What is the Punchestown Festival?
Every National Hunt season builds towards the end. Cheltenham is the high point of the festival calendar; Punchestown is the closing chapter. Five days in County Kildare at the end of April and the start of May, twelve Grade 1 races, and a total prize fund of €3.6 million, it is a send-off worthy of the jumps season.
The 2026 Festival runs Tuesday April 28 to Saturday May 2 at Punchestown Racecourse in County Kildare, Ireland. Forty races in total. Twelve at Grade 1 level. Three Grade 1 prizes worth €300,000 each. For trainers, jockeys, and horses who have had strong seasons, Punchestown offers one more opportunity to seal a championship, build a record, or end the year on the highest note.
Format
Each day features a programme of National Hunt racing, hurdles and chases across various distances. The Grade 1 races are the headline acts, but the supporting card on each day is competitive throughout.
The feature Grade 1 races include two-mile championship events in both hurdles and chases, staying hurdle divisions over two and a half to three miles, and the Gold Cup over three miles, the staying chase championship of the week.
Day-by-Day Guide to the Key Races
Day 1 — Tuesday April 28
The William Hill Champion Chase is the day’s headline act. Grade 1, two miles, €300,000. Eight runners declared. This is the championship two-mile chase for the season’s best over the minimum trip. Il Etait Temps, Marine Nationale, Majborough, Energumene, and Captain Guinness are among the declared runners, a field that contains some of the finest two-mile chasers in training.
Also on Day 1: the Dooley Insurance Group Champion Novice Chase (Grade 1, 3m 200yds, €125,000) with 19 runners including Cheltenham impressive performers Kitzbuhel and Final Demand. And the PRL Champion Novice Hurdle (Grade 1, 2m 100yds, €125,000) at 16:15.
Day 2 — Wednesday April 29
The Punchestown Gold Cup is the championship staying chase of the festival. Grade 1, three miles 200 yards, €300,000. This is the race where the staying chase division resolves its pecking order after a long season. Gaelic Warrior, Fact To File, and The Jukebox Man are among the notable contenders, three horses who have been at the top of this division throughout 2025-26.
Day 3 — Thursday April 30
The Ladbrokes Champion Stayers Hurdle (Grade 1, 2m 7f 130yds, €300,000) is the staying hurdle championship of the week. Bob Olinger and Teahupoo are among the expected contenders, recent Grade 1 winners who have contested the biggest staying hurdle races of the season.
Day 4 — Friday May 1
The Boodles Champion Hurdle is the two-mile hurdle showpiece. Grade 1, 2m 45yds, €300,000. Lossiemouth, a standout performer at Cheltenham, leads the market alongside Brighterdaysahead as the main rivalries are settled one more time before the season ends.
Day 5 — Saturday May 2
The SBK Irish EBF Mares Champion Hurdle (Grade 1, 2m 4f, €125,000) closes out the week’s Grade 1 programme. The Ballymore Champion Four Year Old Hurdle (Grade 1, 2m, €125,000) is also on the final day’s card.
Key Storylines
1. The trainer battle. Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott dominate the Irish jumping scene and Punchestown is their home turf. Both operations send large strings each year and the Grade 1 wins largely flow through their stables. The trainer standings across the festival are a competition within a competition.
2. Patrick Mullins. The champion amateur has ridden for Willie Mullins throughout the season and carries a 30% success rate at Punchestown over the past five seasons. The combination of stable strength and rider record makes him worth noting across the five days.
3. Post-Cheltenham standings. Several of these races revisit the Cheltenham Festival narrative. Horses like Kitzbuhel and Final Demand, who impressed at Cheltenham, now test themselves in the Grade 1 novice chase. Lossiemouth stepping back into the champion hurdle division is a similar story. Punchestown often gives a more definitive answer to questions Cheltenham raised.
4. The champion chases at two miles. The William Hill Champion Chase on Day 1 brings together the best two-mile chasers from across Ireland and Britain. Eight declared runners in a Grade 1 worth €300,000 is a serious championship race.
Dark Horses
In the Gold Cup (Day 2), The Jukebox Man offers interest if he handles the Punchestown track. He has been placing consistently and one big staying chase win this season would cement his place in the top tier.
In the Champion Hurdle (Day 4), Brighterdaysahead is capable of troubling the market leaders if conditions suit. She has been progressive all season.
What to Watch on the Opening Day
Tuesday’s William Hill Champion Chase is the race that sets the tone for the week. Eight runners, €300,000, and a Grade 1 that tells you where the two-mile chase division actually stands heading into the summer.
The Champion Novice Chase with Kitzbuhel and Final Demand is the race for punters interested in next season’s prospects. Both horses finished near the top at Cheltenham. Grade 1 over three miles at Punchestown is the next test.
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