Willie Mullins bagged one of the Punchestown Festival’s biggest prizes on Thursday, as his antepost favourite Fiveforthree cruised to victory in the grade 1 World Series Hurdle.

Fiveforthree was expertly guided by Ruby Walsh, who held his runner up well behind the leaders for most of the race before putting his foot on the gas in the final furlongs to take what ultimately proved to be an easy victory.

“He did it fantastically, and we just said we would sit and wait as there was going to be plenty of pace,” Mullins was quoted as saying in the Irish Times. “He had enough gears, when push came to shove. I’m going to go chasing with him, I think.”

A happy day for Mullins was capped later in the evening as Barker put in a strong performance to win the grade 1 Cathal Ryan Memorial Swordlestown Cup Novice Chase.

“I was worried coming here that two miles was going to be too sharp,” Mullins said of the surprise winner. “After Fairyhouse, I had been considering stepping him up to three miles, rather than dropping back in trip. His jumping is spectacular and his jumping took him into the lead.”

Notre Pere awarded trainer Jim Dreaper for his patience on Wednesday, taking the 2009 Guinness Gold Cup at the Punchestown Festival.

Notre Pere, who was withdrawn from the Irish Grand National due to fast ground, had no match in the Guinness Gold Cup as he romped to a 13 length victory over a strong field.

Antepost favourite, Imperial Commander, pulled up halfway through the race, with War of Attrition also pulling up while Miko De Beauchene  crashed out of the the Guinness Gold Cup seven fences from home.

“The ground came right for him today and although it may not have helped the other guys, we had him bang on for this,” Dreaper said after the race.

“I was very happy with him beforehand and he has done it really well. It didn’t suit us to go on when we did, but he wouldn’t have to do that in a Gold Cup.”

“He would have a chance in a heavy-ground Gold Cup. He would run in the race on yielding but to have any chance of winning it would have to be soft.”

“He is rated in the 160s whereas Kauto Star and Denman are in the 170s, but he is the best I have got and the best there is in Ireland.’”

Trainer Mouse Morris has expressed doubts over War of Attrition’s prospects in Wednesday’s Guinness Gold Cup.

War of Attrition won the Cheltenham Gold Cup and Guinness Gold Cup in 2006, and finished 2nd behind Exotic Dancer in the Grade 1 Lexus Chase at Leopardstown over Christmas. He held entries for both the Cheltenham Gold Cup and Grand National, but was prevented from racing in either event due to a minor setback.

Despite his racehorse being fully fit and of obvious class, Morris believes that ground conditions may may get the better of War of Attrition in the Guinness Gold Cup, with the gelding having a notable preference for faster ground.

“He’s grand but the ground has gone for him. It’s going to be heavy up there, I’d say,”  Morris told the Press Association. “He’s in good fettle and has got over those problems now. It was good ground when he won this race before. I suppose it’s the same for them all and if you’re not in it, you can’t win.”

The 2009 Punchestown Festival doesn’t waste any time in getting down to the biggest race of the meeting, with the Guinness Gold Cup scheduled to be raced in the 6:05 PM timeslot on Wednesday.

Antepost betting markets have set up Ryanair Chase winner, Imperial Commander, as the favourite to dominate a high quality field featuring a number of familiar faces from the Grand National and Cheltenham Festival.

Amongst the strongest contenders is Jim Dreaper’s Notre Pere, who wisely swerved the Irish Grand National in favour of a shot at Grade 1 glory at Punchestown. However, few of the other runners in the field are lacking in the credentials department and this race could easily result in an upset.

Amongst the outsiders who could upset the apple cart is Carl Llewellyn’s Roll Along, while the likes of Schindler’s Hunt and Cooldine also have the records to suggest that they represent great value on each way bets on the Guinness Gold Cup.

Master Minded narrowly avoided defeat in the first feature race of the 2009 Punchestown Festival, holding off a strong challenge from Big Zeb to win the Kerrygold Champion Chase.

Ruby Walsh and Master Minded looked to have the race sown up with under a mile to go in the Kerrygold Champion Chase. However, Barry Geraghty and Big Zeb refused to settle for second place and pulled level with Master Minded as the two front-runners approached the final fence.

However, as has happened so many times in the past with Big Zeb, his jumping let him down. An awkward jump saw him lose ground to Master Minded, and Big Zeb was unable to close the gap on the run-in, eventually finishing a head behind the banker’s favourite.

“Ruby said he was half-pricking his ears and not really racing from two out, but I told him to go on to keep it simple,” a relieved Nicholls told reporters after the race. “It was a gamble coming here as it is the back-end of the season, and even though he has only run three times, he was back in the middle of July.”

“He is a funny horse as now he is older he has got a bit idle at home, which often happens. Big Zeb ran a blinding race, but jumping is the name of the game and we have won on the day. If Big Zeb had jumped the last it would have been an interesting race.”

The 2009 Kerrygold Chase gets feature race festivities underway at the 2009 Punchestown Festival on Tuesday as national hunt racing’s finest 2-milers convene for the last major 2 mile chase of the season.

