GOLD CUP
“Both GAELIC WARRIOR and FACT TO FILE are in good shape and it should be a fascinating race again, over a longer trip compared to the John Durkan.
“Fact To File didn’t run in Cheltenham so that’s going to be a huge advantage to him I’d say.
“We’ll leave it till the weekend to make a decision on IMPAIRE ET PASSE. He was going quite well until falling at Aintree so we’ll see. The National didn’t work out for GRANGECLARE WEST or CHAMP KIELY and they have been left in for now as well.”

WILLIAM HILL CHAMPION CHASE
“IL ETAIT TEMPS, MAJBOROUGH and ENERGUMENE have done their final bits of work and I am very happy with them. Il Etait Temps has come out of Cheltenham very well.
“I think we still have to find the right way to get Majborough right. He’s not a finished product yet. We’ve got to ask ourselves, ‘Does he need a longer trip?’ I don’t know. There’s certain days he looks fantastic, and other days he doesn’t. We haven’t got the finished product yet.
“At this point in time, Energumene will run. The weather forecast wouldn’t be great for him (as he needs soft going) but if the ground is safe for him, he’ll run. And they’re past masters at getting safe ground in Punchestown.”

BOODLES CHAMPION HURDLE
LOSSIEMOUTH has come out of Cheltenham fine and we are looking forward to her being back at Punchestown, where she has a great record.
ANZIDAM is another horse, like Il Etait Temps, that’s been difficult to ride in the early stage of his career, so I’m hoping we get a better handle on him next week. Maybe he’s a horse that needs to go over fences and that might make him easier to handle.
It’s been tough for PONIROS and it always is at his age, coming out of a juvenile campaign. I’m not expecting anything from him this week and am waiting more for next season for him when he matures. EL FABIOLO and ABSURDE are also still in the mix.

LADBROKES CHAMPION STAYERS’ HURDLE
“I’m not sure what way we’re going to go in the Stayers’. Teahupoo will be hard to beat, whatever we run. We have four left in it: ABSURDE, JIMMY DU SEUIL, KAWABOOMGA and JADE DE GRUGY. We’re looking at an end-of-season experiment to see have we got one good enough for a staying hurdle campaign next year.

NOVICE HURDLERS
“I’m hoping they’ll all rock up again. Some of them showed well at Cheltenham, some were disappointing. LEADER D’ALLIER (PRL Champion Novice Hurdle) is a nice horse but I don’t think we’ve got anything like the best out of him yet. His homework would suggest he’s a lot better than his finishing position at Fairyhouse, though he won his maiden well at Punchestown in January.
It was fantastic to get a winning bracket at Cheltenham for KING RASKO GREY, and I’m not decided yet which direction I’m going to go with him, but it would look more like the Alanna Homes Champion Novice Hurdle over two and a half miles, than the PRL Champion Novice Hurdle over two.
DOCTOR STEINBERG obviously is very good over a trip, but we’ve got to get the tactics right. He was way too free in Cheltenham.
KITZBUHEL was brilliant in Cheltenham but there won’t be a rematch with FINAL DEMAND in the Dooley Insurance Group Champion Novice Chase. I just wasn’t happy with him (yesterday) morning. He’s a big unit and I’d rather have him fresh for next season.”

 

 

 

PUNCHESTOWN ON COURSE TO SURPASS GOLDEN BENCHMARK

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The challenge is set and the countdown is on for the 2026 Punchestown Festival, one of the most anticipated fixtures in the Irish sporting and social calendar, taking place from Tuesday 28th April to Saturday 2nd May.

With an ideal weather forecast on the radar, the Racecourse of The Year is preparing to go even bigger and better than last year’s record level attendance with advance ticket sales indicating a crowd of over 130,000 across five days. Whilst the best of Irish and British racing talent will battle it out across 40 races for the record €3.6 million prize fund, this occasion has evolved far beyond sport to become a flagship national entertainment event.

