Founder & Editor · Last reviewed 2026-08-19
The 2026 Punchestown Festival, run from Tuesday 28 April to Saturday 2 May at Kildare, closed the Irish jumps season the way it usually does: with Willie Mullins winning half the Grade 1s on offer and reclaiming the Irish trainers' championship in the process. Gaelic Warrior's 26-length demolition of stablemate Fact To File in the Gold Cup was the single most emphatic result of the week, completing the Cheltenham-to-Punchestown Gold Cup double for owners Rich and Susannah Ricci. Lossiemouth completed the same double in the Champion Hurdle two days later, at odds of 2/7.
Not every story was about the winning margin. Bob Olinger's Champion Stayers Hurdle victory, by three-quarters of a length from Jimmy Du Seuil, was his final race before retirement: his fifth Grade 1 and 11th career win, at age 11, with favourite Teahupoo only third. Energumene, the dual former Champion Chase winner, retired after finishing third behind Il Etait Temps on the opening day. A record Ladies Day crowd of 43,572 turned out on the Friday for the Champion Hurdle.
This is the results wrap for the Festival's Grade 1 programme: all 12 championship races, day by day, with starting prices, margins and connections. Race facts below come from our own verified racecourse research, cross-checked against Racing Post, Sky Sports Racing, Sporting Life, RTÉ, the Irish Times and At The Races. We have not covered the meeting's handicaps and maidens here; if you want the day-by-day build-up rather than the results, our Festival preview and mid-festival update cover the earlier days in more detail, and the Punchestown Festival hub has the wider picture, including the Punchestown Gold Cup guide for the race's full history.
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Tuesday 28 April: Champion Chase Day
Willie Mullins opened the meeting with a treble on the card and two of the three Grade 1s.
| Race | Winner | SP | Jockey / Trainer | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Hill Champion Chase | Il Etait Temps | 8/11f | Paul Townend / Willie Mullins | 5L from Marine Nationale (Energumene 3rd) |
| PRL Champion Novice Hurdle | Eachtotheirown | 16/1 | Sean Flanagan / Barry Connell | 4¼L from Blake |
| Dooley Insurance Group Champion Novice Chase | Western Fold | 18/1 | Jack Kennedy / Gordon Elliott | 3¾L from Fleur In The Park |
Champion Chase. Il Etait Temps made it Townend's sixth win in the race and Mullins's ninth, holding off Marine Nationale by five lengths. Energumene, the dual former winner of this race, finished third and was retired afterwards, having found the ground too quick for him on the day.
Champion Novice Hurdle. Eachtotheirown's 16/1 win for Barry Connell and Sean Flanagan was the day's biggest upset among the Grade 1s. Connell had opted to let the horse race prominently rather than hold him up, a tactical change that paid off.
Champion Novice Chase. Gordon Elliott got his first Grade 1 of the week with Western Fold, ridden by Jack Kennedy, at 18/1. The result was a reversal for Mullins's Kitzbuhel, sent off 4/5 favourite on the back of his Brown Advisory win at Cheltenham, who was pulled up.
Wednesday 29 April: Gold Cup Day
The biggest result of the Festival came on day two, when Gaelic Warrior demolished a five-runner Gold Cup field.
| Race | Winner | SP | Jockey / Trainer | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ladbrokes Punchestown Gold Cup | Gaelic Warrior | 5/6f | Paul Townend / Willie Mullins | 26L from Fact To File |
| Channor Real Estate Group Novice Hurdle | Le Frimeur | 18/1 | JJ Slevin / Harry Derham | 6½L from Zanoosh |
| Race & Stay Champion I.N.H. Flat Race | With Nolimit | 14/1 | Josh Halford / Gordon Elliott | 1¾L from The Mourne Rambler |
Gold Cup. Gaelic Warrior's 26-length rout of his own stablemate Fact To File completed the Cheltenham-to-Punchestown Gold Cup double for owners Rich and Susannah Ricci, and stood as Willie Mullins's eighth training success in the race, a modern-era record for the meeting. It was Paul Townend's mount that made all the difference: the pair travelled strongly throughout a truly run race and were never seriously challenged.