The race is set to feature the brilliant Queen Mother Champion Chase winner, Master Minded, who swerved Sandown and its fast ground in favour of a run on the softer turf at Punchestown. Paul Nicholls’ charge is paying as little as ¼ to come out top in a field of 9.

The race will also see Big Zeb in action after a nasty fall at Cheltenham, and Colm Murphy’s entry is favoured to beat off the rest of the field to take second place in the 2009 Kerrygold Champion Chase.

The only other runner in the field who punters and bookies have rated capable of upsetting the odds is 2007 winner, Mansony. Trading at 9/1, Mansony is likely to provide good value on each-way bets in the 2009 Kerrygold Champion Chase, with the rest of the field priced over 25/1.

Crowds at the 2009 Punchestown Festival are to have the opportunity to see one of national hunt racing’s most promising novice hurdlers in action this week, with Hurricane Fly set to appear in the Evening Standard Champion Novices Hurdle.

Hurricane Fly held entries in novices hurdle races at the 2009 Cheltenham Festival before a splint injury intervened, preventing the two times Grade 1 hurdles winner from making the trip to Cheltenham.

Willie Mullins believes that his racehorse is now strong enough to take on the hurdles at Punchestown and is bullish about Hurricane Fly’s prospects in the Evening Standard Champion Novices Hurdle.

“I’m happy with his work at home and we have done our best to get him right so hopefully he is OK. It’s a bit of a disadvantage coming here without a run and some of the other horses have probably had too many runs but hopefully we are better.”

Mullins will have another recent winner in the mix at Punchestown, with Rathbarry & Glenview Studs Novices Hurdle winner, Kempes, also set to run in the Evening Standard Champion Novices Chase.

The 2009 Punchestown Festival will open with ideal ground conditions on Tuesday, after a week of intermittent rain softened the Punchestown racetrack ahead of Ireland’s most prestigious national hunt meeting.

Racetracks throughout the United Kingdom have been presenting faster ground over recent weeks, leading to a higher rate of deaths and injuries amongst jumps racehorses at events like the Irish Grand National.

Course stewards therefore welcomed the softer conditions, since these have attracted some of the top Grade 1 racehorses in the sport, including the likes of Queen Mother Champion Chase winner, Master Minded, and Ryanair Chase winner, Imperial Commander.

“We’re looking forward to it. We’ve got Master Minded on the opening day and we can’t wait for Tuesday,” said Punchestown’s director of racing, Richie Galway.

“We’ve had 20 millimetres in the last four days. It stopped raining on Saturday morning and it dried up a bit during the afternoon. I walked it and it’s winter soft ground, it shouldn’t inconvenience these proper National Hunt horses.”

“The forecast is for a shower or two, so it shouldn’t dry up dramatically and should be beautiful ground on Tuesday. We’ve had rain and sunshine, so the grass cover is good.”

Nigel Twiston-Davies has declared Paddy Power Gold Cup and Ryanair Chase winner, Imperial Commander, for this week’s Punchestown Festival feature race – the Guinness Gold Cup.

Imperial Commander won widespread acclaim at Cheltenham in March by putting in an inspired performance to defeat the strongly backed Voy Por Ustedes in the Grade 1 Ryaniar Chase.

That win has convinced Twiston-Davies that his charge merits a step up in trip against Grade 1 opposition, and Twiston-Davies believes that Imperial Commander has what it takes to triumph in the 3 mile 1 furlong Gold Cup.

“He certainly is going to Punchestown as long as the ground there is OK,” Twiston-Davies told the Press Association. “Anything softer than good will do. He’s in good form and has been kept on the go in full training since Cheltenham. The trip is fine and he’s in really, really good nick.”

Imperial Commander was installed as Guinness Gold Cup 7/2 joint favourite by William Hill following his declaration. His biggest rival in the betting markets is Notre Pere, who is priced as co-favourite by several bookmakers. Nickey Henderson’s Barber’s Shop is priced third in the betting markets at 9/2.

The crowds at next week’s Punchestown Festival are set to be treated to the sight of national hunt racing’s finest 2 mile runner in action following Paul Nicholls decision to supplement Master Minded in the Kerrygold Champion Chase.

Nicholls will pay €20,000 to supplement Master Minded after the trainer decided that the ground at the forthcoming Bet365 Celebration Chase at Sandown was too quick for his Queen Mother Champion Chase winner.

“There is plenty of rain forecast for Punchestown, so we have decided to supplement Master Minded,” Nicholls cwas quoted as saying by Setanta Sports. “Ruby was positive after walking the track, and as long as the ground is right – and the forecast does look good for us – he will run.”

While fans will welcome the arrival of Master Minded in county Kildare,  his appearance in the Kerrygold Champion Chase will deal a blow to the hopes of the other stables sending runners into the Puncestown Festival’s most prestigious 2 mile chase.

The field of 9 includes 4 racehorses that were well beaten by Master Minded at the Cheltenham Festival’s Queen Mother Champion Chase.