Punchestown Festival Preview Hardy Eustace, Iris’s Gift, Moscow Flyer, Rooster Booster, and Harbour Pilot are just a number of the high profile horses that are set to go into battle for a share of the €1.7 million prize fund on offer at the Punchestown Irish National Hunt Festival on the 27th – 30th April 2004. Moscow Flyer, Champion Chaser and six-time Punchestown winner will contest the €150,000 BETDAQ.com Champion Steeplechase on Tuesday, April 27th. The feature race of the festival, the €180,000 Punchestown Heineken Gold Cup run on Wednesday, April 28th will once again be contested by the French-trained First Gold who will return to the Kildare track to defend his title. Among his rivals will be the valiant Cheltenham Gold Cup third-placed, Harbour Pilot, who has by-passed Aintree in favour of this valuable contest. Trainer Noel Meade stated “Harbour Pilot will relish the current soft ground conditions at the track and is in very good form at present.” Iris’s Gift, champion staying hurdler of the season will be the star of contesting the €125,000 Ballymore Properties Champion Stayers Hurdle on Thursday, April 29th. 2004 Champion Hurdle Winner Hardy Eustace will stake his claim in the Emo Oil Champion Hurdle. The €160,000 race will also be contested by Rooster Booster and is sure to provide a thrilling battle in a race that will present us with a fitting end to the 2004 National Hunt season on Friday, April 30th.The majority of the festival ground has been rested for the past 12 months and conditions are currently soft. 60mm of rain has fallen at the track since March 10th, compared with only 9mm for the same period last year. Punchestown this year boasts a myriad of new features, with its own festival radio station, a TOTE sports lounge, a double-decker hospitality marquee overlooking the last fence the now FREE admission Family Enclosure. The Best Dressed Lady and Best Dressed Gentlemen competition which has been moved for the first time to the Friday of the Festival are kindly sponsored by Kalu, a top designer boutique in Naas and Hugh Statham Jewellers respectively. Each prize is worth €2,000. The hugely successful ‘Most Romantic Couple’ competition returns this year on the Thursday of the Festival and the prize is a pampering weekend at the luxurious Rathsallagh House Golf and Country Club in Dunlavin, Co Wicklow. Commenting on the progress of festival preparations with only three weeks to go, Racecourse Manager Dick O’Sullivan stated; “We are delighted that so many winners from the Cheltenham and Aintree festivals will be coming over to Punchestown setting up what will to be one of the most exciting festivals yet. This, combined with a free family enclosure and host of performing acts throughout each day will create a special carnival like atmosphere thus proving that you don’t just have to be into horses to be into Punchestown…’”.
