The Mystique of Punchestown Racecourse

The Mystique of Punchestown Racecourse

By Hearst Schlitz III

The Ponyville Express

September 7, 2021

Punchestown Racecourse is located in the parish of Eadestown, between the R410 and R411 regional roads near Naas, County Kildare, in Ireland. It is known as the home of Irish Jumps Racing and plays host to the annual Punchestown Irish National Hunt Festival. The racecourse itself is right handed with an undulating hurdle and steeplechase track. The hurdle course is one mile six furlongs in distance while the chase course is 2 miles. Punchestown Racecourse also has the only cross country banks course in Ireland.

As well as horse racing, Punchestown hosts several music events, including the annual Oxegen festival , while AC/DC, Bon Jovi and Eminem are among the artists to have played sold out concerts on the racecourse.

The Punchestown Festival is the major horse racing festival of the Irish National Hunt Season and is usually held annually in April. The Punchestown Festival is held over five days, between Tuesday and Saturday inclusive. It is seen by many as the Irish version of the Cheltenham Festival and is run in a very similar format.

The major races at the Festival are the Champion Chase, Ryanair Novice Chase, Champion Hurdle, World Series Hurdle, Evening Herald Champion Novice Hurdle, Cathal Ryan Memorial Champion Novice Hurdle, Growise Champion Novice Chase, Champion Four Year Old Hurdle, Champion INH Flat Race and the Punchestown Gold Cup.

Punchestown is also the home of Ireland's best known International Three Day Event. Run under the title of "Punchestown International Three Day Event and Horse Show," the annual event incorporates a CCI*** Three Day Event, National Showjumping and Showing as well as a Young Event Horse Class. Punchestown hosted the European Eventing Championships in 1991 and 2003. The 2008 event was cancelled at an early stage due to problems with the ground.

Punchestown Races were reorganised and reconstituted as "Kildare and National Hunt Steeplechases" in 1861. The first day of the 1868 meeting attracted 1 spectator.

As well as horse racing, Punchestown is a noted venue for its music festivals. These include Creamfields - held in 2000, 2001 and 2002; the Ozzfest - a few times; Witnness - held in 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003; and the current favourite Oxegen held there each year since 2004. Maximum capacity for concerts is usually 80,000 people.

Eminem played two dates there in 2003, selling out both. They included his first ever Irish concert on 26 June 2003. He did not return to Ireland again until 2010 when he topped the bill at Oxegen 2010, also held at Punchestown Racecourse. American rock band Bon Jovi played there on Saturday 7 June 2008. Australian rock band AC/DC played there on 28 June 2009. The concert was controversial, with long queues, lack of lighting at exists and too few stewards reported, barriers being pushed over and fans, forced into walking 10 kilometres to the concert, later expressing their rage against organisers MCD Productions for failing to ensure roads were clear.

Punchestown was the site of Jamboree 2008, Scouting Ireland's first national Scout Jamboree from August 2-10 2008. Bad weather forced the cancellation of visitors' day, with those who were to come being ordered to stay away. Thousands of people from around the world attempted to break a world hand-shaking record.