Punchestown CEO Conor O’Neill explains the scale and impact of the Festival: “World class championship sport remains at the heart of what we do and alongside this our strategy is to enhance, elevate, and excel in an extremely competitive leisure and entertainment market. The Punchestown Festival is big business, has a huge economic impact of over €70 million, boosts tourism by filling every hotel room in the region and attracts international interest from as far as the USA and Australia. Whilst the enclosures, pavilions and bars are packed with festival goers enjoying racing, great live entertainment, style, shopping, food and beverage, we will host over 24,000 people from 800 companies as Ireland’s largest corporate hospitality event with seasonal, locally sourced menus prepared and served by excellent teams of over 600 staff”.

O’Neill adds “I’m delighted to say that our hospitality is totally sold out midweek despite expanding capacity by 2,500 seats and introducing the new Horse Walk venue. Saturday has a handful of seats left”.

From Tuesday 28th April, the trainer and jockey championship battles will be decided whilst the social hub Southern Enclosure will host the iconic Sky Bar After Party, Pony Club live music stage and the coveted Bollinger Best Dressed Style award. New for 2026 will be the Kildare Village Grand Pavilion, Ireland’s biggest singles event in the Your Friend My Friend Saturday Pavilion, mobile DJ sets, the expanded Britvic Family fun zone and a host of new beverage and dining options across a huge variety of bars and pop-up outlets.

The very last ticket deal wraps up at midnight on Sunday 26th April after which premium Festival prices kick in for all those except seniors, students, teens and family who buy on the day. Organisers strongly advise using public transport where possible especially on Festival Friday. A complete transport plan is available on the website with plenty of additional local shuttle and regional bus services added for 2026.

With so many moving parts including compelling championship narratives, over 60 British raiders, ever-expanding hospitality, style stakes and entertainment reminiscent of the Oxegen years, the 2026 Punchestown Festival is poised to deliver another unforgettable chapter. The stage is set. The legacy is strong. The expectation is clear. See you at Punchestown.

Visit www.punchestown.com for ticket bookings and full event details.

Cullentra duo among racing’s true success stories, regardless of championship battles at Punchestown Festival

 

Gordon Elliott is adamant that he is going into the season-concluding Punchestown Festival without any pressure, even as he leads Willie Mullins in the race to be champion trainer.

Jack Kennedy heads the jockeys’ championship and would love if the pair could complete a famous Cullentra House double but Elliott is sticking to his conviction that his wait for a maiden title will continue.

He will celebrate if Kennedy holds off Darragh O’Keeffe to bag his second championship but whatever unfolds, the 48-year-old has come to realise that success comes in many forms and the 2025-26 season has been a very fruitful one for his yard.

By any measure, it has been a phenomenal season for Elliott, with more than 200 winners trained and in excess of €5.5 million in prize money garnered between Ireland and Britain. He is €150,000 clear at the top of the trainers’ table with little over a week of the season remaining. His 11 Grade 1 winners speak to the high quality of his string too, just two off his PB.

And he is not done yet, with WODHOOH (SBK Irish EBF Mares’ Champion Hurdle) and TEAHUPOO (Ladbrokes Champion Stayers’ Hurdle) among his team for the festival, which runs from Tuesday, April 28th to Saturday, May 2nd and is offering a record €3.6 million in prize money.

That team has been strengthened further with the news that multiple Grade 1-winning pilot, Sam Ewing will be added to the roster of jockeys headed by Kennedy and also including Danny Gilligan and Jordan Gainford.

Ewing aggravated an old leg injury when falling at the Cheltenham Festival five weeks ago but received the green light on Tuesday morning and immediately hot-footed it to Cullentra House to ride his first piece of work.

“I can’t wait to get back at Punchestown,” said the young Antrim pilot. “I was out for five weeks and it was just a very bad time of the year to be out. I missed two days of Cheltenham, then Fairyhouse and Aintree and all those big meetings. So to be getting back on my first day for the Tuesday of Punchestown is great. I can’t wait.”

Ewing understands that getting the leg-up on any Elliott representative means you have a chance, even if Kennedy is on the likeliest victor.