Channor Novice Hurdle. Harry Derham's Le Frimeur, ridden by JJ Slevin at 18/1, gave the trainer his first Grade 1 winner, beating Zanoosh by six and a half lengths over the three-mile trip.
Champion I.N.H. Flat Race. Gordon Elliott's second Grade 1 of the week came in the bumper, With Nolimit getting up under Josh Halford at 14/1 to deny The Mourne Rambler by one and three-quarter lengths. Mullins had already reclaimed the lead in the Irish trainers' championship from Elliott at the end of day one; the Gold Cup extended it.
Thursday 30 April: a fitting final chapter for Bob Olinger
The Champion Stayers Hurdle produced the most emotional result of the week.
| Race | Winner | SP | Jockey / Trainer | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ladbrokes Champion Stayers Hurdle | Bob Olinger | 4/1 | Darragh O'Keeffe / Henry de Bromhead | ¾L from Jimmy Du Seuil (Teahupoo 3rd) |
| Barberstown Castle Novice Chase | Salvator Mundi | - | Harry Cobden / Willie Mullins | 12L from Irish Panther |
Champion Stayers Hurdle. Bob Olinger's three-quarter-length win from Jimmy Du Seuil, with the well-fancied Teahupoo only third, was his fifth Grade 1 and 11th career win. It was also his last race: connections retired the 11-year-old immediately afterwards. Darragh O'Keeffe rode a treble on the card, including Bob Olinger.
Barberstown Castle Novice Chase. Willie Mullins made it eleven straight wins in this two-mile novice chase, Salvator Mundi beating Irish Panther by 12 lengths under Harry Cobden after the well-backed favourite, Kopek Des Bordes, fell at the second-last.
Friday 1 May: Ladies Day and a record crowd
A record Ladies Day attendance of 43,572 watched Lossiemouth complete the Cheltenham-Punchestown Champion Hurdle double.
| Race | Winner | SP | Jockey / Trainer | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boodles Champion Hurdle | Lossiemouth | 2/7f | Paul Townend / Willie Mullins | 5L from Golden Ace |
| Alanna Homes Champion Novice Hurdle | King Rasko Grey | 8/13f | Paul Townend / Willie Mullins | Head from Lord Byron |
Champion Hurdle. Lossiemouth's five-length win at a prohibitive 2/7 was her 11th Grade 1 and completed the Cheltenham-Punchestown Champion Hurdle double for Rich and Susannah Ricci, the same owners behind Gaelic Warrior's Gold Cup double two days earlier.
Champion Novice Hurdle. Paul Townend and Willie Mullins doubled up on the card, King Rasko Grey holding on by a head from Lord Byron at 8/13.
Between them, Thursday and Friday's four Grade 1s went to Mullins twice, de Bromhead once and stayed clear of any repeat of the earlier days' upsets: three of the four winners started favourite or near enough to it, in contrast to the 16/1 and 18/1 shocks of the opening two days.
Saturday 2 May: Family Day closes the season
The Festival's final two Grade 1s both went against the favourite.
| Race | Winner | SP | Jockey / Trainer | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SBK Irish EBF Mares Champion Hurdle | Place De La Nation | 10/1 | Danny Mullins / Willie Mullins | 1½L from Jade De Grugy |
| Ballymore Champion Four Year Old Hurdle | Saratoga | 9/2 | Mark Walsh / Padraig Roche | 3¾L from Bartholomew |
Mares Champion Hurdle. Place De La Nation, owned by Gigginstown House Stud, beat stablemate Jade De Grugy (6/4) by a length and a half, with the 8/11 favourite Wodhooh only third. It gave Willie Mullins his sixth Grade 1 of the week.
Champion Four Year Old Hurdle. Padraig Roche's Saratoga, ridden by Mark Walsh for owner JP McManus, won at 9/2 by three and three-quarter lengths from Bartholomew. Mullins's heavily backed Apolon De Charnie could finish only tenth.
Family Day brought the curtain down on a Festival in which Willie Mullins won six of the twelve Grade 1s on offer and reclaimed the Irish trainers' championship, closing out the 2025-26 National Hunt season on both sides of the Irish Sea.
