Anticipation Builds for the 2025 Punchestown Festival
The Irish jumps season draws to a close with the 2025 Punchestown Festival next week and as such, why not register with leading bookmaker Tonybet where you can enjoy some excellent bonus offers such as free bets, boosted odds and enhanced places throughout the entire meeting.
The Irish Jumps Season Bows Out in Style
They say patience is a virtue – and few events reward it quite like the Punchestown Festival. As the curtain comes down on the Irish National Hunt season, this five-day spectacle promises a final flurry of top-class performances, drama, and celebration.
Some of the biggest names in the sport will clash for the last time this season before the summer break beckons. With twelve Grade 1 showdowns peppered throughout the meeting, racegoers are in for an electrifying week of action at one of Ireland’s most cherished racing festivals.
Festival Dates Confirmed
The 2025 Punchestown Festival will run from Tuesday, 29th April to Saturday, 3rd May, offering a jam-packed week of racing excellence.
Daily Race Schedule
Here’s how the action unfolds across the five thrilling days:
Tuesday: A Diverse Curtain-Raiser of Thrills and Tests
The action begins in truly unique fashion at 2.30pm, as the Kildare Hunt Club Cross-Country Chase welcomes riders and horses to tackle banks, rails and hedges in one of the sport’s great spectacles. It’s the perfect warm-up act – both physically and mentally – for a day that’s never short on variety.
Following that, at 3.05pm, the final of the Albert Bartlett Triple Crown Series puts promising stayers to the test, many of whom have battled through the qualifying legs to earn their place in this season-long pursuit. It’s a real opportunity for a future staying star to announce themselves.
Then it’s time for the first Grade 1 of the week. At 3.40pm, the KPMG Champion Novice Hurdle takes centre stage. This top-level contest often brings together some of the season’s brightest novice talents, many of whom have clashed at Cheltenham or Fairyhouse and are now out to settle scores on home turf.
The Killashee Hotel Handicap Hurdle, a Listed contest, follows at 4.15pm, offering a chance for some of the less heralded hurdlers to shine, with a competitive field almost guaranteed. Just after, the Goffs Defender Bumper gets underway at 4.50pm, giving punters a look at the next generation of Irish racing talent in this always-intriguing flat race for National Hunt prospects.
The early evening kicks off in emphatic fashion at 5.25pm with the William Hill Champion Chase, the second Grade 1 of the day and one that never fails to deliver fireworks. Speed, precision and bold jumping are all on show in this elite two-mile clash of the titans.
Still, the championship calibre continues. At 6.00pm, the Dooley Insurance Group Champion Novice Chase – another Grade 1 – follows hot on its heels. This one sees some of the season’s emerging staying chasers lock horns in what often becomes one of the more memorable contests of the week.
The day concludes on a gentler note with the Willie Coonan Memorial Flat Race at 6.35pm, providing a final chance for future stars to catch the eye before the sun sets on an action-packed opening day.
Wednesday: Classic Contests and Gold Cup Glory Await
Day two of the festival, Wednesday, 30 April, wastes no time in picking up where Tuesday left off. Kicking things off at 2.30pm is the Adare Manor Opportunity Series Final, a handicap hurdle that rewards consistency and progress throughout the season. It’s a fantastic platform for up-and-coming jockeys to make their mark on the biggest of stages.
At 3.05pm, the spotlight turns to younger, unexposed talent in the Connolly’s Red Mills Irish EBF Auction Hurdle Series Final, a race that always manages to uncover a few future winners.
Then comes the Louis Fitzgerald Hotel Hurdle at 3.40pm, a competitive affair that usually brings together hardened handicappers looking to round off their campaigns with a valuable win.
As the afternoon moves towards its peak, attention turns once again to the novice scene with the Channor Real Estate Group Novice Hurdle at 4.15pm, a Grade 1 that often mirrors or builds upon key form from the spring festivals. Expect tight finishes, bold front-running tactics, and perhaps a surprise or two.
The following contest at 4.50pm is another top-tier event, the Race And Stay At Punchestown Champion I.N.H. Flat Race, often seen as the pinnacle for bumper horses across Ireland. With many of these runners heading to novice hurdles next season, it’s a race to watch for future Cheltenham form clues.
Then comes a true highlight of the entire Punchestown meeting – the Ladbrokes Punchestown Gold Cup. This iconic Grade 1, off at 5.25pm, draws some of the best staying chasers from Britain and Ireland and often serves as a grand rematch from Cheltenham’s blue riband event.
