The 2008 Punchestown Festival starts this week as some of the biggest names in national hunt racing make their way to Dublin to compete for a share of the 3 million Euros in prize money up for grabs at the event.

As the final major event fn the national hunt season, the Punchestown Festival is much more than just a selection of top rated races. The festival is also set to decide the winners of the jockey, trainer and owner championships of Ireland.

The highlight of the 2008 Punchestown Festival is likely to come in the form of Wednesday’s Guinness Gold Cup. Should race favourite Mossbank improve on his 3rd place at the Cheltenham Gold Cup, his owner Michael O’Leary may well find himself taking the in the lead in the owner’s championship ahead of rival JP McManus.

Ireland’s Ruby Walsh is expected to take the Irish jockey’s championship for the fourth year in succession at the Punchestown festival and will ride Paul Nicholl’s Natal in the first big race of the 2008 Punchestown Festival – Tuesday’s 200,000 Euro Kerrygold Champion Chase.

Noel Meade is still in with a chance of taking the 2008 champion trainer title from main rival Willie Mullins despite failing to win a race for the first two months of the year.