Kennedy and Elliott are friends, though the latter is the paymaster. Elliott may appear more overtly driven. Kennedy is laconic in delivery, horizontal in general demeanour, but that masks a fierce competitiveness without which the Dingle native would not have returned from six broken legs and finally scaled the mountain peak at Punchestown in 2024.

Elliott has never hidden his obsessive desire to be champion trainer but whereas in his younger days, he might have considered finishing second a failure – and he has been runner-up to Mullins 13 times so far – he is able to smell the roses more now.

“We have four and a half million in prize money won in Ireland and a million in the UK,” says Elliott. “We’ve over 200 winners between both sides of the Sea. And we have 11 Grade 1 winners trained this season – 13 has been our best ever season, you know? And we have a chance of maybe getting one or two more to get to that at Punchestown next week. So we’ve had a good season.

“As far as being champion trainer, and I’ve said it all along, I didn’t think we’ve got any chance. I think we’re four or five years off being where we want to be to win something like that. But I’m very proud of what we have achieved.”

He has huge respect and admiration for Mullins, whose crown he covets. While there is no doubt that his challenge has pushed the champion to levels the Closutton colossus would not have dreamed of attaining a decade ago, striving to catch him has undoubtedly made Elliott better.

“Being champion was all I ever thought of, and I still do, but we probably made a lot of wrong decisions before, running horses a little too often and in the wrong places, whereas now I’m sort of sitting back and breathing. If it happens – when it happens – we’ll enjoy it a lot more.

“I’m leading Willie down to the last weekend of the season. You’re talking about the greatest trainer of all time, being talked about with Vincent O’Brien and Tom Dreaper. And we’re leading going into the last week of the season, so it’s been an unbelievable year. And being second 14 times, as we will be after this one, just makes you want it even more.

“The first couple years he was champion trainer, he was winning a million and a half, or two million. It’s amazing, when you look at it. What we’re doing now, if Willie wasn’t around, we’d have been champion trainer every year since God was a child. So you’ve got to be proud of what we have achieved.”

Kennedy got his title two years ago and it was notable how an emotional Elliott celebrated as if it were his own. While he is closing in on a second title, on 99 winners and five ahead of O’Keeffe, it would mean the world for the No 1 to see the gaffer receive his own trophy at Punchestown.

“Maybe someday we could do it together,” says Kennedy. “Obviously, I would love Gordon to get his, whatever happens with me, but it’s a brilliant operation to be part of. I’m very lucky.”

His highlight of the year just past?

“I suppose it would have to be Wodhooh at Cheltenham. It’s very important to get a winner there and it being a Grade 1 as well, it just meant a lot. Brighterdaysahead at Aintree, I got a great kick out of that and there were a couple of days on Romeo Coolio. There’s plenty of highlights. I’m very fortunate.”

Elliott relished all those too but references the transatlantic triumphs last October that rewarded the planning, preparation and organisation of Team Elliott, and then the readiness of the horses and riders to deliver, as being particularly satisfactory.

“Every winner gives me a buzz,” Elliott clarifies. “It doesn’t have to be a big festival. It can be a midweek winner. Obviously, the Grade 1s are what you want and I think I have won 114 Grade 1s in my career so far.

“Having the five winners in America (Far Hills) is something I thought people nearly didn’t even notice. Jack rode four of them and was brilliant on Zanahiyr in the American National, and Danny (Gilligan) rode the other. Everything bounced right. It was a great day, with a lot of Irish people. It was bang up there.”

Kennedy, who celebrated his 27th birthday yesterday (Wednesday), began riding out for Elliott before he was 16.

“There can be a few bollockings and sometimes it can get heated, but if you don’t get heated, you shouldn’t be doing what we’re doing,” Elliott declares. “But I don’t think we have ever had a row in 10 or 11 years. We’ve had a few ups and downs, like any walk of life but I think we get on pretty well.

“We go away on a golf trip to switch off every year with a bunch of friends, 10 or 12 of us. We go away to Spain or Portugal golfing for two or three days. And when we go to Nashville in two weeks’ time (for Iroquois Steeplechase day), we will have fun for one day but then the next two days it’s back to work, as we bring three horses out and we are there to get winners.

