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Final Prize fund boosted to €80,000

 

As the 2024 Punchestown Festival approaches the home of Irish jump racing today made the exciting announcement that www.Blood-Stock.com are to sponsor the newly introduced Full Circle Series Final on the opening day, Tuesday 30th April.

Furthermore, the deal brings with it a boost in prize money which sees the www.Blood-Stock.com Full Circle Series Final confirmed at an impressive €80,000. The objective behind the series was to introduce a race on the biggest stage for mid-level horses so that everyone can be part of the season grand finale at Punchestown. Since December 2023, five qualifiers were held across Ireland and a further five the length and breath of the UK in a bid to attract connections and reinvigorate the interest from across the water. The top six from each race are eligible to enter the two-and-a-half-mile hurdle final where qualifying position will be prioritised over rating for balloting.

The team at www.Blood-Stock.com have created a ground-breaking platform that ‘empowers enthusiasts to become fully engaged stakeholders in the sport by offering access to extensive equine data, interactive trading features and a lively community’.

Looking forward to the upcoming www.Blood-Stock.com Full Circle Series Final, Diarmuid O’Donovan, founder of Blood-Stock.com said: “BloodStock is delighted to partner with Punchestown on the inaugural Full Circle Series Final. This is our first foray into race partnership and we feel the spiritual home of Irish jumps racing is a great launching point for our business.
O’Donovan continued: “The series is a brilliant initiative. It is a perfect fit for our mutually aligned values of industry sustainability, patron engagement and international growth. We’d like to thank Janet Creighton and Leona Hughes from Punchestown for their assistance in ensuring the showcase of our brand at this iconic venue”.

Punchestown’s Janet Creighton welcomed BloodStock saying: “Diarmuid and the team at BloodStock have developed this product which will allow casual fans and seasoned racegoers an opportunity to be directly involved in the game. This is where technology and the bloodstock industry meet. It is an exciting insight into the future”.

The 2024 Punchestown Festival takes place from Tuesday 30th April to Saturday 4th May. The www.Blood-Stock.com Full Circle Series Final takes place on Tuesday 30th April. Full ticket, hospitality and event information available at www.punchestown.com

**ENDS**
For further information please contact: hello@blood-stock.com

 

PUNCHESTOWN CROSS COUNTRY ADDED TO 2023-24 CRYSTAL CUP SCHEDULE

Following the cancellation of the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase at the Cheltenham Festival due to a waterlogged track, the Crystal Cup committee has taken steps to ensure the unique pan-European competition maintains its 11 legs.

Punchestown’s Mongey Communications La Touche Cross Country Steeplechase, with a prize fund of €30,000, will be added to the series, with points afforded just as in the other legs. The 5yo+ Weight for Age Conditions chase is run over 4m 2f (6,800m), a distance only capped by the final race at Lion d’Angers on May 9th. Entries close on April 25th at noon (11am for foreign entries).
Conor O’Neill, CEO of Punchestown, commented, “We’re delighted to have been offered the chance to join this prestigious and unique series in the exceptional circumstances of this wet winter. A cordial Irish welcome awaits British and Continental runners over the unique banks course at Punchestown.”

Ian Renton, Managing Director of Cheltenham, added, ““We were naturally very disappointed not to be able to stage our leg of the Crystal Cup Series during the Festival due to the loss of the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase. However, we are truly delighted that this has provided an opportunity for Punchestown to participate in the Series. Cheltenham is very proud of its cross-country course, the only one of its kind in England and we are wholly committed to the promotion of cross country racing and the Crystal Cup. We know that our racing fans very much enjoy the unique spectacle cross country brings, with many people travelling across Europe to witness other legs of this popular Series. The inclusion of an Irish leg in the Crystal Cup Series will be welcomed by many.”

