20th -24th April 2010

The Punchestown Festival hosts some of the best jump racing of the year with 11 Grade 1 races over the 5 days; this is the National Hunt Season Finale where the principal players from Fairyhouse, Cheltenham & Aintree all hook up again. This 2010 festival has a relatively early start date which will result in the 09/10 National Hunt season ending on Saturday the 24th, the same date as in Britain.

Day 1 Tuesday 20th April  - Boylesports Day
The opening day of the Punchestown Festival features the Grade One Boylesports.com Champion Steeplechase won last year in stunning fashion by “Master Minded” . The race has been won in the past by the likes of Skymas, Viking Flagship, Klairon Davis, Flagship Uberalles, Moscow Flyer and Newmill. Tuesday also includes a further two Grade One races – Punchestown Festival Champion Novice Steeplechase and the Evening Herald Champion Novice Hurdle.

Day 2 Wednesday 21st April - Guinness Day
Guinness Gold Cup day features Ireland’s richest Grade One chase which was won in glittering style in 2009 by the Jim Dreaper trained “Notre Pere”. Other recent winners of this race include some of our very finest steeplechasers like Cheltenham Gold Cup heroes, Imperial Call, Kicking King and War Of Attrition while other winners include multiple Grade One scorers Florida Pearl, First Gold and Beef Or Salmon. The biggest betting race of the week is likely to be the Grade One Paddy Power Irish National Hunt flat race, the world’s richest bumper.

Day 3 Thursday 22nd April   - Ladbrokes Day
Star hurdles take centre stage on Festival Thursday with the feature race of the day being the www.Ladbrokes.com World Series Hurdle. The day also celebrates the great tradition of Cross Country racing at Punchestown with the historic Avon Ri La Touche Chase – the race which saw “Garde Champetre” lead the field home in style.

Day 4 Friday 23rd April  - Rabobank Day
Ladies Day at Punchestown is a celebration of all that is great in Irish racing. The enclosures are awash with fashion and style, all of which are taking part in the Arnotts Most Stylish Lady Finale. The prize fund this year's Most Stylish Lady is an impressive €20,000. The overall winner will walk away with a €10,000 fashion voucher for Arnotts as well as a private suite for an evening Punchestown meeting in May with a champagne reception. The daily winners will win a €1000 Arnotts fashion voucher, an overnight stay in the Gresham hotel with champagne afternoon tea and a personal shopping appointment at Arnotts, while each of the daily finalists will receive a generous goody bag from Arnotts. The feature race on this day is the Grade 1 Cathal Ryan Memorial Champion Novice Hurdle.

Day 5 Saturday 24th April - Goracing.ie Kids Club Family Day
The 2008 Festival saw the introduction of the fifth day which added both colour and atmosphere to the overall festival. The day which proved to be a popular local Family Day attracted a strong crowd of nearly 20,000 racegoers. The feature races on this day are the Grade 1 Champion Four Year Old Hurlde and the Tulfarris Hotel and Golf Resort Pat Taaffe Handicap Steeplechase (Grade B).