Punchestown Announce The Albert Bartlett Triple Crown Series
€100,000 Prize Fund announced under new series partnership
Punchestown racecourse today made the exciting announcement that Albert Bartlett, the UK’s leading producer of potato products, will sponsor the newly branded Albert Bartlett Triple Crown Series in a significant three-year deal that will see the series final prize fund grow to €100,000.
Further to today’s announcement the initiative will expand from ten to a total of twelve qualifying races divided between England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The first qualifier will take place on Saturday 23 rd November at Punchestown’s Premiere Weekend fixture and culminate on the opening day of the 2025 Punchestown Festival, Tuesday 29 th April, with the €100,000 Albert Bartlett Triple Crown Series Final.
Launched in October 2023, the initial concept for the series was to provide an opportunity for horses in the competitive two-and-a-half-mile handicap hurdle category, with ratings of up to 120, to compete for an impressive prize on a feature festival day. Born from the success of the inaugural running, Albert Bartlett have increased the number of qualifiers and boosted the final prize fund from €80,000 to €100,000.
Albert Bartlett Chairman Ronnie Bartlett outlined the key driver behind their support of the series: “We were really impressed with the first running of the concept in 2023. We hope partnering to create the Albert Bartlett Triple Crown Series will enhance the series further to encourage travel, cohesion and alignment throughout jump racing in the UK and Ireland with the exciting involvement of UK trained and owned horses competing at Punchestown. The series allows owners and trainers to visit new tracks, cross the Irish sea, meet with new peers, all built around enjoying flagship race days and competing for meaningful prize money. Ultimately we hope this will create more really entertaining days for race fans to enjoy and that’s what it is all about.”
Punchestown CEO Conor O’Neill, said: “We are delighted to announce The Albert Bartlett Triple Crown Series and really look forward to optimising this exciting concept alongside the Albert Bartlett team who share in our vision and objectives for the initiative. Together we aim to create an inclusive prospect for horses at a particular level to compete for a significant prize pot on the big stage whilst providing an excellent opportunity to open up the sport even further by encouraging owners and trainers to travel and compete across what is a relatively small jurisdiction. To this end we couldn’t have hoped for a better result of the inaugural running when Herefordshire trainer Tom Lacey won the final with Tune In A Box owned by the Woolhope Hopeful Syndicate.”
Reflecting on their Punchestown Festival Experience, Rachel Tobey, member of 2024 series final winning owners Woolhope Hopefuls, said: “We had the most wonderful and memorable experience at Punchestown. The welcome was exceptional. A group of us travelled over expecting the visit to the highlight but as our name suggests we were hopeful that Tune in a box could deliver. To win was beyond our dreams! We think that what is now the Albert Bartlett Triple Crown Series initiative is absolutely brilliant. Without it we would probably have never had a runner at Punchestown and now we are fully focused on returning again!”
The 2024/2025 Albert Bartlett Triple Crown Series Qualifiers
1. 23rd November – Punchestown
2. 5th January – Chepstow
3. 12th January – Punchestown
4. 26th January – Naas
5. 23rd January – Huntingdon
6. 14th February – Kelso
7. 15th February – Gowran Park
8. 26th February – Wincanton
9. 7th March – Ayr
10. 17th March – Down Royal
11. 20th March – Cork
12. 28th March – Wetherby
** 29th April – Albert Bartlett Triple Crown Series Final, Punchestown Festival**
Albert Bartlett Triple Crown Series Details
• The Albert Bartlett Triple Crown Series includes twelve qualifying races that will take place across Ireland and the UK with the €100,000 final taking place on the opening day of the 2025 Punchestown Festival, Tuesday 29th April.
• The qualifying races in the series will take place from November 2024 to March 2025.
• Each qualifier will be a hurdle race over a distance of between two miles two furlongs and two miles six furlongs, exclusively for horses rated 0-120. The series culminates with a 130 =11st 12lb final, allowing horses that improve their handicap marks throughout the season to still compete in the final.
• The first five home in each qualifier will be eligible to enter the Albert Bartlett Triple Crown Series final.
• Qualifier placings will take precedence over handicap ratings in the ballot process, ensuring the most competitive horses earn their chance to compete in the final.
• The Albert Bartlett Triple Crown Series final will be run over two miles four furlongs at the 2025 Punchestown Festival.
• The Albert Bartlett Triple Crown Series will be kindly hosted in association with geographically selected tracks across England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.
• This series launches on day one of the Punchestown Premiere Weekend, 23rd November 2024 and culminates on the opening day of the 2025 Punchestown Festival, Tuesday 29th April.