James Maxwell
Founder & Editor · Last reviewed 2026-04-21
Punchestown Festival 2026 Preview
Ireland's answer to Cheltenham. The Punchestown Festival (Tuesday 28 April — Saturday 2 May 2026) is the climax of the Irish National Hunt season — 13 Grade 1 races across five days on one of the best jumps tracks in the world, set in the rolling Wicklow countryside south-west of Dublin.
The festival is the year-end target for Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott in particular. Both yards deliberately save their best horses — especially those who had a flat Cheltenham — for Punchestown. Mullins has dominated the festival for a decade, typically training six or more Grade 1 winners across the week. Elliott is the closest challenger. Between them, they account for roughly 60% of the Grade 1 wins most years.
For UK punters, Punchestown is the last major National Hunt betting opportunity before the flat takes over. ITV Racing broadcasts highlights daily, and every major bookmaker offers extended each-way terms across the festival. It is also the festival where Cheltenham form is most rigorously tested — horses who finished second at Cheltenham often come out and win at Punchestown, while horses who underperformed at Cheltenham get their chance to prove the Festival was the anomaly.
Below: a day-by-day guide to the feature races, the key contenders across the week, and the betting angles that work at a track where Mullins and Elliott are nearly impossible to oppose.
For the Sandown Bet365 Gold Cup preview running at the same time in the UK, see our dedicated article.
Day-by-Day Guide
Tuesday 29 April — Opening Day
The festival opens with four Grade 1 races.
Feature: Champion Chase (Grade 1, 2m, 5:30pm) The Irish championship over 2 miles. El Fabiolo (Mullins) and Jonbon (Nicky Henderson) are likely to meet again after their showdowns at Cheltenham and Ascot. This is a serious test of who is the best 2-mile chaser on either side of the Irish Sea.
Other Tuesday Grade 1s:
- Champion Novice Chase (2m 4f) — a competitive race between the best second-season chasers
- Champion Novice Hurdle (2m) — pointer to next year's Champion Hurdle
- Mares' Champion Hurdle (2m 4f) — Lossiemouth attempts to defend her crown
Wednesday 30 April — Gold Cup Day
The centrepiece of the festival.
Feature: Punchestown Gold Cup (Grade 1, 3m 1f, 5:30pm) The Irish Gold Cup. This race has been dominated by Mullins, who typically saddles three or four runners. Galopin Des Champs won the 2025 renewal and is likely to run again as defending champion. Fact To File and Gerri Colombe are the other main players.
Other Wednesday Grade 1s:
- Ryanair Novice Chase (2m 5f)
- Champion Stayers' Hurdle (3m) — the staying hurdle championship
- Champion 4-Year-Old Hurdle (2m)
Thursday 1 May — Ladies Day
Feature: Mares' Novice Hurdle (Grade 1, 2m 4f, 5:30pm) A highlight for Willie Mullins, who has won this race 14 times since 2012. Expect a short-priced Mullins favourite.
Other Thursday Grade 1s:
- Champion Handicap Hurdle (2m) — the biggest handicap hurdle of the festival
- Growise Champion Novice Chase (3m 1f)
Ladies Day adds social atmosphere to the racing. The style competition draws significant national attention in Ireland.
Friday 2 May — Novice Chase Day
Feature: Punchestown Novice Chase (Grade 1, 2m, 5:00pm) The second of the novice chasing highlights — 2-mile championship for first-season chasers. Ballyburn (Mullins) has been aimed at this after a strong season.
Other Friday Grade 1s:
- Champion Stayers' Novice Chase (3m)
- Mares' Chase (2m 4f)
Saturday 3 May — Closing Day
The final day is traditionally the most competitive in terms of handicaps.
Feature: Champion Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap, 3m 1f, 5:30pm) A huge betting race with 20+ runners. The Irish equivalent of the Lincoln — the closing handicap of the National Hunt season. Prices are typically generous.
Other Saturday races:
- Champion INH Flat Race (2m) — bumper for next season's novice hurdlers
- Cross Country Chase (4m 2f) — the banks race, a favourite for specialists
Race Times (BST)
Most feature races are in the 5pm-6pm window, which means they air in the UK at prime early evening. First race each day is typically 2:50pm BST (3:50pm IST).