Alain Peltier, Chairman of the Crystal Cup committee, concluded, “This season’s series has seen a flurry of Irish runners, not just at Cheltenham, where they are expected, but in other races of the series, notably when Roi Mage won at Compiegne in November. The Series has evolved to become a valid route to the Grand National, as well as producing some fabulous races in its own right. Punchestown is a natural addition and we’re thrilled to be there again after a long absence.”
Despite Irish enthusiasm for the Series’ races, this season has been dominated by the Czechs for the first time. In pursuit of the €20,000 bonus prize and the Crystal Cup, Scuderia Aichner SRL and trainer Josef Vana Jnr are in a commanding position requiring any other contender to win both remaining legs to deny them a first success in the challenge.

 

The 2024 Punchestown Festival takes place from Tuesday 30th April to Saturday 4th May. Over 100,000 people are expected to attend. For full event and ticket details please visit www.punchestown.com

The K Club Announced as Leading Trainer and Rider Sponsor for the Punchestown Festival.
Introducing the New Leading Owner Award.

MEDIA RELEASE Thursday 18th April: With just over a week to go to the 2024 Punchestown Festival, the home of Irish jump racing today announced that The K Club are to become the new sponsors of the Leading Trainer and Rider award at the Irish racing showcase. In addition, Punchestown, in association with The K Club, will introduce a new Leading Owner Award as part of the enhanced owner experience at the festival.

The K Club Awards will run across the duration of the five-day event with points allocated for wins and placings. On the afternoon of the final day, Saturday 4th May, The K Club will present the leading trainer and the leading rider with a €1,500 K Club voucher each. The Leading Owner will receive a voucher for an overnight stay with dinner in the renowned Barton Restaurant and a round of golf or spa treatment per person.

The K Club is located in Straffan, Co. Kildare and is a convenient twenty-minute transfer to Punchestown. Billed as a place ‘for people who love the good things in life’ the famous Kildare hotel, spa and golf resort is an ideal base for racing fans.

John Costelloe, Director of Sales and Marketing at The K Club looked ahead to this year’s activation at Punchestown: “The K Club has a rich history and association with the horse racing fraternity, and we look forward to welcoming both returning and new guests for the upcoming Punchestown Festival. Located in the heart of Thoroughbred Country it makes sense to be involved at the home of jumps as well as our existing association with the Curragh – home of the classics”.

Welcoming the hotel back to the Festival sponsor portfolio Punchestown’s Janet Creighton said: “It’s wonderful to see The K Club back at Punchestown having been sponsors here for so many years. The leading owner, trainer and rider award is a great activation as it runs for the duration of the five days. The wonderful addition of the Leading Owner award is in recognition of the invaluable support by owners in Irish racing. We are always happy to refer guests and visitors to our accommodation partners as we know it will be an extension of the customer experience that they receive here on track”.

The 2024 Punchestown Festival runs from Tuesday 30th April to Saturday 4th May. The K Club Leading Trainer, Owner and Rider Award will be presented on Saturday 4th May. For full event details and ticket options please visit www.Punchestown.com

Please click on the link below for day by day entries:

Tuesday 30 April Grade 1 Entries

Wednesday 1 May Grade 1 Entries

Thursday 2 May Grade 1 Entries

Friday 3rd May Grade 1 Entries

Saturday 4 May Grade 1 Entries

Channor Real Estate Group Announced as Major New Sponsor Ahead of 2024 Punchestown Festival

 

Media Release 16th April 2024: As the countdown to the 2024 Punchestown Festival gets underway the home of Irish jump racing today welcomed Channor Real Estate Group as the latest high-profile grade one sponsor in a major three-year deal.

The €125,000 Channor Real Estate Group Grade 1 Novice Hurdle takes place on day two of the prestigious Punchestown Festival, Wednesday.  Formerly run as the Irish Mirror Hurdle, the role of honour for this contest could not be more prolific with dual Gold Cup champion Galopin Des Champs and stand out Cheltenham performer Gaelic Warrior featuring as victors in the last three years.

The Punchestown sponsorship will be the Channor Real Estate Group’s debut commercial partnership on the Irish racing scene. The second-generation family-owned property investment and development company was established in 1990 and prides itself on ‘creating great places to live and work’. Having been involved in property development in the UK and New Zealand, Channor Real Estate Group would be best known as the developers of Blanchardstown Corporate Park where they have built over 1.5 million square feet of office and industrial property.

