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Curtain Set to Rise on the 2025 Punchestown Festival: Ireland’s Jumping Finale Beckons
Patience Pays Off as the Season’s Grand Finale Approaches
They say good things come to those who wait—and few racing fixtures reward the wait quite like the Punchestown Festival. Serving as the grand finale of the Irish National Hunt season, this five-day extravaganza is a celebration of talent, tradition, and top-class sport.
The very best names in jump racing will lock horns one last time before the summer interlude. With a dozen Grade 1 contests spread across the week, racegoers can look forward to a pulsating blend of drama, excitement, and spectacle at one of Ireland’s most revered meetings.
When and Where?
The 2025 Punchestown Festival will take place from Tuesday 29 April to Saturday 3 May, with five unmissable days of racing action scheduled to bring the curtain down on another thrilling jumps campaign.
Tuesday: Opening Day Delivers Variety and Quality
Festivities begin at 2.30pm with the Kildare Hunt Club Cross-Country Chase, an opening act like no other. Riders and horses navigate hedges, banks and ditches in a test of agility and nerve that never fails to thrill.
Next comes the Albert Bartlett Triple Crown Series Final at 3.05pm, where stayers aim to land the spoils after progressing through the series. At 3.40pm, the first Grade 1 of the meeting—the KPMG Champion Novice Hurdle—takes centre stage, showcasing rising stars with Cheltenham or Fairyhouse form to their names.
The Killashee Hotel Handicap Hurdle (Listed) follows at 4.15pm, before the Goffs Defender Bumper at 4.50pm offers a glimpse of National Hunt’s future talent.
High class racing returns at 5.25pm with the William Hill Champion Chase, a Grade 1 sprint over two miles that always provides fireworks. Then, it’s on to the Dooley Insurance Group Champion Novice Chase at 6.00pm, another top-tier clash between the season’s standout staying novices.
Rounding off day one is the Willie Coonan Memorial Flat Race at 6.35pm, a final opportunity for a bumper horse to catch the eye before the action pauses for the evening.
Wednesday: More Grade 1 Glory and the Gold Cup Centrepiece
Day two begins with the Adare Manor Opportunity Series Final at 2.30pm, a competitive handicap hurdle spotlighting consistent campaigners. At 3.05pm, lightly raced hurdlers battle it out in the Connolly’s Red Mills Irish EBF Auction Hurdle Series Final, a race that often produces future stars.
The Louis Fitzgerald Hotel Hurdle follows at 3.40pm, before the novices return for the Grade 1 Channor Real Estate Group Novice Hurdle at 4.15pm—a key highlight for unexposed hurdlers stepping into the limelight.
At 4.50pm, the Race And Stay At Punchestown Champion I.N.H. Flat Race provides another showcase of bumper brilliance, while the day’s marquee event—the Ladbrokes Punchestown Gold Cup (Grade 1)—takes place at 5.25pm, bringing the elite staying chasers of Britain and Ireland into direct competition.
The excitement continues with the HSS Hire Handicap Chase (Grade 3) at 6.00pm, before day two ends with the Weatherbys GSB Irish EBF Mares Flat Race at 6.35pm, a Listed bumper with strong future form indicators.
Thursday: Stayers, Specialists and the Unique La Touche
Thursday begins at 2.30pm with the competitive Specialist Joinery Group Handicap Hurdle, typically setting up a day filled with tactical intrigue. At 3.05pm, the Frontline Security Chase (Listed) adds a layer of quality, but it’s at 3.40pmthat Punchestown’s unique flavour shines through—La Touche Cup time.
Sponsored by Mongey Communications, this celebrated cross-country event is one of jump racing’s most demanding and iconic spectacles.
Two Grade 1 events headline Thursday: the Barberstown Castle Novice Chase at 4.15pm, followed by the Ladbrokes Champion Stayers Hurdle at 4.50pm, where top-class hurdlers lock horns over three stamina-sapping miles.
The Conway Piling Handicap Hurdle (Listed) kicks off the evening card at 5.25pm, followed by the Close Brothers Mares Novice Hurdle (Listed) at 6.00pm. The day rounds out with the J P & M Doyle (C&G) Flat Race at 6.35pm—another glimpse at tomorrow’s stars.
Friday: Hunters, Hurdles and Heavyweights
Racing begins later on Friday, with the Stanley Asphalt Hunters Chase for the Bishopscourt Cup at 3.40pm, a celebration of amateur spirit and tradition.
Then it’s on to the Punchestown Novice Handicap Chase (Listed) at 4.15pm, and the Hanlon Concrete Irish EBF Mares Chase (Grade 2) at 4.50pm, where mares chase top-level glory.
A stellar cast assembles for the Event Power Champion Hunters Chase at 5.25pm, before the Boodles Champion Hurdle (Grade 1) at 6.00pm delivers another top-class two-mile showdown.
The quality remains high with the Alanna Homes Champion Novice Hurdle (Grade 1) at 6.35pm, before novices return for the Uniquely Novice Hurdle at 7.05pm. The evening closes with the Overlander Horseboxes INH Flat Raceat 7.40pm, capping off an exceptional day of racing.
Saturday: Final Day Brings the Curtain Down
The final day of the festival kicks off at 2.30pm with the HOWDEN Cross-Country Chase, ensuring another thrilling test of endurance and agility.
Punters will then turn their attention to the Colm Quinn BMW Handicap Chase at 3.05pm, before the Punchestown Irish EBF Mares Champion Hurdle (Grade 1) takes centre stage at 3.40pm, showcasing elite-level mares.
Later, the Palmerstown House Pat Taaffe Handicap Chase (Listed) goes to post at 4.15pm, followed by the Ballymore Champion Four-Year-Old Hurdle (Grade 1) at 4.50pm, often a launchpad for future stars.
The final trio of races brings the curtain down on a memorable week: the SBK Handicap Hurdle (Listed) at 5.25pm, the Lawlor’s of Naas Pro-Am Flat Race at 6.00pm, and finally, the Punchestown Kidney Research Fund Charity Race at 6.35pm, sending off the festival on a celebratory and charitable note.
Unmissable from Start to Finish
With a stellar cast of horses, jockeys, and trainers assembling for five days of top-class action, the 2025 Punchestown Festival is poised to offer the perfect send-off to another unforgettable jumps season. Whether you’re soaking in the atmosphere trackside or following from afar, one thing is certain – it’s not to be missed.
