PUNCHESTOWN GEAR UP FOR NH FESTIVAL The nine early-closing races at Punchestown`s four-day Irish National Hunt Festival from Tuesday, April 29, to Friday, May 2, for which entries are revealed today, have attracted an unprecedented number of possible contenders from Britain with virtually all the top trainers represented. Punchestown is offering generous travel and accommodation incentives to the major overseas horses and connections to add further spice to an already outstanding meeting and in total 21 British trainers have made entries at this year`s Festival, which boasts record prize money of E1,612,500, including virtually all the leading stables. The British trainers with entries are Martin Pipe, Paul Nicholls, Nicky Henderson, Philip Hobbs, Henrietta Knight, Jonjo O`Neill, Venetia Williams, Charles Egerton, Nigel Twiston-Davies, Richard Phillips, Kim Bailey, Henry Daly, Sue Smith, Paul Webber, Charlie Mann, Hughie Morrison, Peter Beaumont, Simon Sherwood, Brian Ellison, Dina Smith and George Moore. There is also an entry from France, the Francois Doumen-trained First Gold, who bounced back to form in spectacular fashion when winning the Martell Cognac Cup at Aintree earlier this month, and is a possible starter in an outstanding Grade 1 Punchestown Heineken Gold Cup, worth E160,000 and run on Wedneday, April 30. Others entered in the Punchestown Heinkeken Gold Cup include the Peter Beaumont-trained Hussard Collonges, who could bid to bounce back from a disappointing run in last month`s Tote Cheltenham Gold Cup, the 1999 Gold Cup hero See More Business and the Henry Daly-trained Young Spartacus, who returned from a long lay-off to win the Mildmay Of Flete Chase at Cheltenham. The home defence includes the brilliant novice Beef Or Salmon, an early faller in the Gold Cup, last year`s winner Florida Pearl, Harbour Pilot, who was third in the Cheltenham showpiece and last year`s Gold Cup runner-up Commanche Court. Among those who could take on the brilliant Queen Mother Champion Chase winner Moscow Flyer in Tuesday`s Grade 1 BMW Chase are Native Upmanship, a hugely impressive victor of the Grade 1 Martell Cognac Melling Chase at Aintree, and up to six entries from Britain including the 2002 Queen Mother Champion Chase hero Flagship Uberalles, Martin Pipe`s Tresor De Mai, the Paul Nicholls-trained Cenkos, and his stablemate Le Roi Miguel, a novice who took the Grade 1 Martell Maghull Novices` Chase at Aintree by 11 lengths. Le Roi Miguel is also engaged in the two-mile Grade 1 Swordlestown Cup Novice Chase along with the Henrietta Knight-trained Impek, who finished third at Aintree and second in the Irish Independent Arkle Chase at Cheltenham. The Jonjo O`Neill-trained Intersky Falcon, who finished third in this year`s Smurfit Champion Hurdle, heads the E135,000 Emo Oil Champion Hurdle entries, which also include the Vincent O`Brien County Handicap Hurdle hero Spirit Leader, last year`s Champion Hurdle second Marble Arch and Risky Reef, a Listed handicap winner at Aintree. An intriguing entry is Native Upmanship, who is also in both the BMW Chase and Punchestown Heineken Gold Cup. Last year Davenport Milenium completed an amazing Grade 1 double when landing both the Menolly Homes Champion Novice Hurdle and Emo Oil Champion Hurdle at Punchestown and the Edward O`Grady-trained Back In Front, runaway winner of the Gerrard Wealth Management Supreme Novices`Hurdle at Cheltenham, could bid for the same double in 2003. Back In Front is one of 36 entries in the Menolly Homes Champion Novice Hurdle. There could be a clash of Aintree winners in the Grade 1 Evening Herald Champion Novice Hurdle with both Leinster and Limerick Boy engaged. Leinster, trained by Dessie Hughes, ran away with the Grade 2 Mersey Novices` Hurdle while the Venetia Williams-trained Limerick Boy, a Group winner on the Flat in Germany, landed the Grade 2 Top Novices` Hurdle on only his third jumping start. The seven British-trained entries in the Grade 1 IAWS Champion Four-Year-Old Hurdle include JCB Triumph Hurdle winner Spectroscope,who was jus t touched off at Aintree, and Sporazene, a hugely-impressive winner at Ayr on Saturday for Paul Nicholls. Golden Cross, the JCB Triumph Hurdle third,is among the domestic entries. Ireland`s favourite horse Limestone Lad is set to bid for a second Grade 1 Ballymore Properties Champion Stayers Hurdle, where he could meet the progressive Cheltenham Festival winners Inching Closer and Xenophon as well as Sacundai, who beat the Champion Hurdle victor Rooster Booster to land the Grade 1 Martell Cognac Aintree Hurdle last time out. The ninth early closing race, the E90,000 McEvoy Auctioneers Novice Handicap Chase, promises to be an ultra-competitive affair with 42 entries,including 11 from Britain. The remainder of the 31 races that make-up the 2003 Irish National Hunt Festival all close at the six-day entry stage. Dick O`Sullivan, Punchestown`s Manager, commented:'Following a substantial increase in prize money combined with generous incentives to overseas connections, we are delighted to see so many entries from Britain at this year`s Irish National Hunt Festival to take on a particularly strong home team. There are no less than 14 winners from this year`s Cheltenham and Aintree Festivals entered and the stage is set for a great finale to the season at Punchestown.'
