- Friday, 01 May 2026 06:54
- Written by G Edwards
It is a bumper Friday for racing action today with day four of the Punchestown Festival, several good flat meetings and a hunter chase card at Warwick this evening - something for everyone! The Punchestown card gets underway a bit later at 3.40pm today with two hunter chases, the second of these being the feature champion race. No horses from this side of the Irish Sea competing in it this year but the top horses from Ireland all line up and it looks quite an open race. Dinoblue is the short prices favourite for the mares chase at 4.50pm and this high class mare is always very hard to beat. The winner of the Turners novices hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, King Rasko Grey is the very short priced favourite for the 2m4f novices hurdle at 6.00pm as is stablemate Lossiemouth a very short priced for the Champion hurdle which follows at 6.40pm. Golden Ace and Wilful have made the journey across to take her on but I think we will see another victory for this wonder mare. A handicap hurdle and a bumper finish of the Punchestown card for today on what is student day at the course so I am sure they will all be partying well into the evening!
- Thursday, 30 April 2026 08:35
- Written by G Edwards
I have to start this morning with Gaelic Warrior, wow what a performance yesterday in winning the Punchestown Gold Cup. I thought Fact to File may have the edge over his rival after not running at the Cheltenham festival last month but the Gold Cup’s winners performance yesterday cements him as perhaps one of the best, if not the best staying chaser since Kauto Star.
I had a lovely day at Punchestown yesterday, we were looked after very well and there was a great atmosphere at the course. The weather was fab, sunny but quite cold in the wind! Unfortunately Thanksforthehelp couldn’t repeat his success of twelve months ago and unfortunately in reapplied blinkers he travelled with a lot of zest early but stopped from two out. He now stays in Ireland for his summer holiday at Martinstown stud.
- Wednesday, 29 April 2026 06:00
- Written by G Edwards
Thanksforthehelp runs at Punchestown Today
We have one runner today at Punchestown, Thanksforthehelp who runs in opening race on the card at 2.30pm, the Adare Manor Opportunities handicap hurdle and Rian Corcoran rides. He won this race twelve months ago off a three pound lower mark with Gaving Brouder on board and he was also third in the race back in 2022. Our nine year old has struggled a bit since winning this race last year, having been put up eleven pounds for this victory. He is back down to a rating of 117 but the Irish handicapper kindly gave us 119 in this though Rian's four pound claim will certainly help. Our gelding does seem to prefer this time of year and spring ground but it is a very competitive 25 runner field. We are quite a big price but I hope we have an each way chance. It is a great opportunity for Rian to ride in these colours at a prestigious meeting and fingers crossed for a good run.
- Tuesday, 28 April 2026 06:07
- Written by G Edwards
There are four flat meetings today in Britain at Epsom, Yarmouth, Southwell and Lingfield but all jumps racing fans eyes will probably be on Punchestown as they get Day One of their Festival meeting. The racing gets underway with cross-country race at 2.30pm and it is followed by a 25 runner competitive handicap hurdle. This race is a final in which horses had to qualify by finishing in the first four in an Albert Bartlett qualifier during the season, the have had qualifying races on both sides of the Irish Sea leading up to this race. There are a few English challengers but it looks a wide open race and you might as well stick a pin in to find the winner!
- Monday, 27 April 2026 07:03
- Written by G Edwards
This might have been an interesting article, but now it will be short and sweet as I just lost all what I had written because the computer crashed, not a great start to my Monday! The jumps season came to an end at Sandown on Saturday and jumps racing now takes a few days break before starting back again next Saturday. There is however a hunter chase meeting at Warwick on Friday, which was moved from Cheltenham. It is just flat racing all the way until then on this side of the Irish Sea but we do of course have some top class jumps racing to look forward to at Punchestown starting tomorrow. There are three flat cards today at Bath, Lingfield and Wolverhampton while in Ireland they race on the flat at Naas. The ground at Bath is described at firm, good to form in places but they have plenty of runners on a card that gets underway at 2.00pm.
- Sunday, 26 April 2026 07:35
- Written by G Edwards
The 2025-26 National Hunt season concluded at Sandown yesterday and jumps racing takes a few days break on this side of the Irish Sea but we do have Punchestown to look forward to starting on Tuesday. There are three flat meetings today at Nottingham, Musselburgh and Wetherby and racing at all in Ireland. The Musselburgh card is a twilight card which gets underway at 3.45pm and ITV4 are showing five races from there as well as four of the later races at Nottingham.
- Saturday, 25 April 2026 07:17
- Written by G Edwards
It is the jumps season finale today at Sandown and we have one runner, Way of Stars. He runs in the second race at 1.45pm, a valuable novices handicap hurdle final worth just over £51,000 to the winner. Horses have to have finished in the first four in a qualifying hurdle race during the season to be eligible for this race and it has attracted a very strong 18 runner field. Jack Tudor rides Way of Stars and our four year old has just had the three starts over hurdles and his form is strong. He was way too keen on debut at Exeter but ran well enough to finish third to a horse that subsequently won again and then finished third the the Fred Winter at the Cheltenham Festival last month. On his second start, he was chinned on the line into second at Taunton and the winner that day won up at Perth earlier this week. He won his third start at Taunton and beat a horse called Gnomon who won at Ascot last time and is favourite for the last race at Sandown today.