“I’m training the horses. I have to do my best for the owner and if for some reason Jack wasn’t pulling his weight, I’d let him know. But thankfully that doesn’t have to happen. We get on well.”

Probably because they share that insatiable appetite for victory. It was never more in evidence from Kennedy’s perspective than when he shared his exultancy at steering Delta Work to defeat Tiger Roll in the dual National winner’s final race, the 2022 Cross-Country Chase. The people’s champion was bidding for a sixth Cheltenham Festival triumph but Delta Work reeled him in after the last.

It was like slaying Bambi but Kennedy did not care, and nor did he play it down.

“I think you kind of lose the run of yourself a bit when you get a winner there,” Kennedy explains, a bit sheepishly perhaps. “It’s an amazing place to be in the first place, but to win there is something else, and I think something just kind of takes over your body when you have a winner there.”

“That’s the way we are here,” Elliott agrees.

Thankfully, Kennedy’s run of severe injuries has slowed, though given what he does for a living, you take nothing for granted. But he has found the IHRB’s support services very beneficial since starting to avail of them.

“The last couple of years now, there’s a new facility for us in Kildare with the Irish Injured Jockeys, physios and strength and conditioning coaches and everything. That’s been a massive help, especially coming back from injuries.”

He doesn’t miss a beat when asked what his best memory of Punchestown is.

“Teahupoo. I really needed him and he got the job done and obviously I won the championship that year (2024). So that was brilliant.”

“What did you win by in the end?” Elliott asks?

“Two,” comes the response.

Talk about going down to the wire.

Whereas it was Paul Townend on Kennedy’s tail two years ago, this time it is O’Keeffe doing the chasing.

“I started back on the second or third of July in Tipperary. I think actually, I started back the same time the year I did win the championship. Darragh had a good lead but in the autumn, things were really falling right for us. The horses were flying and we were getting plenty of winners and thankfully, I ate into his lead. And thankfully, all season, the horses have been running well and we’ve been getting plenty of winners.”

Just one more week to go, and it is one of the best weeks on the calendar. Championship racing at a championship venue.

“Punchestown is a great racecourse,” Elliott enthuses. “The atmosphere is second to none. The variety of different races is something you won’t see anywhere in the world. From the banks race to the hunter chase, the bumper, the Champion Chase, the Gold Cup, the Champion Hurdle… it caters for every owner.

“It’s a festival we’re really looking forward to and we’re hoping to get a few winners at it. I’m probably going into it in a real good place, because I know I have no chance of being champion trainer. If I went into it half-a-million clear it’d be squeaky bum time and I’d probably get nailed on the last day by Willie like he did a couple of years ago (2018)!

“But now I’m going into it enjoying it. We’ve had a great season.”

 

 

GORDON ELLIOTT PUNCHESTOWN STABLE TOUR

TEAHUPOO (Ladbrokes Champion Stayers’ Hurdle)

Gordon: We’re really looking forward to this. We’ve got TEAHUPOO (going for the three-in-a-row). I’m thinking about putting some headgear on him – whether it’s blinkers or cheekpieces I’m not quite sure. And HONESTY POLICY ran a great race at Cheltenham and at Aintree. He was unlucky not to be second as he got caught up in traffic turning in.

Jack: In the main part of the race, Teahupoo probably just goes to sleep a little bit. The race kind of got away on him a bit (at Cheltenham) so the headgear would just help me in that part of the race to travel a bit better.

Gordon: I wouldn’t say he’s ungenuine. He’s just gone so laidback and the problem with them staying races is if the pace drops half-way through a race and you get out of it, it’s hard to get back into it. He loves going around Punchestown too, which is a help.

 

WODHOOH (SBK Irish EBF Mares’ Champion Hurdle)

Gordon: She goes for the Mares’ Hurdle. She’s been a superstar. She’s 10 out of 11 now over hurdles. She’s not fancy at home. When you look at her on the gallop, she just does what she has to do, but we’re lucky to have her.

