Punchestown Festival 2025 Dates, Race Times & Schedule

The Punchestown Festival 2025 dates this year will see the big five-day Irish jumps run from the end of April into early May. You can see the full dates below, plus race times and running order – including when the Punchestown Gold Cup is this year.

Punchestown Festival 2025 Dates See The Fixture Cross Over Two Months

The Punchestown Festival 2025 will start on Tuesday 29th April and run till Saturday May 3rd – with five days of top-class Irish National Hunt racing.

Billed in a similar bracket to the Cheltenham and Aintree Festivals, the Punchestown Festival is the big ‘end-of-season’ jumps meeting before the focus properly switches to the flat.

Over the five-day meeting, there are 12 Grade One races, which include the Punchestown Gold Cup (Wednesday), where all eyes will be on the Willie Mullins-trained Galopin Des Champs to see if he can bounce back from his Cheltenham defeat.

While having fallen in his last two races, Constitution Hill is another star name that is on a recovery mission as he’s expected to line-up in the Boodles Champion Hurdle on the Friday.

Punchestown Festival 2025 Race Times and Full Running Order

See below the full running order and race times for the 2025 Punchestown Festival – with a bumper eight-race card on each day.

Meaning there are a massive 40 Punchestown Festival races over the fixture.

Tuesday, 29th April 2025

14:30: Kildare Hunt Club Cross Country Chase
15:05: Albert Bartlett Triple Crown Series Final
15:40: KPMG Champion Novice Hurdle (Grade 1)
16:15: Killashee Hotel Handicap Hurdle (Listed)
16:50: Goffs Defender Bumper
17:25: William Hill Champion Chase (Grade 1)
18:00: Dooley Insurance Group Champion Novice Chase (Grade 1)
18:35: Willie Coonan Memorial Flat Race

Wednesday, 30th April 2025

14:30: Adare Manor Opportunity Series Final Handicap Hurdle
15:05: Connolly’s Red Mills Irish EBF Auction Hurdle Series Final
15:40: Louis Fitzgerald Hotel Hurdle
16:15: Channor Real Estate Group Novice Hurdle (Grade 1)
16:50: Race And Stay At Punchestown Champion I.N.H. Flat Race (Grade 1)
17:25: Ladbrokes Punchestown Gold Cup (Grade 1)
18:00: HSS Hire Handicap Chase (Grade 3)
18:35: Weatherbys GSB Irish EBF Mares Flat Race (Grade 3)

Thursday, 1st May 2025

14:30: Specialist Joinery Group Handicap Hurdle
15:05: Frontline Security Chase (Listed)
15:40: Mongey Communications La Touche Cup Cross-Country Chase
16:15: Barberstown Castle Novice Chase (Grade 1)
16:50: Ladbrokes Champion Stayers Hurdle (Grade 1)
17:25: Conway Piling Handicap Hurdle (Listed)
18:00: Close Brothers Mares Novice Hurdle (Listed)
18:35: J P & M Doyle (C&G) Flat Race

Friday, 2nd May 2025

15:40: Stanley Asphalt Hunters Chase for the Bishopscourt Cup
16:15: Punchestown Novice Handicap Chase (Listed)
16:50: Hanlon Concrete Irish EBF Mares Chase (Grade 2)
17:25: Event Power Champion Hunters Chase
18:00: Boodles Champion Hurdle (Grade 1)
18:35: Alanna Homes Champion Novice Hurdle (Grade 1)
19:05: Uniquely Novice Hurdle
19:40: Overlander Horseboxes INH Flat Race

Saturday, 3rd May 2025

14:30: HOWDEN Cross-Country Chase
15:05: Colm Quinn BMW Handicap Chase
15:40: Punchestown Irish EBF Mares Champion Hurdle (Grade 1)
16:15: Palmerstown House Pat Taaffe Handicap Chase (Listed)
16:50: Ballymore Champion Four Year Old Hurdle (Grade 1)
17:25: SBK Handicap Hurdle (Listed)
18:00: Lawlor’s Of Naas (Pro-Am) Flat Race
18:35: Punchestown Kidney Research Fund Charity Race

What Are The Main Punchestown Festival 2025 Races?

There are 12 Grade One Punchestown Festival races that headline the five-day meeting – and like most year’s there is a lot to look forward to ahead of 2025.

(Tues) Champion Chase

Won last year by Banbridge, who went onto bolster that form by winning the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day. He could be back for more as he looks to join recent back-to-back winners Energumene and Un De Sceaux.

But if lining up (also entered in the Gold Cup) he could be taking on this year’s Queen Mother Champion Chase winner Marine Nationale and also the Ryanair Chase hero Fact To File.

Willie Mullins has won the race eight times and with five wins jockey Paul Townend, who is tied with Pat Taaffe, needs just one more to become the winning-most rider in the history of the race.

(Weds) Punchestown Gold Cup

Another race at the meeting trainer Willie Mullins has dominated with six past wins – his first Florida Pearl in 2002 and his most recent Allaho in 2022.

However, the last two runnings have been taken by the Martin Brassil-trained Fastorslow, who has toppled Galopin Des Champs both times.

No Fastorslow this year with the horse out injured, but Galopin Des Champs will be trying for a third time to win this race that has so-far eluded him.

The horse that beat Galopin in the Cheltenham Gold Cup – Inothewayurthinkin – also won’t be running as he’s been put away till next season now.

(Thurs) Champion Stayers Hurdle

Shock horror – the Champion Stayers Hurdle is yet another race the Willie Mullins team have a top record in – they’ve won the prize 10 times.

Their first came with Holy Orders in 2003 and most recent being a treble of wins between 2021 and 2023 for Klassical Dream.

Last year though the race was won by the Gordon Elliott-trained Teahupoo – giving the yard their first success in the race – and he’s expected to be back for more having been freshened up after losing out in the Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival (2nd).

The horse that toppled Teahupoo that day Bob Olinger could renew rivalry, as could the Coral Cup winner Jimmy Du Seuil.

(Fri) Punchestown Champion Hurdle

The Boodles Punchestown Champion Hurdle is another race that will have a lot of attention at this year’s Festival – mainly as the Nicky Henderson-trained Constitution Hill is expected to back the trip over.

Constitution Hill has famously fallen in his last two races – the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham and also last time out in the Aintree Hurdle.

With regular rider Nico de Boinville injured connections are likely to turn to James Bowen, who is reported to also be getting the leg-up on Lulamba for the yard – he’s entered in the Ballymore Champion Four Year Old Hurdle on Saturday May 3rd.

The horse that took advantage of the Cheltenham Champion Hurdle carnage – Golden Ace – is also an intended runner.

Willie Mullins has won the race 10 times – with his most recent State Man in 2023 and 2024 (watch below).