Punchestown Festival gets off to a winning start with record opening-day crowd

Soaring temperatures brought the crowds flocking to Punchestown yesterday and the thermometer wasn’t the only thing cracking, as the turnstiles had to cope with the biggest opening-day attendance at the festival.

Manager Dick O’Sullivan was thrilled to welcome 19,459 people to the course, an increase of over 800 on last year, and ice-cream vendors ran the bookies a close second in the race to make the most profit. Even though the shirt-sleeved men manning the pitches faced long queues after odds-on favourite Faugheen won the G1 Herald Champion Novice Herald for Willie Mullins and Ruby Walsh, it was still a good day for the layers.

As the mercury rose, the action on the track intensified. Sizing Europe turned the clock back to his glory days and electrified the crowds with victory in the feature event, Grade 1 Boylesports.com Champion Chase. At an age when many horses will be out enjoying lazy days in the paddock, the 12-year-old showed his zest for racing and left trainer Henry de Bromhead scrabbling for superlatives.

“Any day you win a Grade 1 is super, but at his age to go and show such enthusiasm was brilliant,” he said. “For us he has been amazing, a superstar, and I’ve been saying it for years.”

Niall Quinn and Steve Bruce were among the sporting celebrities breaking out the summer wardrobes. A crew of RTÉ personalities, including Sean O’Rourke and Marty Morrissey, also enjoyed a day at the races. The gregarious GAA reporter was coy about expanding his RTÉ role, but was very open about his Punchestown policy: “It’s Ruby all the way for me.”