The countdown is well and truly on. One of the most eagerly awaited weeks in the Irish racing calendar is right around the corner. That is, of course, the Punchestown Racing Festival, which returns on Tuesday 28th April bringing five days of elite National Hunt action to County Kildare.
As the curtain call for the jumps season, this festival carries a unique sense of occasion for jumps fans. Cheltenham and Aintree form collides while championship titles hang in the balance, not to mention the electric atmosphere created at Punchestown racecourse.
There’s also a huge financial reward up for grabs. With a record €3.6 million in prize money spread across 40 races – including 12 Grade 1 contests – the 2026 edition promises to be the most competitive yet. Whether you’re a racing punter or simply love the spectacle of top-class racing, Punchestown is certainly the place to be.
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Punchestown racing festival schedule 2026
The festival runs from Tuesday 28th April through to Saturday 2nd May, offering five consecutive days of top class jump racing. Let’s break down the main races to look out for and who might come out on top in each of those throughout the feature.
Tuesday 28th April – William Hill Champion Chase Day
Punchestown opens with a bang. Eight races headline the card, including three Grade 1 contests. What more could you ask for? The first race of the day, the Cross Country Chase, is scheduled for 2:30pm. However, the feature race is the William Hill Champion Chase worth €300,000. Over a two-mile trip, the championship race set to start at 18:05 attracts the best short-trip chasers from Britain and Ireland. Majborough and Marine Nationale are the top two in the betting and it looks to be between those two.
Wednesday 29th April – Ladbrokes Punchestown Gold Cup Day
The Ladbrokes Punchestown Gold Cup is the centrepiece of the entire week. The race goes off at 6:05pm over three miles and one furlong, with the winner set to take home €176,700. Gaelic Warrior, Fact To File and Inothewayurthinkin have been entered. This is the race that defines staying chase supremacy in Ireland, and although a small field, it couldn’t be more competitive.
Thursday 30th April – Ladbrokes Champion Stayers Hurdle Day
Eight races take place on day three which are headlined by the Champion Stayers Hurdle – regarded as the premier three-mile hurdle contest of the festival. The famous La Touche Cup cross-country chase also takes place in the middle of the week offering a unique spectacle over the banks course.
Friday 1st May – Boodles Champion Hurdle & Ladies Day
Friday always draws the largest crowd of the week. The first race starts slightly later at 3:40pm to accommodate the high demand. The Boodles Champion Hurdle is the Irish equivalent of the Cheltenham championship, and this year’s renewal is set to be a cracker. Golden Ace, who finished second last year, has returned to the scene hoping to go one better this time round. The Alanna Homes Champion Novice Hurdle is also another highlight on the penultimate day.
Saturday 2nd May – SBK Festival Finale Day
The final day offers a fitting send-off for the jumps season. The SBK Irish EBF Mares Champion Hurdle and the Ballymore Champion Four-Year-Old Hurdle are the Grade 1 races to keep an eye on, in particular the latter as it has a remarkable record for producing future champions. The highly rated Lulamba, for example, was the star of the show last year.
Stand out races and key contenders
Ladbrokes Punchestown Gold Cup
This is without doubt the race that everyone’s talking about. Gaelic Warrior, trained by Willie Mullins, won the Cheltenham Gold Cup doing handstands back in March and heads to Punchestown as very much the horse to beat. However, Fact To File – also from the Mullins yard – is set to compete after bypassing the Cheltenham Festival. He defeated Gaelic Warrior by five lengths in the Irish Gold Cup at the Dublin Racing Festival back in February and the rematch between the pair looks to be very intriguing.
The Jukebox Man, winner of the King George VI Chase, is also among the current entries, along with Banbridge who can lunge late as well as Grey Dawning.
Boodles Champion Hurdle
Lossiemouth arrives at Punchestown off the back of arguably the performance of the week in the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. She’s bidding to complete the Cheltenham-Punchestown double, which would cement her status even further as the dominant force in the two-mile hurdling division.
Her Cheltenham performance was dominant, leading from the front, and if given the room once again she could leave her rivals behind once more. Lossiemouth looks the one they all have to beat.
Ladbrokes Champion Stayers Hurdle
Teahupoo heads the entries for Thursday’s staying hurdle championship and will be extremely popular in the betting ring. The long-distance division has produced plenty of thrilling contests in recent years, and with Bob Olinger also entered, this shapes up as a competitive renewal. Mullins’ Absurde may be another to keep an eye on.
William Hill Champion Chase
The opening day’s feature brings together the season’s best two-mile chasers. This race often serves as a rematch for horses that contested the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham, and the form lines tend to hold up well on Punchestown’s demanding, galloping track. All eyes will be on Majborough and whether or not Mullins’ superstar can bounce back after a poor run at Cheltenham. However, that isn’t a track that suits, and it is expected Majborough will deliver against last season’s winner Marine Nationale.
Ballymore Champion Four-Year-Old Hurdle
Saturday’s finale includes this fascinating contest for the juvenile hurdling stars. This race has an exceptional record for identifying future champions and so we highly recommend keeping an eye on the betting in the build-up to the race. Those that are well backed often perform well not only here, but also in future seasons across major festivals.
Punchestown racing festival betting focus
Track Characteristics
It’s good to know what Punchestown’s track looks like and whether or not horses perform well there before placing your bets. Punchestown operates on a right-handed, galloping circuit that provides a tough test. However, unlike Cheltenham’s famous hill, Punchestown is more straightforward, which means horses that have performed well elsewhere tend to reproduce that level without course-specific complications.
The track is well-prepared and the ground is expected to be good throughout the week with no rain expected. This suits horses that handle spring ground and have shown their best form on similar surfaces throughout the season.
Cheltenham Form as a Guide
One of the most valuable angles for Punchestown punters is the reliability of Cheltenham form.
There’s no secret that horses that won at Cheltenham frequently confirm that form at Punchestown. However, the real value often lies with runners that finished second or third at Cheltenham but faced specific problems. They could be traffic trouble, unsuitable ground, or even poor tactical rides – that are unlikely to recur in smaller fields.
Handicap Opportunities
The Grade B handicap hurdles and chases across the five days deserve close attention from value-seeking punters. It’s worth noting that the Irish handicapper tends to be more lenient, meaning horses with unexplored potential can be well treated off their marks.
Current Form to Monitor
With the festival just days away, here are our top tips before you place your bets:
- Ground conditions: Check the going closer to the meeting. Rain isn’t expected, but we know how the weather can change quite quickly in April.
- Recent runs since Cheltenham: Some horses come forward from the Festival, others need time to recover. Listen to what trainers have to say.
- Jockey bookings: Watch for subtle switches that indicate trainer confidence.
Keep up to date with Tonybet
With five days of championship racing and with a whopping €3.6 million in prize money on the line, Punchestown offers punters endless opportunities. But with plenty of races, make sure to not place bets in all of them. Markets will shift as declarations are confirmed and the going is announced, so staying on top of the latest odds is essential.
Tonybet has the Punchestown Racing Festival covered from the first race to the last. With competitive prices across all 40 races, head over to Tonybet’s sportsbook to place your bets throughout the week.
Whether you’re backing Gaelic Warrior in the Gold Cup, taking a position on Lossiemouth in the Champion Hurdle, or hunting for value in the handicaps, Tonybet will provide industry best prices throughout the week.
