A Festival like no other in Irish jump racing is here, as the 2025 Punchestown Festival comes under starters orders on Tuesday.
Britain and Ireland’s racing elite will go head-to-head in 40 races – including 12 Grade One’s – for the next five days, as the Irish jump season comes to an end.
Each day of the Festival is headlined by a feature race and day two is Punchestown Gold Cup day.
Seventeen scheduled fences, and just over three miles, stand between the runners and prize money totalling 300,000 euros.
Though shorter than its English counterpart at Cheltenham, the race will feature horses well-accustomed to Prestbury Park – sometimes winners of both races.
The last to do so in the same season was Sizing John for Irish trainer Jessica Harrington, in 2017.
This year’s renewal boasts an all-Irish-trained field with three of the four runners meeting again after clashing at Cheltenham.
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Galopin Des Champs
One such horse is Galopin Des Champs for the newly-crowned Champion Trainer WIllie Mullins.
He boasts winning form at this meeting from 2021, when he won a grade one novice hurdles race, but has finished second to Fastorslow in the last two runnings of this race.
Despite defeat in two of his last four runs – including in the Cheltenham Gold Cup for which he was the very short-priced favourite to win three on the trot – Mullins’ horse is the evens favourite to win his first Punchestown Gold Cup.
It is the only blank on the CV of a star-studded career and it would be a seventh win in the race for Mullins – his first since Allaho in 2022.
Spillane’s Tower
Perhaps the biggest threat to him is the James Mangan-trained Spilliane’s Tower.
Owned by renowned businessman JP Mcmanus, he finished ahead of the Mullins horse when reappearing in the John Durkan memorial Chase, at this course, in November.
However, they both finished behind the eventual Ryanair Chase winner Fact to File.
Galopin Des Champs subsequently beat Fact To File, twice, at Leopardstown before their respective Cheltenham excursions – but Spillane’s Tower will arrive at Punchestown fresh from a break.
His most recent run came back on Boxing Day when he was fifth behind the Joseph O’Brien-trained Banbridge in the King George VI.
JJ Slevin
Jockey JJ Slevin will go for a hat-trick of wins in the race despite his usual mount being ruled out with injury.
After winning the previous two runnings on-board Fastorslow, Slevin will take the ride on trainer Joseph O’Brien’s Banbridge – the same horse he mounted at Cheltenham when a distant seventh in the Gold Cup.
Slevin wrote in his blog: “I was a little bit disappointed with him in the Cheltenham Gold Cup as he never got into his forward-going rhythm, which is not like him at all to be fair.
“He had that sort of run last year at the Cheltenham Festival in the Ryanair Chase, but then he came out of it and bounced back with a win in the Champion Chase here.
“It is only a small field with four runners, and they are three very good horses he is in against, but hopefully he will run a big race.”
Monty’s Star
Henry De Bromhead-trained Monty’s star is the outsider of the field and is winless since December 2023.
Owner Barrie Maloney’s bay gelding finished fourth in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, ahead of Banbridge, but was beaten by Galopin Des Champs in February.
His last run of last season came at this meeting, when he lost to Spillane’s Tower in the Champion Novice Chase.
Despite that, regular jockey Rachel Blackmore told Betfair: “I’m really looking forward to riding Monty’s Star in the Punchestown Gold Cup.
“It’s just a four-horse race but it’s a really strong race, as you would expect for a Punchestown Gold Cup.
“Monty’s Star ran his race at Cheltenham to finish fourth in the Gold Cup, and he came out of the race really well. We don’t have a lot to find with Spillane’s Tower on their run at Punchestown last year, and I hope that we can be bang there again.”
The race will come under starters’ orders at 5:30pm UK time and will be available to watch on terrestrial TV, via ITV, or on Racing TV for subscribers.
READ MORE: Punchestown Festival 2025 – Dates, how to watch on TV, trainers and jockeys to watch
