Punchestown Racecourse the home of Irish National Hunt racing and Guinness today announced a new and prestigious sponsorship agreement for the Punchestown Gold Cup. The sponsorship agreement means that the renowned race will have a 45,000 euro increase in value bringing the total prize fund to 225,000 euro making it the richest race of it's type in Ireland. The race will be called The Punchestown Guinness Gold Cup.

Speaking on behalf of Guinness Michael Whelan, Head of Sponsorships at Diageo Ireland, said 'We are thrilled to be involved in this showcase of National Hunt racing excellence at one of Europe?s top racecourses. Guinness has a long tradition of involvement in elite sporting events. The Guinness brand is very committed to racing & has been synonymous with great racing & great racecourses for generations. We are very excited with this new sponsorship & see this race as one of the highlights of our growing portfolio of racing sponsorships which also include The Guinness Hurdle at Galway & The Guinness Kerry National at Listowel.'

Dick O' Sullivan chief executive of Punchestown said, 'This race has become the highlight of the Punchestown Festival & indeed one of the most prestigious prizes on the National Hunt circuit with recent winners including First Gold, Florida Pearl, Imperial Call & Beef or Salmon. We are very excited about this sponsorship. Guinness have demonstrated an enormous ability to enhance events which they are involved with & we look forward to them contributing significantly to the growth of Punchestown & The Irish National Hunt Festival over the next three years'.

The Irish National Hunt Festival is run over four days at the end of April & represents the climax of the Irish racing calendar. The season's champions from home & abroad compete for a total prize fund in excess of two million euro over the historic Punchestown course in front of tens of thousands off spectators from home & abroad.

The Punchestown Guinness Gold Cup will be run on Wednesday 27th of April 2005.