Punchestown Festival 2008

23 Apr 1997: Corket (left) and Noyan race head to head during the Punchestown Gold Cup in Ireland. Noyan ridden by Norman Williams won the race. Julian Herbert /AllsportJust two weeks after the Irish Grand National, the Punchestown Festival in April sees the top horses, jockeys and trainers go head to head in some of the most exciting racing of the National Hunt season. Top performers from the Irish Grand National, Cheltenham Festival and the Aintree Grand National race are always among the competitors.

Every year the Irish National Hunt Festival at Punchestown Racecourse grows in size and popularity. In 1999 the Festival was extended from three to four days. The 2008 Punchestown Festival will be a five-day event for the first time. A record total of 100,000 spectators are expected to be there.

As well as offering top-notch National Hunt racing, the Punchestown Festival is known for its fun, friendly atmosphere. Local schools even let students out for a day to attend. Live entertainment, plenty of food options and competitions that run over the course of the festival add to the fun of the racing events.

Punchestown Festival 2008 Schedule

The Irish National Hunt Festival 2008 is due to run from Tuesday, 22 April through to Sunday, 26 April. Each of the five days will see eight races, with a total of eleven Grade 1 races run over the course of the festival.

Punchestown Festival races include:

For 2008, a new €220,000 Handicap Hurdle – run over 2 miles, 4 furlongs – is being introduced as the feature race on the new Festival Saturday.

Other National Hunt Grade 1 races include the vcbet.com Champion Novice Hurdle and the Champion Novice Chase on Tuesday, the Paddy Power Champion INH Flat Race on Wednesday, the Champion Four-Year-Old Hurdle and the Swordlestown Cup Novice Chase on Thursday and the Land Rover Champion Novice Hurdle on Friday.

The 2008 Punchestown Festival races have a whopping total prize fund of €2,535,000 – over a €250,000 increase on 2007. All Grade 1 races have a minimum prize fund of €110,000.

Have you picked your favourites for Punchestown Festival 2008 betting? Check our festival betting tips before placing your bets. For live horse racing betting and daily special offers, we recommend William Hill.