The LOOK of the new Punchestown impressed the vast majority of the crowd of 15,000 yesterday and despite the awful weather, the enthusiasm was reflected in the amounts bet.

A total of £891,679 was bet with the bookmakers, £100,000 up on last year and included £190,836 on the third race alone. There was also a Tote record first day festival aggregate of £424,695.

There were inevitable teething problems in the logistics of Punchestown's first race day in a year. Many race-goers complained about the state of the car parks and the difficulty of finding toilet facilities while some trainers and jockeys complained about the relatively small weighing room which was subject to crowding at times. However, Punchestown's chief executive, Charlie Murless, said he was pleased with the day.

"I think the general reaction has been positive. It was always going to be difficult to open a new building on our biggest day of the year," he said.

Murless added: "An obvious problem is the car park but we will be kicking on with phase two of our development and I hope we get the support from the relevant people because this shows it is necessary."