As the evening cools, the heat of competition remains high. The HSS Hire Handicap Chase (Grade 3) at 6.00pm brings a touch of depth and surprise, with a varied field fighting it out over fences. Finally, the Weatherbys GSB Irish EBF Mares Flat Race rounds off the day at 6.35pm, another classy bumper with a Listed title and plenty of future significance.
Thursday: Stamina and Strategy Come to the Fore
The day gets underway at 2.30pm with the Specialist Joinery Group Handicap Hurdle, a fiercely contested opener that often produces a thrilling finish and sets the tone for an afternoon of tactical battles and big-field puzzles.
Shortly after, at 3.05pm, the Frontline Security Chase adds a touch of Listed quality to proceedings, serving as a stepping stone for many progressive chasers. But it’s at 3.40pm when the festival truly takes a turn for the unique, as the runners tackle banks, ditches, and timber in the celebrated La Touche Cup, sponsored by Mongey Communications. Few contests on the calendar match the demands or spectacle of this famous cross-country challenge.
A pair of Grade 1s headline the day. At 4.15pm, the Barberstown Castle Novice Chase takes centre stage, showcasing some of the most exciting young chasers on the circuit. Then, at 4.50pm, it’s the stayers’ turn to shine in the Ladbrokes Champion Stayers Hurdle, where endurance meets excellence over a gruelling three-mile trip.
The latter part of Thursday’s card features more high-stakes competition. The Conway Piling Handicap Hurdle (Listed) runs at 5.25pm, followed by the Close Brothers Mares Novice Hurdle at 6.00pm, another Listed contest that continues to grow in prestige. Proceedings conclude at 6.35pm with the J P & M Doyle (C&G) Flat Race, offering a glimpse of the future in a bumper for young talent.
Friday: A Showcase of Hunters and Hurdlers
Friday’s card doesn’t start until mid-afternoon, but it’s well worth the wait. First off at 3.40pm is the Stanley Asphalt Hunters Chase for the Bishopscourt Cup, a cherished race for amateur riders that oozes tradition.
The Punchestown Novice Handicap Chase follows at 4.15pm, a Listed race often targeted by up-and-coming trainers hoping to land a valuable prize before season’s end. Next up is the Hanlon Concrete Irish EBF Mares Chase at 4.50pm, a Grade 2 contest that continues to boost the profile of mares chasing at the top level.
Then come the big guns. At 5.25pm, the Event Power Champion Hunters Chase pits the finest hunter chasers against one another, followed by one of the headline acts of the entire week—the Boodles Champion Hurdle at 6.00pm, a Grade 1 that needs no introduction.
But the quality doesn’t stop there. At 6.35pm, it’s the turn of novices once again in the Alanna Homes Champion Novice Hurdle (Grade 1), before the evening wraps up with the Uniquely Novice Hurdle at 7.05pm, and the Overlander Horseboxes INH Flat Race at 7.40pm, sending racegoers home with thoughts already turning to next year.
Saturday: One Final Hurrah
The closing day of the 2025 Punchestown Festival gets underway at 2.30pm with the HOWDEN Cross-Country Chase, ensuring the traditional spectacle of varied obstacles makes a second appearance during the week.
At 3.05pm, punters can get stuck into the Colm Quinn BMW Handicap Chase, while the Punchestown Irish EBF Mares Champion Hurdle at 3.40pm delivers yet another Grade 1, often producing a clash of stars from both sides of the Irish Sea.
The action continues with the Palmerstown House Pat Taaffe Handicap Chase at 4.15pm, followed by the Ballymore Champion Four-Year-Old Hurdle at 4.50pm, a Grade 1 event that frequently features future Festival winners.
Wrapping things up in style, the SBK Handicap Hurdle (Listed) goes off at 5.25pm, before the Lawlor’s of Naas Pro-Am Flat Race at 6.00pm, and finally, the crowd-pleasing Punchestown Kidney Research Fund Charity Race at 6.35pm, rounding off the festival on a charitable and celebratory note.
With Grade 1 drama, time-honoured handicaps and the unmistakable atmosphere of Punchestown, this eagerly awaited meeting promise to be a fitting farewell to another thrilling jumps season. Whether you’re trackside or tuning in, it’s not to be missed.