Key Contenders Across the Week
The Mullins Team
Willie Mullins typically brings 60+ runners across the five days. His strongest entries:
Galopin Des Champs — Punchestown Gold Cup favourite. Defending Cheltenham Gold Cup winner. Likely to run on Wednesday. Paul Townend rides.
El Fabiolo — Champion Chase on Tuesday. Has beaten Jonbon twice at Cheltenham in the past. Willie Mullins's flagship 2-miler.
Lossiemouth — Mares' Champion Hurdle on Tuesday, possibly the Champion Hurdle. Cheltenham Champion Hurdle winner. The best mare in training.
Ballyburn — Punchestown Novice Chase on Friday. Won the Turners at Cheltenham. Has the best form of any novice chaser in training.
Fact To File — Punchestown Gold Cup alternative to Galopin. Also a Bowl Chase contender at Aintree earlier in the month.
The Elliott Team
Gordon Elliott is the only trainer who can challenge Mullins at Punchestown.
Teahupoo — Champion Stayers' Hurdle favourite. Won the race in 2023 and 2024, denied only by Home By The Lee in 2025.
Gerri Colombe — Punchestown Gold Cup. Usually a third string behind Galopin and Fact To File, but his Cheltenham form suggests he is not far behind.
Brighterdaysahead — Mares' Champion Hurdle challenger. Finished second to Lossiemouth at Cheltenham.
The British Challengers
Cross-channel raiders have a poor strike rate at Punchestown — typically 1-2 winners across the whole festival. The main British hopes in 2026:
Jonbon (Nicky Henderson) — Champion Chase. Will run if he ran at Sandown first. Henderson's flagship 2-miler.
State Man (Willie Mullins — technically Mullins but ridden by an Irish jockey) — Champion Hurdle challenger.
Constitution Hill (Nicky Henderson) — Would be the Champion Hurdle favourite if he runs, but connections may save him for next season.
Longshots With a Chance
Cross Country Chase, Saturday: specialists like Delta Work and Galvin (Elliott) often run up huge prices because the handicappers can't rate cross-country form well.
Champion Handicap Hurdle, Thursday: 20+ runners, wide open, Mullins's stable jockey usually on his best-treated rival to the market favourite.
Champion Handicap Chase, Saturday: the closing handicap — prices often stretch to 20/1 or longer for horses with genuine chances.
Betting Angles for Punchestown
Angle 1: Cheltenham seconds often win at Punchestown
Horses who finished second at the Cheltenham Festival in March have an excellent record at Punchestown six weeks later. The theory is simple — they ran their race at Cheltenham but got beaten by a top-class rival. At Punchestown, the winner is usually absent (saved for flat racing or next season) and the runner-up gets their day.
Check the Cheltenham form for each race. If a horse was second at Cheltenham and is now running at Punchestown without the horse that beat them, they are a strong bet.
Angle 2: Mullins wins the opening race on day one
Mullins has won the opening race on Tuesday at Punchestown in 9 of the last 12 years. It is almost a system bet. If the Mullins runner is anywhere near the front of the market in the 2:50pm on Tuesday, back it.
Angle 3: The Mullins B-team in handicaps
Mullins has so many horses that his second, third, and fourth strings in handicaps regularly offer value. His first string (ridden by Paul Townend) goes to the head of the market. The others drift. But the Mullins yard's form is so strong that even the B-team is fitter and better-prepared than most opposition.
Look for Mullins-trained horses at 8/1+ in handicaps ridden by his second-string jockey. Strike rate is not huge (roughly 15-20%), but the value is excellent.
Angle 4: Ground preference
Punchestown usually races on Good to Yielding ground in late April/early May. If there has been heavy rain in the week before, ground-lovers come into play and favourites often drift.
Check the going report on Sunday 27 April. If it is Soft or worse, add weight to your selections' preferred ground.
Angle 5: Female-ridden winners
Rachael Blackmore has an excellent Punchestown record across multiple trainers. If she rides a fancied horse, take it seriously — her festival strike rate is materially higher than her season average.
