Punchestown Racecourse, Durkan Day
6th December
There is a quality about Punchestown, with its banks and walls and ditches and ruggedness, that sets it apart as unique as a venue for racing horses. 
Peerless, they call it, and they may be on to something.
If you were told that you could go racing to Punchestown just once during the winter, you would go on Durkan Chase day on 6th December, no question. The Durkan Chase is the definitive mid-season test for the top steeplechasers over the intermediate distance of two and a half miles. As such, it is often the ideal race for the top three-mile chasers at this stage of the season before they explore the bounds of their stamina later on.
Kicking King, Beef Or Salmon, Florida Pearl, Imperial Call and Dorans Pride have all won the Durkan Chase in recent years. Go back a little further and you will find Merry Gale and Carvill’s Hill and Maid Of Money and Dawn Run. Bobsline won it twice. Jack Of Trumps won it twice. Even Captain Christy won it in 1975, a couple of months after he had won the Cheltenham Gold Cup. The Durkan roll of honour is a Who’s Who of Irish steeplechasing, and that looks set to continue for as far into the future as you can see. This is the home of Irish National Hunt racing after all.
RACING AND ACCOMMODATION OFFERS
Avon Ri Lake Shore Resort
2 nights B&B and 1 Dinner for €95pp based on a min of 4 per house
Luxury self-catering accommodation, an excellent restaurant and café bar, structured outdoor activities, delightful leisure facilities and a breathtaking lakeshore setting in the Wicklow countryside.
Avon Rí Blessington Lakeshore, Burgage, Blessington, Co. Wicklow, Ireland
http://www.avonri.com/
Killashee House Hotel & Villa Spa
2 Nights B&B and 1 Dinner for €179.00 per person sharing
1 Night B&B and 1 Dinner for €99.00 per person sharing
4 Star Victorian Manor House set amidst over 80acres of manicured gardens & woodlands, dating back to 1861, evokes an image of bygone days.
Killashee House Hotel, Naas, Co Kildare. Call: 00353 (0)45 879 277
www.killasheehouse.com
For more information on racing in Punchestown:
Punchestown Racecourse
Tel: 0044 (0) 45 897 704
Email: info@punchestown.com
www.punchestown.com
* Offer valid until 7th November 2009.
** Prices may vary due to exchange rate changes.