Jack: Maybe later than mid-way in her races, she can hit a little bit of a flat spot and you’re kind of thinking, ‘I don’t know how well I’m going here,’ and she just takes off.

Gordon: She does it nearly every run. That’s maybe why she’s so good, because she’s so laidback.

 

LADBROKES PUNCHESTOWN GOLD CUP

Gordon: FIREFOX got a cut in the Grand National so he won’t run. We’ll see how GERRI COLOMBE is this week before we make our mind up. Unfortunately he galloped the whole way round after he fell in the National, which wasn’t ideal.

 

NOVICE HURDLERS

Gordon: EL CAIROS will definitely run in the PRL Champion Novice Hurdle. The race didn’t work out at all at Cheltenham for any of the Irish horses – it was a very funny race. It was one of them things that baffle you. If he’d have finished fifth and there were Irish horses in second, third and fourth, I’d have been pulling the hair out of my head wondering how did he run so bad. But he was the first home of the Irish and I don’t know what happened that day. The English jumped off and were gone. We were four or five lengths behind them and we didn’t get any nearer.

Jack: It’s hard to put your finger on it but I still maintain he’s better than that anyway.

Gordon: The ground will suit him too. We’ll run one of the other two. The race was over at the start for SKYLIGHT HUSTLE, got kicked at the start and ran very, very free. It was over after two hurdles. He ran clean away. Whether he’ll go for this or the Alanna Homes Champion Novice Hurdle over two and a half on Friday, we’ll see. KOKTAIL BRUT bled at Christmas but has run some very good races since and won at Fairyhouse. Like Skylight Hustle, he has the two-and-a-half-mile option as well.

We’ll have three or four in the Channor Real Estate Group Novice Hurdle over three miles. KAZANSKY, GENERAL RISK and SPINNINGAYARN could be the three though we can’t be definite at this stage. SPINNINGAYARN ran a very good race in the Albert Bartlett to be fifth, especially with the ground the way it was there. If it’s well watered and they always do a good job with the ground at Punchestown, he could be a good spin. And he’s won at Punchestown this year.

 

NOVICE CHASERS

Gordon: We could run WESTERN FOLD in the Dooley Insurance Champion Novice Chase but I don’t know if he stays three miles. I think two and a half might really be his trip. KALA CONTI, I think she wasn’t going to be far away at Aintree when she came down at the third-last. Whether we go for this or the Barberstown Castle Novice Chase over two miles, I don’t know. I think she’d stay three miles, we could take our time and hunt away but that will be something I’ll discuss with Jack during the week, and with the owners.

Jack: She’d been kind of behind the bridle the whole way at Aintree and was just after getting going (when falling). We wouldn’t have been far away.

 

RACE & STAY AT PUNCHESTOWN INH FLAT RACE

Gordon: We’ll run two or three in it. I think CHARISMATIC KID has done enough this year but I’d say we will run LOW KICK, SOUL ASYLUM and WITH NOLIMIT. WITH NOLIMIT finished ninth at Cheltenham but he was only beaten four lengths, you know? He wasn’t beaten far.

ENDS

Gordon Elliott / Jack Kennedy / Sam Ewing Images – No Repro Fee

Festival 2026 Info

Punchestown Images – No Repro Fee

Ptown26 Brand Pack

 

 

Supporting the Care Behind Every Runner

Connolly’s RED MILLS, together with Foran Equine and Carr & Day & Martin, returns to Punchestown with a continued commitment to the people behind racing shining a light on the stable staff whose care and consistency underpin every runner.

Built around the platform Nourish Support Care, our presence spans the full week from the stable yard to the racecourse and into the shopping village.

RED MILLS Supporting Stable Staff Canteen Sponsorship

At the heart of our activity is the Stable Staff Canteen sponsorship providing complimentary meals throughout the week as a simple way to recognise the dedication of grooms and stable staff.

This is supported by daily stable yard engagement, including Spin to Win and product giveaways, along with Carr & Day & Martin Gallop Shampoo Bars available in the wash bays reinforcing practical, hands-on care where it matters most.