Angle 6: British raiders in the Cross Country
The Cross Country Chase on Saturday (4m 2f, banks and unusual fences) is the one race where British raiders sometimes spring upsets. Tiger Roll won it multiple times. Look for specialists who have had a quiet spring campaign targeting this race.
Our Selections Across the Week
Tuesday Nap: Mullins's opening race runner (to be confirmed at declarations) Wednesday Nap: Galopin Des Champs, Punchestown Gold Cup (win only, ~6/4) Thursday Each-way: Mullins second string in Champion Handicap Hurdle Friday Nap: Ballyburn, Punchestown Novice Chase (~4/6) Saturday Each-way: Any Delta Work or Galvin-type in the Cross Country at 10/1+
For bookmaker offers covering Punchestown, see our offers page. For our full Irish racing betting guide, see our betting hub.
How to Watch Punchestown from the UK
TV Coverage
ITV Racing (ITV1) broadcasts highlights of the Punchestown Festival each evening at approximately 9:00pm, showing the Grade 1 races and key handicaps.
Racing TV (subscription) carries live coverage of every race across all five days. Available on:
- Sky (channel 426)
- Virgin Media (channel 536)
- Freesat
- RacingTV.com (online streaming)
Monthly subscription is £31.98 and can be cancelled at any time. For a single-festival punter, the Racing TV day pass option is worth considering.
Virgin Media One — free-to-air Irish TV with live coverage of the festival across all five days. If you can receive Virgin Media One (available on Sky in the UK), this is the best free option for watching the full races live.
Streaming
Bookmaker live streams — Bet365, Paddy Power, William Hill, and most other major bookmakers offer live streaming of Punchestown races to account holders with a funded account or a live bet on the race. This is the easiest free option for UK punters with existing bookmaker accounts.
Racing TV app — available on iOS and Android. Subscription required.
Radio
BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra — carries Punchestown commentary on the Gold Cup and Champion Chase days.
At The Races podcast and Racing Post podcast — daily Punchestown wrap-ups, available free on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
For a full UK racing TV guide, see our racing news hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Punchestown Festival 2026?
Tuesday 28 April to Saturday 2 May 2026 — five days of National Hunt racing.
How many Grade 1 races are at Punchestown?
13 Grade 1 races across the five days — more than any other National Hunt festival in the world except Cheltenham.
Is Punchestown the Irish Cheltenham?
Effectively yes. It is the climax of the Irish National Hunt season and features most of the same horses who ran at Cheltenham six weeks earlier. The key difference: it runs in late April/early May when the ground is typically faster, and the atmosphere is less intense than Cheltenham (smaller crowds, more relaxed).
Where is Punchestown Racecourse?
Punchestown is near Naas in County Kildare, Ireland — about 30 miles south-west of Dublin. It is a 30-minute drive from Dublin Airport.
Can I watch Punchestown on UK free TV?
Partially. ITV1 shows evening highlights. Virgin Media One (available on Sky in the UK) shows live races free. For live coverage of every race, you need Racing TV subscription or a bookmaker's live stream.
Who is the most successful trainer at Punchestown?
Willie Mullins by a distance. He typically wins 6-10 races across the five days, including several Grade 1s. Gordon Elliott is the only trainer who consistently challenges him.
What are the biggest betting races at Punchestown?
The Champion Handicap Hurdle (Thursday) and the Champion Handicap Chase (Saturday) are the biggest betting races — 20+ runners each, wide open fields, and huge prize funds. The Cross Country Chase on Saturday is also a notable big-field betting event.
How does the Punchestown Gold Cup compare to the Cheltenham Gold Cup?
The Cheltenham Gold Cup is the more prestigious race and carries more points in the official championship. The Punchestown Gold Cup is effectively the Irish national championship and typically features the same top horses. Galopin Des Champs has won both in the same season multiple times.
Is Punchestown a good betting festival?
Yes, but with caveats. Willie Mullins's dominance makes many races look short-priced. The best value is in (a) Mullins second-string runners in handicaps, (b) Cheltenham Festival runners-up returning for another go, and (c) British raiders in the Cross Country Chase. See our betting angles section above.
Share this article
Gamble Responsibly
Gambling should be entertaining and not seen as a way to make money. Never bet more than you can afford to lose. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, help and support is available.