Bolger Dreaming of 10th Avon Ri La Touche Cup Win In As Many Years Enda Bolger is on the brink on winning his 10th La Touche Cup in as many years and will field an extremely strong team for the historic spectacle, which will be sponsored for the first time by the Avon Ri Corporate and Leisure Resort. The Avon Ri Corporate and Leisure Resort Cross Country Steeplechase for the La Touche Cup takes place on Thursday, April 26th, day three of the Irish National Hunt Festival and is worth ?40,000. It is run over four miles and 2 furlongs of the infamous Punchestown banks course. Staying calm ahead of attempting to his 10th win in the race, Bolger commented, 'The pressure is on now. I have to win this one and I'm going to throw the kitchen sink at it in terms of runners! Not only for sentimental reasons, but it's now worth ?40,000 which cannot be sniffed at. Its great to have a new sponsor of the La Touche and it just proves how popular cross country racing has remained and become over the years.' Bolger intends to run the multiple cross country winner Spotthedifference in the Avon Ri Corporate and Leisure Resort Cross Country Steeplechase for the La Touche Cup along with Abrahams Ridge, winner of the DNG Ladies Cup at the Punchestown Festival in 2006 and Darby Wall who finished third in the Kim Muir at this years Cheltenham Festival. Silver Birch, second in the cross country race at Cheltenham, who is currently only 25/1 for the Grand National, is also a likely runner in the Avon Ri sponsored race as is Le Duc, 3rd in the Cheltenham equivalent. Dick O'Sullivan, announcing Avon Ri Corporate and Leisure Resort's new sponsorship of the La Touche commented 'It will be a real feat if Enda can win this race for the 10th time in a row and I'm sure that this race will be a highlight of an incredibly competitive racing week. Avon Ri Corporate and Leisure Resort's sponsorship of this race is so generous and it is very fitting that we keep such a traditional race with local sponsors. I have no doubt that they will gain maximum exposure from this race and we are all rooting for Enda to win.'Royston Brady of the Avon Ri Corporate and Leisure Resort commented,' We are thrilled to be involved in a race which characterizes all that is great in Punchestown and National Hunt racing in general, the atmosphere here at the Avon Ri on Punchestown week is really something to be experienced and we are delighted to have such a close relationship with Punchestown.'The Avon Ri Corporate and Leisure Resort is a wonderfully unique holiday, sporting and event resort, spectacularly located on the shores of the Blessington Lakes in Co. Wicklow only 40 minutes from Dublin city centre and five minutes from Punchestown.
