Racing

All roads lead to Punchestown for grand finale of the jump season

Champion Chase is today’s feature race

Somersby, which is among the fieled for the could bid to go one better in the Boylesports.com Champion Chase at Punchestown. Photograph: David Davies/PA Wire
Somersby, which is among the fieled for the could bid to go one better in the Boylesports.com Champion Chase at Punchestown. Photograph: David Davies/PA Wire
Alison Healy in Punchestown
Tue Apr 29 2014 - 14:27

Alison Healy in Punchestown

Crowds are beginning to stream into Punchestown racecourse for the opening day of the five-day racing festival.

Organisers are expecting that 102,000 people will pass through the turnstiles this year at the Co Kildare event, which is seen as the grand finale of the jump season.

The omens are good, as there has been a 51 per cent increase in pre-sales of tickets compared with last year. The fine weather might also encourage people to take a half-day off work and arrive in time for the first race, which gets under way at 3.40pm.

READ MORE

Today is Boylesports Champion Chase Day and Irish hopes Hidden Cyclone and Sizing Europe will be taking on the British challenge which is being led by Module and Somersby.

Tomorrow is Gold Cup day while Friday will see a parade of stiletto-clad women in honour of Ladies Day and the first Land Rover Style Award.

The festival provides a boom for local businesses with organisers estimating it has a direct economic value of some €60 million.