Darren Harrison, Channor Real Estate Group CEO, gave an insight on their decision to sponsor at the Punchestown Festival: “The synergy between horse racing and our business community is unmistakable. Having attended last year’s festival, I witnessed first-hand the strong presence of our clientele, and it became clear Punchestown is something we’d like to get involved with. It makes sense to be where they are and Punchestown is the industry leader when it comes to Irish racing events”.

Punchestown Racecourse CEO Conor O’Neill welcomed the Harrison family and Channor team by saying: “The Channor Real Estate Group is exactly the kind of company we enjoy working alongside – family owned and quality focused with a keen eye on longevity.   The Channor team have identified that involvement here at Punchestown makes good commercial sense for them. On behalf of Punchestown we welcome Darren and the team and look forward to optimising this partnership for them over the next three years”

The 2024 Punchestown Festival takes place from Tuesday 30th April to Saturday 4th May. The Channor Real Estate Group Grade 1 Novice Hurdle is one of twelve grade one races featured across the five-day jump racing grand finale. Full ticket, hospitality and event information available at www.punchestown.com

 

ENDS

 

Media Release, Monday 8th April 2024:  With just three weeks to go and 100,000 people expected to attend, Punchestown Racecourse today reminded festival goers of exciting plans and enhancements for the upcoming 2024 Punchestown Festival running from Tuesday 30th April to Saturday 4th May.

 

The five day social and sporting highlight is a homecoming celebration of Irish jump racing, sport and culture. With a prize fund of over €3.4 million, twelve top tier grade one contests, season champions like Galopin Des Champs and household names including Willie Mullins, Rachael Blackmore and Paul Townend in action. Beyond the parade ring and into the enclosures the Punchestown Festival is Ireland’s largest sporting corporate hospitality event and will host over 17,000 guests across an impressive array of restaurants, pavilions and suites. The competition on track will be hard fought whilst the style stakes in the prestigious Bollinger Best Dressed, live music, street theatre and Shopping Village appeals to the social element of the attendees.

 

The Four Key Changes for Punchestown Festival 2024:

 

1.Earlier Start Times

The first two days of the 2024 Punchestown Festival will revert to a 2.30pm start from the current time of 3.40pm. Market research shows that around 70% of paying clients would ‘definitely or most probably’ like to see some of the festival days start and finish earlier.

 

 2.Ticket Products and Pricing

Whether it’s a business or a household value for money is particularly important now more than ever. Following a full review of ticket pricing and products there will be a price reduction to €30 for the first three days and €40 for Friday and Saturday of the 2024 Punchestown Festival for advance purchased tickets. There will be an additional €5 per ticket charge for on the day purchases excluding senior, student and family day concession tickets that can only be purchased on the day. As a premium sport and leisure event these prices compare very favourably to similar occasions.

As always group discounts apply and for larger groups it is recommended that they contact the racecourse office directly in advance. The original Flexi ticket will be replaced by the new Choice Ticket that can be used Tuesday or Wednesday or Thursday. Senior, student and Family ticket concessions continue on a walk-up basis. All children under 14 years of age race for free all season.

 

3.Refreshed Festival Layout

The festival layout will undergo a refresh including the removal of the traditional reserved enclosure divide and the introduction of exciting new features around the parade ring enclosure. The famous Sky Bar, Bollinger Garden, Shopping and entertainment areas will remain as popular as ever with the Southern Enclosure accessible to all. The objective is to optimise the scope of the enclosures, utilise all available facilities which in turn will improve footfall, flow and reduce potential pressure points.

 

4. Enhance & Improve Raceday Experience

This point is neither new nor dynamic as the pursuit of excellent customer experience is an ongoing process. The enhancement of the race day visit will go hand-in-hand with the new layout. The Punchestown demographic is a diverse one with varied tastes and requirements for a memorable customer experience. Alongside our catering and service partners, we aim to deliver a selection of great quality food and beverage options with efficient, friendly service in comfortable surroundings. Whilst costs have increased across the board for product and services every effort has been made to minimise the impact on the customer.

