What is the Punchestown Festival?
The Punchestown Festival is the grand finale of the Irish National Hunt season, five days of championship jump racing in the County Kildare countryside. Coming after Cheltenham and Aintree, it is where the season's big stories reach their conclusion: rivalries are settled, emerging horses are tested against the established order, and the destiny of the Irish trainers' championship often hangs on the week's results.
Five days of championship racing
Punchestown packs an extraordinary amount of quality into its five days, with a string of Grade 1 contests headed by the Punchestown Gold Cup. The meeting regularly attracts the horses that shone at the spring's earlier festivals, offering a final-form line on the campaign just gone, and an early pointer to the season ahead.
The Kildare setting and the time of year give the festival a relaxed, celebratory atmosphere that contrasts with the white-hot intensity of Cheltenham.
How to watch the Punchestown Festival
Punchestown Festival racing is broadcast on television in Ireland and the UK, and major bookmakers stream the races to eligible, funded account holders. Confirmed broadcast details are published closer to the meeting.
Betting at the Punchestown Festival
As the season's closing championship meeting, Punchestown is a major betting week, with the added intrigue of the Irish trainers' title often in the balance. For race-by-race analysis, see our individual hubs as they are published.