 

Supporting the Racing Industry: €75,000 RED MILLS Irish EBF Auction Series Hurdle Final

On Gold Cup Day April 29th, Punchestown will once again stage the €75,000 Connolly’s RED MILLS Irish EBF Auction Series Hurdle Final, continuing our commitment to opportunity and progression within racing. The Connolly’s RED MILLS Irish EBF Auction Hurdle Series was added to the Irish National Hunt programme for the 2017/2018 season and was designed to showcase talented maiden and novice hurdlers sourced at more affordable prices. Open to horses typically bought for €45,000/€30,000 or less at store sales in Ireland and the UK, the series provides a valuable platform to breeders, owners and trainers alike. The series features 16 qualifying races across the season, each worth at least €20,000, before culminating in the €75,000 Connolly’s RED MILLS Irish EBF Auction Hurdle Series Final at Punchestown Festival each April. Last years final was won by Thisistheway trained & owned by Yvonne Latta & her family. The daughter of Doyen was bought-back for only €2,000 at the 2022 Tattersalls Summer Store Sale.

Punchestown POV 2026: Punchestown Festival Groom Competition
New for 2026, Punchestown POV invites grooms to share their raceday experience from first feed to final check highlighting the work, skill and attention to detail behind every horse, with fantastic prizes awarded to winning yards.

What It Is

A simple, social-first competition inviting grooms to show us their full raceday during Punchestown.

From first feed at dawn…
to travel…
to wash bays…
to final check at night.

How It Works

To enter, grooms must:

  1. Film their Punchestown raceday
  2. Post to Instagram or TikTok within 7 days of the Festival ending
  3. Tag RED MILLS, Foran Equine & Carr & Day & Martin
  4. Use #PunchestownPOV
  5. Follow the accounts

Punchestown Festival Fully Sponsored with Record Prize Fund

 

Media Release, Thursday 9th April 2026: Punchestown Racecourse today announced a major new agreement as the Grade 1 PRL Champion Novice Hurdle completes the sponsorship line-up at the highly anticipated Festival in just three weeks time.

Taking place on Tuesday 28th April, the €125,000 Grade 1 PRL Champion Novice Hurdle will raise the grade one curtain at the festival that famously boasts 12 of the top drawer contests across a 40 race programme with a record €3.6 million prize fund. The PRL Champion Novice Hurdle has an all-star roll of honour with Hurricane Fly, Faugheen and Moscow Flyer featuring.

This will be a race day sponsorship debut for PRL who deliver a full 360 degree outsourced service specialising in logistics management, freight, sales and marketing. Based in Rathcoole, this family owned business has been operating for over 90 years.

Executive Chairman at PRL, Michael Brannigan said “We are delighted to play our part in this well-loved festival. The sponsorship fosters community spirit and highlights PRL’s active engagement in the local area”.

Conor O’Neill, Punchestown CEO welcomed PRL saying: “We are so pleased to welcome PRL to the Punchestown Festival for a number of reasons. A local, long established, family-owned company stepping up as grade one sponsor is exactly the community ethos we share. Furthermore, to complete the sponsorship folio with an major announcement like this is a super endorsement for festival as a commercial event. We very much look forward to welcoming Michael Brannigan, his guests and team to Punchestown”.

The 2026 Punchestown Festival takes place from Tuesday 28th April to Saturday 2nd May. An award winning social and sporting highlight that attracts 120,000 attendees, the festival is one of Ireland’s largest corporate events with over 19,500 hospitality guests representing over 900 companies from both Ireland and the UK. The diverse demographic of urban, rural, sporting, social, and business all gathering to celebrate and enjoy the famous atmosphere has earned Punchestown a ‘not-to-be-missed’  reputation.

Editor Notes:

PRL is an Irish & UK company specialising in logistics management, freight, sales and marketing. PRL stands for partnership, reliability and leadership and we believe in embodying these values amongst customers, colleagues and the local community.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Emer Woodfull, PRL –  emer.woodfull@prl.ie
Shona Dreaper, Punchestown Racecourse – sdreaper@punchestown.com