 

Conor O’Neill Punchestown CEO explained the theory behind the strategy: “We say it time and time again that people make Punchestown, so it is those very people who have shaped and informed this plan and it is this plan that will help us deliver the best possible Punchestown experience we can to our customers who are the backbone of our business. Now we need support with feet on the ground and people through the gates. If it doesn’t work for the customer it ultimately won’t work for Punchestown, so I hope we’ve got the balance right as we look ahead to welcoming friends old and new to the 2024 upcoming Punchestown Festival.”

 

The 2024 Punchestown Festival will take place from Tuesday 30th April to Saturday 4th May. For full information please visit www.punchestown.com

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Editors Notes

Punchestown Festival 2024 Advance Ticket Prices

We are delighted to introduce a new initiative at Punchestown called The Full Circle Series. In an age of super yards and fierce competition, this series provides an great opportunity for the horses in the competitive 1 – 130 category and their respective connections to compete for a big prize at a feature festival.

Aimed at two and a half mile handicap hurdlers rated in the region of 130, the series will consist of ten qualifiers, five UK and five in Ireland.  The qualifiers will be held between December 2023 and March 2024 before coming Full Circle back to the grand final on the opening day of the Punchestown Festival, Tuesday 30th April 2024.  The first six horses to finish in each leg will qualify for the grand finale with a prize pot of €60,000.

Richie Galway, Punchestown Racing Manager outlines the thinking behind the Full Circle Series: “There are two main objectives for this new series. Firstly we acknowledge just how high the standard of racing is in Ireland at the moment. Hopefully this series will give the smaller trainer and owners an opportunity to compete for a huge pot on a feature day on the calendar.” Galway continued: “Another key reason is to reinvigorate the essential involvement of UK trained and owned horses at Punchestown. We have been fortunate enough through the years to have amazing support from throughout the UK so we have qualifiers across all regions. This is an extraordinary opportunity for a horses at a certain level”.

 

THE FULL CIRCLE QUALIFIERS

 

FULL CIRCLE SERIES DETAILS

The Full Circle is a 10 race series that will take place across the UK & Ireland with the final being held at the 2024 Punchestown Festival.

Each qualifier will be a hurdle race over a distance of between 2 miles 2 furlongs and 2 miles 6 furlongs for horses within the (0-130) rating band.

The first six horses home in each qualifier will be eligible to enter the grande finale.

The Full Circle series final will be run over 2 miles 4 furlongs at the 2024 Punchestown Festival.

Five Full Circle qualifiers will be hosted at specially selected tracks in the UK with the remaining five taking place at Irish courses.

The qualifier races in the series will take place from December 2023 to March 2024.

This series begins (launch) and ends (finale) in Punchestown. It travels The Full Circle.

 

For further information please contact the Richie and Sean on racing@punchestown.com or call +353 45 897704

An  additional fixture has been announced  for Punchestown on Tuesday, May 23

Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) has announced there will be an additional meeting at Punchestown on Tuesday afternoon, May 23. This meeting is one of the three floating fixtures that were kept in reserve when the 2023 fixture list was published in order to meet the demands of the horse population at specific times of the year.

This meeting will close for entries by 12 noon on Thursday May 18 with declarations to run to be made by 10am on Sunday May 21.

The race programme details for this meeting will be published in due course and the time of the first race will be at 1.45pm.

Advance bookings save €5. €15 admission on the day.

 

Punchestown Returns with The Homecoming Festival

**Download Festival Fact Sheet**

Media Release : They’re coming home! The winners, the heroes and the champions return to the home of Irish jump racing for the grand finale of the season as the 2023 Punchestown Festival returns from Tuesday 25th to Saturday 29th April.

Organisers anticipate an attendance of 110,000 people across the five-day event that attracts visitors from throughout Ireland, the UK and further afield. The main attraction is the prestigious top-class racing that showcases the very best of Irish racing talent including Rachael Blackmore, Willie Mullins , Henry de Bromhead and Paul Townend. Visiting trainers from the UK are an integral feature of the festival with regulars such as Nicky Henderson, Paul Nicholls and new comer Olly Murphy sending horses across. A fully subscribed sponsorship portfolio of 50 event partners delivers an impressive prize fund of over €3.3 million on offer across forty races including twelve grade one contests. The entries for the flagship races are now closed and feature equine superstars including major festival players Galopin Des Champs, Energumene, Bravemansgame and Envoi Allen.

