The 2026 Punchestown Festival opens tomorrow. Tuesday April 28 in County Kildare. Racing from 14:30 through to the evening with three Grade 1 contests closing the day. Here is everything that matters for Day 1.
The Full Day 1 Race Schedule
14:30 — Kildare Hunt Club Cross Country Chase 15:05 — Albert Bartlett Triple Crown Series Final 15:40 — Killashee Hotel Handicap Hurdle (Listed) 16:15 — Punchestown Champion Novice Hurdle (Grade 1) 16:50 — Dooley Insurance Group Champion Novice Chase (Grade 1) 17:25 — Goffs Defender Bumper 18:05 — William Hill Champion Chase (Grade 1)
16:15 — Punchestown Champion Novice Hurdle (Grade 1)
Kopek Des Bordes — unbeaten Supreme Novices winner at Cheltenham — heads the entries alongside Aintree Grade 1 winner Salvator Mundi. Both are trained by Willie Mullins. The novice hurdle championship for the season is settled here. An unbeaten horse in his first season over hurdles, returning to Punchestown after winning at Cheltenham, faces the specific test of whether the Festival performance was genuine or flattered. Willie Mullins's two-runner hand gives him the best chance of winning the race regardless of which horse has the better of the other.
16:50 — Dooley Insurance Group Champion Novice Chase (Grade 1)
Willie Mullins holds five entries including Cheltenham Brown Advisory winner Lecky Watson and stablemate Ballyburn, who will be ridden by Paul Townend. Townend's allocation of Ballyburn over Lecky Watson — the confirmed Cheltenham winner in the division — is the signal that has attracted most market attention this week. A jockey who wins 44% of his Punchestown rides over the last five seasons choosing one horse over another in the same stable is the clearest possible information the market has available.
18:05 — William Hill Champion Chase (Grade 1)
Marine Nationale — who won the Cheltenham Champion Chase by 18 lengths — defends his Punchestown title against Fact To File, the Cheltenham Ryanair winner dropping back to two miles over fences, and Captain Guinness, who won this race in 2024 with Rachael Blackmore riding. Six runners confirmed. Marine Nationale at Punchestown arrived at 18:05 — the evening's closing Grade 1, the race that closes Day 1 and sets the tone for the week.
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Facts verified via web search April 27 2026. Sources: Paddy Power News schedule, Read Horse Racing, Racing Ahead Magazine.