Punchestown Festival Preview on RTE Television

RTE Television has announced details of a one-off Punchestown festival preview programme.

It will be screened on Monday 24th April on RTE Two from 7pm to 8pm.

The programme will be an eve-of-festival celebration of the coming week´s racing and social action.

Broadcasting live from a studio at the racecourse, Tracy Piggott, Ted Walsh and Robert Hall will preview the big runners for the week ahead and interview an invited studio audience to get the 'inside track' on the week ahead. Throughout the show the action will cut to Jessica Harrington´s yard where Brian Gleeson will visit Moscow Flyer in retirement and take an inside look as the Harrington family prepare for the festival.

There will be a special feature on the festival preparations and excitement in Naas and the surrounding areas. Tracey will present a special item on festival fashion in studio with Marietta Doran, a stylist from RTE´s ´Off the Rails´ who will 'style' jockeys Nina Carberry and Katie Walsh, while fashion judge Andrea Roche will give the inside track on what the panel will be looking out for on Ladies Day on Friday 28th April.

Other special items will include an item on the famous La Touche course and some expert guidance on how to go about winning the Tote Jackpot. The RTE Television racing team will chat with invited studio guests who represent all sectors of Irish racing and sports about the unique fun of the Punchestown festival.

Guests on the show will include: Ruby Walsh, Conor O´Dwyer, Philip Rothwell, Colm Murphy, Philip Carberry, etc.

Well known faces in the audience will be: Paudi O Se, Marian Finucane, Paul Nolan, Shane O´Donoghue, Tom & Tony Mullins, Paul Carberry, Dessie Hughes, Michael O´Brien, Niall 'slippers' Madden, Andrew McNamara, etc.

Viewers at home will be able to join in by sending their questions in to the studio panel by text on 0879405030.and email on: [email protected]