People make Punchestown and key to all great celebrations is the combination of guest list, live entertainment, delicious food, amazing style and this is where the Punchestown Festival delivers in spades. Over 17,000 hospitality clients from 795 companies, 158 of which are UK based, will enjoy delicious seasonal menus prepared and served by 60 chefs, 420 catering staff and 280 bar staff. Catering for this number means large scale and three tonnes of fresh vegetables, over 60 kilos of artisan cheeses and 15,000 portions of petit four desserts and canapes will be enjoyed over the five days. Throughout the pavilions, bars and enclosures the atmosphere builds with live music, street theatre and DJ sets running alongside shopping village and full entertainment programme.

The Bollinger Best Dressed competition is one of Ireland’s most prestigious style contests in the country with finalists chosen across the first four days progressing to the final on ladies day, Friday 28th April. Open to all, the fresh take on race day style encourages racegoers of all ages to be creative, sustainable and brave in a bid to win the ‘money can’t buy’ prize to Paris and The Bollinger Chateuax in Champagne region. An all-star cast featuring some of Ireland’s most popular style names make up The Style Council who will select the winners.

As one of Ireland’s largest events the Punchestown Festival is big business bringing a massive boost to the local economy with over €25 million generated through tourism, leisure and associated spends. However, the event also plays a significant community roll working alongside local GAA clubs and charities to generate funds through volunteer schemes and fundraising initiatives. The Punchestown Kidney Research Charity race, now in its 32 year, has raised close to €2 million and is joined this year by charities Barretstown, Samaritans, Cara Girls Project and Cystic Fibrosis Ireland.

Punchestown CEO Conor O’Neill looked ahead to the event: “The Punchestown Festival is a combination of so many moving parts. A showcase of Irish sporting excellence, one of the largest corporate events in the country, a huge social occasion, an essential fundraiser and a gathering of 100,000 people of all ages, urban and rural who will share in a memorable experience. People make Punchestown and we look forward to welcoming friends old and new to the home of Irish racing for the last week of April”.

 

ENDS

For further information please contact:

Shona Dreaper, Punchestown Racecourse

Contact: 045 897704 or sdreaper@punchestown.com

 

No-repro Fee images – https://we.tl/t-RJBYK6NqvW

Social Media Assets – https://we.tl/t-62fmsDzTh0

 

Event Notes:

The 2022 Punchestown Festival takes place from Tuesday 25th to Saturday 29th April.

Tickets from €35pp are available at www.punchestown.com Pre-booking is advised.

Discount group deals are available online.

Concession senior and student tickets are only available to purchase on the day.

Contactless payment available throughout the venue. Cash accepted but visitors are advised to collect cash in advance of their arrival to avoid queues.

 

 

 

Energumene will have five rivals in the William Hill Champion Chase as he bids for a second consecutive Cheltenham-Punchestown double following declarations for Tuesday’s opening leg of the five-day Punchestown Festival, which boasts prize money of €3.3m throughout the week. Tony Bloom’s brilliant two-mile chaser would be winning at the festival for the third year in a row were he to prevail but his trainer, Willie Mullins has certainly not spared him in terms of opposition.

The soon-to-be 17-time champion trainer also saddles open Grade 1 winners Blue Lord, Gentleman De Mee and Chacun Pour Soi, the latter announcing himself as a force at the festival in 2019 when galloping to victory in the Barberstown Castle Novice Chase, which was won two years later by Blue Lord. That season, Chacun Pour Soi added the William Hill Champion Chase to his record and he finished runner-up last term to Energumene. Gentleman De Mee missed out on Cheltenham and will be the freshest of the quartet as a result and while Mullins admitted in his Punchestown preview this week that it would be hard to see Energumene beaten on his favourite soft ground, Gentleman De Mee’s seven-length defeat of Blue Lord in the Dublin Chase at Leopardstown in February illustrated his ability on a sounder surface. He is the likely pace angle in the race.