Willie Mullins, again
Six of the twelve Grade 1s: the Champion Chase (Il Etait Temps), the Gold Cup (Gaelic Warrior), the Champion Hurdle (Lossiemouth), the Champion Novice Hurdle (King Rasko Grey), the Barberstown Novice Chase (Salvator Mundi) and the Mares Champion Hurdle (Place De La Nation). Add the Gold Cup win specifically and Mullins moved to eight training successes in that race alone across the modern era, a Punchestown record. He reclaimed the Irish trainers' championship at the meeting, with Gordon Elliott's two Grade 1s (Western Fold in the Champion Novice Chase, With Nolimit in the bumper) not enough to hold off the challenge after Wednesday's Gold Cup.
Two doubles for the Riccis
Rich and Susannah Ricci own both Gaelic Warrior and Lossiemouth, meaning the same owners completed the Cheltenham-to-Punchestown double in both the Gold Cup and the Champion Hurdle within the same week, a rare feat for one operation to land twice at the same meeting.
Retirements and a changing of the guard
Bob Olinger's Champion Stayers Hurdle win, his fifth Grade 1 at the age of 11, was announced as his final race before Henry de Bromhead and connections retired him. Energumene, the dual former Champion Chase winner, was retired after finishing third on the opening day, unable to cope with quicker ground than he prefers. Both horses leave gaps at the top of their respective divisions heading into next season.
The upsets came early, and Saturday brought one more
The Festival's biggest-priced Grade 1 winners, Eachtotheirown (16/1), Western Fold (18/1) and Le Frimeur (18/1), all came on the first two days. Friday's two Grade 1s went the other way, with the shortest-priced favourites of the week: Lossiemouth at 2/7 and King Rasko Grey at 8/13. Saturday split the difference. Place De La Nation won the Mares Champion Hurdle at 10/1, beating her own well-backed stablemate Jade De Grugy and the 8/11 favourite Wodhooh, while Saratoga took the Champion Four Year Old Hurdle at a more workmanlike 9/2.
Who won the 2026 Punchestown Gold Cup?
Gaelic Warrior, trained by Willie Mullins and ridden by Paul Townend, won at 5/6 favourite, beating stablemate Fact To File by 26 lengths. It completed the Cheltenham-to-Punchestown Gold Cup double and was Mullins's eighth training success in the race.
Who won the 2026 Punchestown Champion Hurdle?
Lossiemouth, trained by Willie Mullins and ridden by Paul Townend, won at 2/7 favourite, beating Golden Ace by five lengths. It was her 11th Grade 1 and completed the Cheltenham-to-Punchestown Champion Hurdle double.
How many Grade 1s did Willie Mullins win at the 2026 Festival?
Six of the twelve: the Champion Chase (Il Etait Temps), the Gold Cup (Gaelic Warrior), the Champion Hurdle (Lossiemouth), the Champion Novice Hurdle (King Rasko Grey), the Barberstown Novice Chase (Salvator Mundi) and the Mares Champion Hurdle (Place De La Nation). He also reclaimed the Irish trainers' championship at the meeting.
What happened to Bob Olinger?
Bob Olinger won the Champion Stayers Hurdle by three-quarters of a length from Jimmy Du Seuil at 4/1, his fifth Grade 1 and 11th career win at age 11. Connections retired him immediately after the race.
What was the biggest upset of the 2026 Festival?
Western Fold and Le Frimeur both won Grade 1s at 18/1, for Gordon Elliott and Harry Derham respectively. Le Frimeur's win in the Channor Real Estate Group Novice Hurdle was Derham's first Grade 1 as a trainer.
How big was the crowd at the 2026 Festival?
Friday's Ladies Day, built around the Champion Hurdle, drew a record attendance of 43,572, up on the previous year's record. The 2025 Festival had set an all-time five-day record of 136,651.
Where can I read more about the 2026 Punchestown Festival?
Our Festival preview covers the entries and form before the meeting, our mid-festival update covers the opening two days in more depth, and the Punchestown vs Cheltenham rematches piece covers the head-to-heads that mattered most. The Punchestown Festival guide has the race's full history and how to plan a visit.
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