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For the second year in a row Punchestown was blessed with good weather throughout the week and this led to bumper crowds across the five days. In total 139,017 people (new record attendance) turned up compared to 136,651 in 2025.
Over 20,000 more people attended Punchestown this year than in 2024.
My Racing StorySponsored By Tote
I'm a Downpatrick man born and bred and have lived here all my life. My first encounter with horses was through my late father Willie Polly taking me out to my uncle Frank Fitzsimon's stableyard in Vianstown which was actually in the middle of Downpatrick Racecourse. That was the place where my mother was born and reared. Frank, who was a brother of my mother, trained horses out there and we used to go out on a Sunday morning to see the horses and would have gone into what was called the home house for tea. My father bought a horse in the late 70s called Mountain Gale who Frank pre-trained and then sent him on to Noel Meade. He had a few wins, but I remember he wasn't a particularly good jumper! That's where my father first encountered Noel Meade. My dad also had a few point-to-pointers of no real note, and he had a horse with Jeremy Maxwell in his time and with Bunny Cox and with John Oxx to name but a few.
Punchestown, Newmarket and the Curragh reviewed
Emma, Johnny and Paddy look back on a bumper week of racing, including standout performances at Punchestown and Newmarket.
By Alan Magee - CHICAGO POPE beat Michael’s Well in a maiden over course and distance last autumn and had Midnight Dusk back in third when the pair filled the places behind Oh Cecilia over 5f on his reappearance at Cork. The Johnny Murtagh-trained gelding should appreciate this step back up in distance and is preferred to Ocean’s Breath who showed promise in two turf outings as a juvenile before scoring in decisive fashion over this trip at Dundalk last month. Pass Me If You Can also bids to follow up a Dundalk maiden win last time, while others to consider include Tahcawin and Joyful Tidings.