NEWS

PUNCHESTOWN ANNOUCES A FESTIVAL PACKED WITH FUN
20-Apr-2008

Punchestown announces a festival Packed with Fun
For immediate release, Sunday, April 20th, 2008

The Punchestown Festival gets underway in just under 48 hours time with a program of events that is sure to impress a very broad audience. The €220,000 Kerrygold Champion Chase will provide a thrilling start to the racing week with no less that three runners from the UK expected to participate. Racegoers will also be treated to an opening ceremony on Tuesday, April 22nd that includes a presentation to 31 Living Legends of National Hunt Racing.

Elements of Tuesday, April 22nd, the opening day of the Irish National Hunt Festival include a performance by soprano Celine Byrne, accompanied by the excellent Slovak Festival Orchestra. Newbridge Silverware will kick off their 5 Days of Glamour at Punchestown with a Fashion Show, hosted by Celia Holman Lee on the main stage. The Irish Army band will perform before racing and the Hunting Association of Ireland introduce and parade some hunting hounds. Racing will start at 2.30 on Tuesday and continue until the last race of the day starts at 6.00pm.The feature race of the day is the aforementioned Kerrygold Champion Chase,

The inaugural fifth day of the Irish National Hunt Festival will be an action packed day aside from the superb racing that includes the €220,000 Ballymore 25th Anniversary Handicap Hurdle . The day starts with the launch of the Newbridge Silverware Most Glamorous Couple which will, like the Best Dressed Lady, be judged by Larry Hagman and Linda Gray among others. From the main stage, Socky and Emma O’Driscoll will entertain the kids who have come to take part in a fancy dress competition, winners of which can win a range of prizes from a family weekend at Kellys Resort to €1,000 worth of Crayola products. Fairground attractions for families will include stilt walkers, clowns, face painters, bouncing castles, pony rides, colouring competitions and novelty characters. A Family Admission Ticket will be available for just €30 for 2 Adults & 2 Children (under 14) provided at least one child comes in Fancy Dress.

Horse Racing Ireland’s presentations to the season’s Champion Trainer, Owner and Jockeys will be stylish affair on Saturday and will sign off the 07/08 National Hunt season with a bang. Throughout the week, there will be several other spectacular performances on stage including Sharon Condon, semi finalist from this year’s ‘You’re A Star’ competition. Heroes from the past, Moscow Flyer, Istrabraq, Risk of Thunder and Spotthedifference will parade over the course of the five days of the festival and will be joined this year by the recently retired Hedgehunter and also War of Attrition. Best Dressed Ladies will be selected daily with the overall winner being selected on Friday who takes away €30,000 worth of Newbridge Silverware. Proceedings each day will finish with a performance from the Slovak Festival Orchestra.

Commenting on the range of events taking place at the Co. Kildare track, Manager of Punchestown Racecourse, Dick O’Sullivan stated “Not only have we added a fifth day to the festival this year, we have added a whole host of entertainment to the program of events. There is an enormous audience out there that we are catering for on the Saturday and we have hugely enhanced the program throughout the week also. There is a magnificent buzz around, sales are superb and records could tumble once again. Get set for a very special five days.”

The Irish National Hunt Festival takes place from Tuesday, April 22nd to Saturday, April 26th. The gates will open daily at 11 am and the first race is at 2.30pm daily with the exception of Saturday, when the first race is at 2.35pm Admission is €30 and Admission and Reserved is €40.

Ends

For further information, please contact:

Janet Williamson, PR Manager, Irish National Hunt Festival. 045 897704 / 087 9198683