Henry de Bromhead’d Magic Daze is also likely to be prominent and travelling exertions excepted, should be relatively fresh too having been left at the start in the Mares’ Chase at Cheltenham. She had been an impressive winner of a listed mares’ chase at Naas before that. The declaration of Rebel Gold is an interesting one and trainer Pat Foley admits that he is chasing some prize money with a progressive horses who he expects to see the best of next season. Foley has enjoyed a tremendous campaign, scoring at a strike rate of 19 per cent and Rebel Gold has been his flagbearer, winning the Dan & Joan Moore at Fairyhouse before securing the Grade 3 Newlands Chase at Naas with Denis O’Regan in the plate on each occasion.
The Aughabeg trainer learned his craft by the side of his late father, Tom and enjoyed some wonderful occasions at Punchestown, a track where the People’s Champion, Danoli scored three times. He cuts a realistic approach to his current star’s prospects.

“The original plan was to go to Fairyhouse for the Grade 2 but we just got a bit of a setback,” said Foley today. “After he won in Naas, Denis said it’d be no harm to give him an entry in some of the good races as they can cut up a little bit. So maybe it’s all for luck. “He had a slight muscle strain so we didn’t want to take the chance on it in Fairyhouse but we’re quite happy with the horse now and we’ll let him take his chance. The most realistic goal is probably to finish fourth but even if he finishes sixth of the six, you’re picking up prize money and on ratings, we are the lowest rated horse in it. If he’d had a proper clear run, I’d be going there hoping to beat one or two of them but we’re not going to be in any way disappointed wherever he finishes.
“We’re really looking forward to next season with him. He definitely improved this season. He’s a big, backward horse. It was my own mistake last year, trying to step him up in trip and make him a stayer, where he’s really an out-and-out two-miler. We’ll be keeping him at that trip and in graded races.

“I remember Danoli going to Punchestown and it’s been a lucky track even for myself since I started. The horses have been doing well there. It’s lovely to be going there, even if it may be a step too far for him this time, but it won’t do any harm to let people see you have a horse good enough to compete in some of these races. If he puts in a decent run we’ll all be very, very happy.”
The KPMG Champion Novice Hurdle is the first of the festival’s 12 Grade 1s and five horses have been declared, with Supreme Novices’ Hurdle second and third, Facile Vega and Diverge, as well as Dublin Racing Festival Grade 1 winner Il Etait Temps representing Willie Mullins, while local trainer Oliver McKiernan saddles No Looking Back. Gordon Elliott’s Found A Fifty completes the field, with the fit-again Jordan Gainford getting the leg up. “Things just didn’t work out for Found A Fifty at Aintree,” said Elliott earlier this week. “He’s a very talented animal and we didn’t see the best of him there and he’s one to be very excited about for the coming seasons.”

There are six contestants for the Grade 1 Dooley Insurance Champion Novice Chase, which sees Willie Mullins stepping Appreciate It up to three miles for the first time since winning a point-to-point when in Pat Doyle’s care five years ago. Derek O’Connor rode Appreciate It that day and he was also in the saddle when the then Ellmarie Holden-trained Sir Gerhard scored through the flags but Mullins decided to give him a try at three miles for the first time under Rules as well, to see if he can rediscover his hurdle form over the larger obstacles. James Du Berlais and Classic Getaway complete the Mullins squad. Emmet Mullins has an intriguing runner in Feronily, who has been campaigned aggressively all season, despite only winning his point-to-point – again under Derek O’Connor – last November. Since then, the Paul Byrne-owned six-year-old has been third in a Grade 2 bumper, made his hurdling debut when fourth in a Grade 2 hurdle and then finished runner-up on his chasing debut at Grade 3 level a fortnight ago. Journey With Me also has a chance for the in-form Henry de Bromhead yard, coming into the race off a good Grade 3 victory in Naas having previously been just touched off by subsequent Cheltenham victor Impervious at Punchestown.